Characters, plot and storylines in comedy
with Marks & Gran – 14th May RADA, London

From the writers of Birds of a Feather, Goodnight Sweetheart and Shine on Harvey Moon.

A one-day comedy seminar focusing on the key elements of characterisation, storylining and plot construction. Marks and Gran will also lead the group through a "what happens next" analysis of a tape of one of their shows, to highlight the creative decisions that have to be made at each stage of script writing.

1. Introduction: Comedy ideas. Why some work, but most don’t. Laurence and Maurice will explore the genesis of their own comedy successes to demonstrate the problems they encountered in devising long-running series and how they overcame them.

2. Character Construction: How do you make characters “real and true”? Can characters be funny and remain believable? How character should define plot, not serve it. The role of secondary characters. Laurence and Maurice will screen one of TV’s most successful comedy pilots to illustrate their theories.

3. What happens next?: Laurence and Maurice will lead an on-screen analysis of an episode of one of their hit shows. They will pause the DVD after every scene so that students can discuss how they would take the episode forward. In this way the process of episode construction is revealed and the intimate interconnection of character and structure is emphasised.

4. Open forum: A chance to ask Laurence and Maurice any question concerning comedy writing, except “Will you read my script?”
 

Biography

Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran have been writing and producing successfully for television since 1980. Their hits include the comedies Birds Of A Feather & Goodnight Sweetheart, and the comedy-dramas Shine On Harvey Moon, and Love Hurts.