The 9 principles

Sure there’s lots you probably don’t know yet but here’s the thing – it doesn’t matter! You just need to apply your creativity in the right way.

This 5 part course is going to run through step by step how you can make an impact.

In this first section you’ll learn the 9 principles you need to apply, then in the in the rest of the series we’re going to show you exactly how to get started. At the end of this 5 part series you will be:

– Equipped with all the knowledge you need to start creating comedy

– Ready to turn ideas into content and started getting eyes on them

– Able to find people like you who you can work with to actually make your comedy

– Backed by a proven testing system that helps you concentrate on the projects that will make an impact

– Adept at finding opportunities to get your work noticed

Some comedy creators perform, some produce, but all write. So we’ll first focus on what you need to do to create strong characters and put them into great content.

Later we’ll move onto how to create through effective collaboration, getting feedback and finding out which ideas to pursue, and finally how you can take advantage of opportunities to get your work seen.

So to the 9 principles.

Through hundreds of conversations with industry experts and successful creators we’ve identified 9 key principles you need to apply:

1. Have lots of ideas and focus on learning

‘The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas’ Linus Pauling

When starting out you should be your focus. Not your work, but you. You are the project. Your first creation probably isn’t going to be a masterpiece. Commissioners and producers recognise this, and increasingly schemes like the BBC Writersroom aren’t looking for comedy shows, they are looking for comedy creators.

Don’t wed yourself to one make or break idea.  We spent years trying to develop our first attempt at a comedy script.  In what other field of work would you do that?!

You have to learn, and the way to do that is to keep on producing and developing original ideas and not get too attached to them.  You become more versatile, your experience is more diverse, and you learn more quickly than if you are tied to one project.

2. Don’t worry about people stealing your ideas

Quite simply, there is more important stuff to spend your time on. When new creators should be getting their work seen, both to get feedback and to get noticed, they are frequently paralysed by the thought of it being stolen.

Once you’ve started making headway then there are some basic precautions you can take, but put it to the back of your mind for now and concentrate on the bigger wins that come from regularly turning your ideas into content.

Take the example of George Meyer, arguably the most influential early Simpsons writer. He wrote a short humour magazine and gave away his best stuff to friends for free. Then he invited other people to write for it and enter their contributions. He certainly wasn’t worried about losing the rights to one specific piece of work. As the magazine grew in popularity Sam Simon found out about it and he offered George a role in the Simpsons writing team.

3. Learn the basic principles of comedy writing

New comedy creators bring the desire and creativity to make something original. Nobody gets into this just to create something that’s been done before. But to make an impact new creators must make sure they don’t miss out this crucial step.

However well you think you understand comedy, acknowledge that there are some things you don’t know, and take simple steps to fill in the gaps.

You have to get a basic understanding of the craft of comedy writing. Questions like:

The fact that there is a science behind comedy doesn’t mean you have to rigorously apply it to your writing. That would take the fun out of it. You just have to understand the principles. If you don’t then no matter how good your ideas are, they will be let down in execution.

So take a bit of time to learn the craft. You will find all the information you need in part 2 of the series.

4. Write regularly and try new formats

We’ve stopped asking experts for their one piece of advice to help new creators. Why? Because it’s almost always the same:

Write, write, write.

It makes sense. The more you write, the better you get and the more likely you create something that get’s noticed. But there’s more to this.

Rather than just write in one format, try your hand at a few. You could write a radio play, sketches, monologues, poems, childrens’ shows, spoof news articles, one liners. This is really important when you’re starting out:

So specifically how do you go about it? You could enter the numerous open submissions and competitions, or you could write what you fancy and try and find someone who wants to make it.  At The Comedy Crowd our Opportunities Hub ensures you never miss an opportunity.

5. Learn to create strong characters

OK obviously we don’t mean they don’t have to be physically strong. But rich, engaging, and ripe for comedy.

Wildseed Studios accept submissions from any aspiring comedy creator. They will look at anything from a script or video to simply an idea! They aren’t overly concerned with the format because there’s only one thing they’re looking for:

Great characters

As a new creator, characters are all you should be creatively concerned with. The rest can and will follow, if you get them right.

Once you have created a rich and interesting character it’s much easier to see what formats best show them off.

The reality is that comedy is all about the characters. Everything else just facilitates. The situation, premise, plot are important, but without good characters you’re stuffed. When you realise that, creating comedy gets so much more focussed. Just create characters.

How do you build great characters? You start by going really deep on their psyche, likes and dislikes, relationships, fears, loves, irritations, ticks, idiosyncrasies, politics, motivation…

We go into more detail on this in part 2 of the series about learning the craft.

6. Write sketches 

Once you’ve got some great character ideas the temptation is to throw yourself straight into a sitcom series.

Andy Riley (writer of Veep and Black Books) describes this as walking into a gym for the first time and trying to lift the heaviest dumbbell.

When you are starting out you probably aren’t going to have the experience to craft a sitcom, but you do have fresh new characters and ideas.

Show them off in short form.

Write sketches, monologues or short scenes. Here’s why:

Want advice on writing sketches?  Check out part 2 of this series and our article on why you should consider joining a sketch group.

7. Get it performed

People Just Do Nothing is a BAFTA nominated BBC comedy about a pirate radio station. The writers, Steve Stamp and Allan Mustafa, had no background in comedy. They had an idea with strong characters, but that’s not why it got picked up by a production company. They got noticed because they filmed it. Not a full pilot, just some simple short scenes of the characters playing around, which was found by Roughcut Productions.

They were lucky in the sense that amongst their group of friends they had some basic skills and equipment that made the process easier. Most likely you’d be missing an element needed to do this. You might be short on equipment (though often a smartphone does the job), more frequently you will need to find performers or someone with some basic production or editing skills.

It’s doable. We aren’t talking about Hollywood production values here, it’s about communicating your character through something more engaging than a script.

8. Get feedback

‘Feedback is the breakfast of champions’ Ken Blanchard

Feedback isn’t a sexy word but it makes your time worthwhile and puts you ahead of the competition. The biggest mistake creators make is waiting too long to get their comedy in front of people. We spent over a year working on a script before someone else read it, and when they did we realised what a huge mistake that was. Not only would that script have been 10x better with early feedback, we would have finished it in half the time.

Early feedback is about addressing the fundamentals. Character, premise, style, plot. Getting these right first gives you a foundation to go and create something great.  Or you might find out there’s a flaw in your idea you hadn’t noticed, in which case you need to move on quickly.

If you wait until it’s all written to get some reaction, you’ve wasted a lot of effort.
It’s obvious isn’t it. Why would you not get feedback? Well here’s why we don’t:

This is exactly why we created Ask The Crowd, where like minded creators are giving each other feedback on their scripts and videos.

9. Collaborate

It’s impossible to take your comedy beyond an idea on your own. Ultimately if you want to make it yourself you will need people with technical skills, but you also should consider collaboration as an essential part of the creative process. In particular, having a writing partner or team is a huge boost. Collaborating at this stage allows you to:

What if you aren’t lucky enough to have friends who share your comedy style?

That’s where being part of The Comedy Crowd community can help you to find people who do.

In Conclusion.. 

These are the things you should be thinking about if you want to create comedy.

There are many things you don’t know when you start out, but you don’t need to know them yet! The joy of being a new creator is that you can focus on your ideas. That’s what you bring that is unique.

You aren’t going to be able to write a commissioned sitcom yet. You won’t be able to film and edit a scene to pro standards. You won’t be able to come up with great content consistently.

It doesn’t matter.

You can learn these things later. For now, have fun with your ideas! Create characters, write sketches, dip your toes in all forms of comedy creating, then show your stuff to people and get feedback. This whole process will improve your skills and give life to your ideas quickly.

This is how people are getting noticed and making an impact right now.

The journey for creators is one of ongoing improvement following these simple steps:

So what next? What are the basics I need to know to get started? Where do I get feedback and have people look at my work? How can I find people to collaborate with?

In the remaining stages of this series we’re going to give you a straightforward guide with the best tools and resources for each step of the way.

Part 2 focusses on the heart of the creator journey, learning the craft. We’ll cover: