Chicago Screenwriters Network presents L.A.-based writer/producer Gabe Abelson in the Chicago-area debut of his two-day seminar, FUNNY FOR MONEY: Secrets of Successful Comedy Writing, which will take place at Loyola University (Lake Shore campus in Rogers Park) on Saturday, October 24 & Sunday October 25 (9:00am-6:00pm both days).
Anyone who has ever attempted to write comedy – let alone perform it – knows that few endeavors require more skill. (Neurosurgery, for one…)
No matter the genre or media, comedy is an essential ingredient. Whether you want to write a TV show like Modern Family or films as diverse as The 40-Year-Old Virgin or The Silence of the Lambs, a well-developed writer must be able to craft clever, tight comedy whenever the scene or situation requires it. If a comic scene or script doesn’t elicit laughter – and pretty damned quickly at that – the audience will stop laughing or the reader will stop reading. Gabe will teach you the crucial tips and techniques for comedy writing success.
Writers of all sorts – film or TV screenwriters; stand-up, sketch, or improv comedians; authors of fiction and non-fiction; columnists and journalists; bloggers; copywriters and other marketing / advertising professionals; public speakers, and more – will benefit from mastering the skills and techniques of writing comedy.
What You’ll Learn at “Funny For Money”
Gabe’s course teaches professional comedy writing techniques for use in screenwriting (film & television), sketch comedy, stand-up comedy, late night comedy talk shows, marketing & promotional copy writing, blogging, speech-writing, and written communications in general. Among the topics Gabe will cover during the two-day span of the seminar:
Elements of humor • Joke construction and techniques • Comedy formulas • How to fix a joke that isn’t working • Pulling the rug out from under the audience’s mind • The Process: from idea to fully-scripted material • How to find your comedic voice • Visual vs. Verbal humor: painting the word picture • Turning tragedy into comedy • How to keep the job once you get it • Writing teams • A typical day in the Writers’ Room • The business side of comedy • How to get an agent or manager • Building a resume
