WHAT IS A SKETCH MADE OF

What is a sketch?

- Sketch is a scene or series of scenes who’s basic purpose is to generate humor

- Below are the 4 parts to a sketch:

A. WWW (Who / What/ Where or Base Reality)

- Giving the audience a clear picture of who are the characters (an old angry person
& a young gullible faced man), what are they in relation to each other (from the way
they are dressed and objects around them, they look like boss and employee) and
thirdly, where are they (inside an office cubicle)

B. PREMISE
- The premise would be the first indication of an idea to come about through dialogue
or action which sets the perspective of the journey the two characters will take in the
sketch.
- Example
Boss: Busy?
Employee: Umm..no Sir. Everything okay?
Boss: Your report on our profits is terribly inaccurate. But I love the colour you chose
for the file.

The above line sets the premise. Premise being, this boss has a soft spot for
aesthetics.

C. SET UP
- In this step, the premise is repeated, establishing a pattern for the audience to
identify what the sketch is trying to tell them.
- Each repetition is heightened, raising the stakes for its impact to be felt all the more.
- Example.
Boss: Busy?
Employee: Umm..all okay Sir?
Boss: I just want you to know the woman you were hitting on last night was my wife.
But I loved the blue blazer with brown shoes. Who wouldn’t be smitten by a well
dressed person?

D. PUNCHLINE
- This is where the audience’s expectation is broken by delivering a ‘twist’
- The punchline is literally what it means..the punch goes against our normal pattern
 like a punch to the face

But before we get there - Let’s talk about the most fundamental
reasons why people find things funny - incongruence.

The Incongruity Theory

The incongruity theory suggests that humour arises when things that do not follow logic and
familiarity. For example, a joke becomes funny when we predict an outcome and another
happens. A simple narrative has our minds and bodies anticipating the next move - what is
going to happen and how it is going to end.
But when we spot the unusual and the story goes in an unexpected direction, our thoughts
and emotions suddenly have to change and adapt.

The unusual moment therefore, becomes the start of incongruity or point of incongruence.
This moment doesn’t align with the logical outcome that our mind is anticipating.

(Incongruence can happen most of the time when you create unpredictability. The best
way to sometimes do it is FLIP.)
(THE POINT OF INCONGRUENCE IS ALSO MOST OF THE TIME THE POINT WHERE YOU GET
YOUR FIRST LAUGH)

Improv exercise -
Two improvisers come on stage.
Now your aim is to find the point of incongruence - that one unusual point of your scene,
that can really give it legs.

What is the scene about? That is the premise of your sketch.

CHARACTERS
The Straight Line and Wavy Line Characters -
- Straight line characters are the ‘normal’ people in a sketch with normal reactions
- Wavy line characters are those with beliefs that make them say or act in opposition to
the straight line characters.
- These characters have an understanding of life that is not popular.

So let’s talk about your favourite shows? Talk about characters from your life.
q) As an exercise identify straight line and wavy line characters. Who are the wavy line
characters in - Fleabag, Afterlife, Mr Bean,
q) Identity Who are the straight line and wavy line characters in your life?
How do you create a pattern in a set up?
The Game is the first unusual moment of the scene, the first piece of information that
breaks from the pattern of normal life. Once this has been discovered, the improvisers will
shift away from “Yes… And” and move onto “If… Then” (asking the question “If this unusual
thing is true, then what else is true?”)

Game of the Scene

Once you set up your base reality (Who, What, Where) you find the first unusual moment
(that means when you find the premise of your scene) your partner in the scene recognises
this unusual moment by reacting to it.
Eg: Improviser1: I think my 2 year old son is not living up to my expectations. [Unusual
Moment]
Improviser2: What? Are you serious?
The game is identified when Improviser2 reacts to the unusual moment.
Improviser1: Well, if you have to be great - you need to start early.
Improviser2: (Dumbfounded) Not that early.
And so on…

In order to play the game ask - If this is true, what else is true.

Comedy thrives in tragedy. So setup can be considered as setbacks. The straight line
character needs to go through a series of setbacks and the punchline should be something
that either makes sense of the absurdity or completely flips the situation. The Punchline can
be visually seen as something that goes against the direction of the set up.

Moreover, don’t try to give solutions to the comic hero (the person whose struggles are
funny to the audience). Make them thrive in tragedy without giving them solutions to come
out of it. Don’t try to fix the problem, because it then becomes a game of one upmanship
which if not performed properly can fall flat on the face. It can also lead to unwanted
cacophony within the scene. If the scene is about one upmanship, then see that - you find
the game in it. Most Key and Peele sketches are about one upmanship and they do so with
strong convincing characters.

Game of the Scene - All Key and Peele Sketches. UCB ASSSSCAT Improv
Dark Humour Examples - Fleabag, Nanette by Hannah Gatsby.
TOOLS

Metaphorical Relationships - (For Characters)

Metaphorical Relationship is the tool of perception. It’s the idea that beneath every surface
relationship is a true, or essential, metaphorical relationship. Each character perceives
others around him, and the world itself, in specific, metaphorical ways. Think about the
couples you know. Some fight like cats and dogs, some coo to each other like babies and
some are like business partners: “OK, I can’t have sex with you this Thursday, but if I move
some things around, I might be able to squeeze it in Sunday afternoon, barring no further
complications.” Even though they’re a married couple, their metaphorical relationship is
that of nose-to-the-grindstone business partners.

Metaphorical relationships are best initiated when we superimpose a movie genre or a

relationship on top of an already existing relationship. Eg: Joey and Chandler’s break up
scene in friends. Genre: Romantic Comedy. Relationship: Roommates/ Friends.

When we are talking about parodies - this is also a good trope.

Friends: Chandler and Joey Miss Being Roommates (Season 2 Clip) | TBS

What is a theme?

A theme is the film’s central, unifying concept. A theme evokes a universal

human experience and can be stated in one word or short phrase (for
example, “love,” “death,” or “coming of age”). The theme may never be stated
explicitly, but it is exemplified by the film’s plot, dialogue, cinematography, and
music.

Why Themes?

Because it helps us communicate with our audience. It will help the audience relate
to us. Since the format is heavily structured, we need to show/ tell the audience that
the core of the story is from their suggestion.
What you and I are doing is - we are trying to find the story in a sketch. The fun part
is superficial but always ask yourself - “What is the humour trying to hide?”. That’s
where a theme helps.
Benign Violation

According to the theory, a violation refers to anything that threatens one’s beliefs about how
the world should be. That is, something seems threatening, unsettling, or wrong. From an
evolutionary perspective, humorous violations likely originated as threats to physical
well-being (e.g., the attacks that make up tickling, play fighting), but expanded to include
threats to psychological well-being (e.g., insults, sarcasm), including behaviors that break
social norms (e.g., strange behaviors, flatulence), cultural norms (e.g., unusual accents, most
scenes from the movie Borat), linguistic norms (e.g., puns, malapropisms), logic norms (e.g.,
absurdities, non-sequiturs), and moral norms (e.g., disrespectful behavior, bestiality).

However, most things that are violations do not make people laugh. For a violation to
produce humor it also needs to be perceived as benign. That is, it needs to seem okay, safe,
or acceptable.

This explains why the unexpected sight of a friend falling down the stairs (a violation of
expectations) was funny only if the friend was not seriously injured (a benign outcome). It
explains Jerry Seinfeld’s comedic formula of pointing out the outrageous things (violation) in
everyday life (benign), and Sarah Silverman’s hilarious habit of rendering off-color topics
(violation) harmless (benign) in her standup routines. It also explains puns (benign violations
of linguistic rules) and tickling (a perceived physical threat with no real danger).

That is why African American men/ women joke about the issues they face with their
ethnicity/ race. The same joke if cracked by a white man will be considered to be in bad
taste.

That’s why when you tickle yourself it’s not really a threat, but when someone else does it to
you - it can take you by surprise.

- Humor is a sum of ‘Violation’ and ‘Benign’

 - Violation is what threatens your belief of the way a world should be. Simply put,
something seems wrong.
- Benign here means, whatever may be the violation, you are distant from it and it
does not put you or what you think is at risk under any harm. When you are not too
committed to the violation.
- The types of violations are:
-- Moral violations
-- Social violations
-- Physical violations
- Violations that are completely malign are not funny. Eg: Tom getting clubbed on the
head and dying
- Situations that are completely benign are not funny. Eg: Tom getting clubbed on the
head and nothing happening at all
- Mix both up, balancing both for better humorous effect. Eg: Tom getting clubbed on
the head and his head sinking into his neck

SILENCE TO BUILD TENSION IN COMEDY

- Silence elevates the journey to the punchline

Video example of CHOMP https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2tT-RX1DT4&t=2s

NERVOUS LAUGHTER

- We laugh at things because it violates our expectations

- It is also a sort of defence mechanism to run away from unpleasant situations. It also
acts as a defence mechanism to hide our vulnerability. Eg: Laughing at a funeral
- Fear and laughter are very close to each other. Eg: Horror Comedy
- In your sketch, an actor genuinely laughing while performing makes the audience
enjoy the piece even more. Eg: Ryan Gosling laughing sketch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfPdYYsEfAE
- But the actor laughing to intentionally break character looks unappealing

EDITING

- A filmed sketch should have reaction shots of the actors. Reactions are where a lot of
comedy is
- Use the camera as a way to visually tell the narrative or point of view of the character
rather than supplement it with words. Eg: Edgar Wright and visual comedy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FOzD4Sfgag&t=217s
 - Each scene should have a subtle build up (or foreshadow) for the next scene. Eg:
Deadly Predators https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xcfv7Smsy2o

TIMING

- Primarily pace and rhythm, sketches need to maintain both for the delivery of
dialogue/ action and reaction to register
- Staying aware of the intensity of audience’s laughter after a punchline and
accordingly continuing with the next punchline just when the first laughter wave
simmers down
- Example of stand up comedian’s comeback punchline delivery and audience’s
reaction https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQIumtFM6p8

COMEDY + TRAGEDY = DARK COMEDY

- Comedy that is coupled with tragedy touches upon reality and the struggle of
humankind
- The deeper the effect of the tragedy, the darker it can tend to become.
- Examples of where characters are grappling with the tragedy of their own living and
is portrayed in a comedic avatar is Fleabag (on Amazon Prime) and Afterlife (on
Netflix)
- An example of how tragedy is normalised in the reality of the world of the characters
can be found in Quinten Tarantino movies. Here violence is normalised and the
comedy is the effect of it
- Dark Comedy can also be on themes such as racism, genocide, communal/ religious
toleration, sexual abuse.