SlagA
Saturday 6th October 2007 1:55am [Edited]
Blackwood
5,335 posts
Quote: David Chapman @ October 5, 2007, 8:16 PM
Really though - a sitcom could - or even should - be a series of sketches linked together. Stretch them out with a story and you've got a sit - and maybe even a com.
Agree in principle, but disagree in the detail because then you end up with a 'Max and Paddy'. If ever a script should have been written on spontaneously combustible paper, that was the one.
In long-form, each scene should move the plot forward, the writer should say 'this scene is here because ... (example) we learn auntie is coming to stay, leading to tension between the hearers'
But saying that, each scene COULD then be written almost as a standalone sketch BUT the important distinction between sketch and scene excerpt is that (in the scene excerpt) there's an underlying but very rigid movement from A to B rather than a more free-form 'let my brain run on neutral and see where this ends up.' The latter being a no-no in a longer piece but more acceptable in sketches. But even in sketches I know my start and end point before beginning.
And the other differentiation is that a sitcom scene MUST discharge its responsibilities, its justification for existing. A sketch doesn't have to do this. It's the heroin of the comedy world. It's a quick hit and then it's gone. It's only resonsibility and justification is that it makes people laugh.
Saying that it is easy to spot an obvious cul-de-sac that the writer put in because it contained a favourite gag or dialogue that they wanted to shoe-horn in. The Young Ones springs to mind as the most obvious example where this occurs but then the plots were never Dickens but rambling monstrosities, which at times added to their charm and at other times irritated the life out of me.
The disadvantage with ignoring plot is that I regularly watch Yes, Minister and Fawlty Towers even though I know them soooo well, because the storylines are brilliant. In contrast, I've watched my Young Ones DVDs once. The plot will definitely add layers and longevity and sustainability. IMO.
