Read Scripts
Thursday 2nd April 2015
We're always amazed when people who want to write sitcom freely admit that they've never read a sitcom script. How are you going to make your work look like it's written by a professional if you've never actually seen an example?
We're not just talking about obvious things like layout and conventions like INT and EXT, but also the way that dialogue looks on the page. Three lines is a long speech. A script meant for the stage looks utterly different. Scenes are much longer, there's rarely any intercutting between them and speeches can go on for several pages. Not in sitcoms. Read as many scripts as you can and absorb the rhythms of sitcom.
There are some really useful examples online:
BBC Writersroom is a good source of free scripts.
Click here for US pilots (including the American versions of British shows like The Inbetweeners).
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is up there, too. Go on, treat yourself...