The Comedy Intensive Online

Attend from anywhere!  Comedy expert Steve Kaplan takes you through this four-part class live and in real time through the online video service “Zoom.” Have to miss one? You’ll be able to stream the video on your own time as well.

An interactive workshop that explains comedy and comedy writing from the inside out: how it works, why it works, what’s going on when it doesn’t work, and most importantly, what can you do to fix it in your feature, sitcom, directing, or performance. 

• Class 1: The Art, Science, and Philosophy of Comedy
• Class 2: The Hidden Tools of Comedy
• Class 3: Comedy Characters and Archetypes
• Class 4: Comedy Premise and the Comic Hero's Journey

Classes over 25 people will include a separate one-hour Q&A, Sundays at 11am PST.

Whether you’re writing a comedy screenplay, working on a sitcom script, or producing or directing a comedy film or television series, Steve Kaplan’s Comedy Intensive is a must for any serious professional. Find out why the top writers, producers and directors from companies such as ABC, Disney, BBC, Dreamworks, Aardman Animation, NBC, Touchstone Television and others regularly attend his famed class.

Course Overview:

The Comedy Intensive Online is a four-part interactive course that explores the hidden tools and principles of comedy: what it is, how it works, why it works, what’s happening when it’s not working and what you can do to fix it, and offers proven and practical methods and techniques.

The Intensive includes interactive exercises, weekly assignments, Q & A time, as well as a liberal use of clips from current and classic comedies to illustrate our points and principles.

Course Outline:

Class One: THE ART, SCIENCE, AND PHILOSOPHY OF COMEDY

a) Introduction and Overview

b) Dying is Easy, Comedy is Hard

c) Comedy Perception Test - Are you seeing 20/20?

d) Funny vs. Comic - The difference

e) The Comedy Equation

f) The Hidden Tools of Comedy

g) Q & A

Class Two: THE HIDDEN TOOLS OF COMEDY

a) Metaphorical Relationships

b) Positive (and Negative) Actions

c) Active Emotion

d) Straight Line/Wavy Line

e) Q & A

Class Three: COMEDY CHARACTERS AND ARCHETYPES

a) The Four Elements of Jokes in Narrative

b) Sitcom Do’s and Don’t’s

c) The Entire History of Comedy  . . . in 15 minutes

d) Comedy Archetypes

e) Q & A

Class Four: COMEDY PREMISE AND THE COMIC HERO'S JOURNEY

a) Comic Premise—The Lie That Tells the Truth

b) The Comic Hero’s Journey

c) Final Q & A