Tutor Intro
Teacher P — Writing Professor from Columbia University
- She is currently a drama writing teacher at Columbia University. She was a professor at LIM College in New York City, where he taught news and contemporary media courses.
- She has published two books in the United States. His articles have been published in many media such as MTV News, Columbia University News, Compass, etc.
- As a writer and teacher, she has been interviewed by American CNN, ABC News, People Magazine, and other well-known media outlets;
- Her teaching style is loved by students. Students have given her compliments, such as “in few weeks, she has taught me so much more than my one-semester writing course at Ivy League”;
- She graduated from Barnard College of Columbia University with a bachelor’s degree in American Literature. She also received an MFA degree in non-fiction writing from Columbia University
Class Intro
Do you love making people laugh? Then this is the course for you! In Comedy Writing, students will learn the art of comedic improvisation– the art of Yes, And!– in addition to how to write a full-length comedic sketch and a comedic essay. By mastering the art of Yes, And!, each student will be able to improvise, both on and off the virtual stage. Through embracing failure, each student will become more confident in their comedic abilities, in addition to gaining more confidence in themselves. Learning how to make people laugh both on and off the page can lead to a lot of laughter– in addition to a career path in film and television. But it all starts with a strong foundation of improv, sketch, and comedic writing– all of which you will learn in this course.
Outcome
Over the duration of the course, students will master the art of comedic improvisation. Group class time will entail improvising over zoom (which is easier than you would think!), which will help generate material for writing both comedic sketches and comedic pieces. By the end of the 9 weeks, students will have completed a one-full-length sketch, one comedic essay, in addition to experience with comedic improvisation.
Resource
When it comes to writing a sketch or a script, formatting is of the utmost importance. If you’re committed and ready to take the dive, buy Final Draft. That’s the industry standard. However, Celtx is an equally good option that doesn’t cost any money. Either will suffice for this course.
Course Content
Weekly Topics | Homework |
Week 1 Foundations of Improv and Sketch Comedy The Art of “Yes, And” Five Point Structure | Write Three Sketch Ideas to Pitch Sketch Ideas |
Week 2 Improv and Beat Sheet —> Spend class pitching sketch ideas, and constructing a Beat Sheet. | Write a draft of your sketch— workshopped during one-on-ones |
Week 3 First draft of Sketch Due Brainstorming Exercise: What are your obsessions? Introduction Humor Writing— Parody Read Parody Pieces | Based on the brainstorming exercise, write a parody piece. |
Week 4-8 individual one- on-one sessions (meet once-twice a week, a total of 6 sessions) | Write sketch and parody piece— work one- one-one with Paulina Week 8: Parody Piece due |
Week 7 Parody Piece Due | Work on the parody pieces and comedic sketch |
Week 8 Improv, improv, improv! Scholastic Writing and Art Awards Introduction-Humor Category Talk about Comedy Publications and Pitching | Finalize sketch |
Week 9 Perform ! Sketches will be performed, improv if there is time. |
Students
Grades 9-12, students who have a certain writing foundation and are interested in sitcom writing ;
The course is especially suitable for students who want to apply for film, drama, media, creative writing and other related majors in the future.
Feedback
After each class, the teacher will send course feedback, including course topics, homework and student progress.
Schedule
15 hours of classes, including 6 hours of group classes (90 minutes/class/week), and 6 hours of one-on-one classes (60 minutes/class, scheduled after group sessions are completed)
