Narrative comedy workshop with Tim Ferguson - 10am-5pm, 30-31 January
This intensive two-day course offers processes and insights necessary for professional screenwriters to expand their skills base into narrative comedy for television and film. Attendees will be shown how to construct a sitcom from the ground up, making choices in terms of theme, sub-genre, character, structure, morality, style and tone. The principles of comedy film’s sub-genres and styles (i.e. pastiche, parody) will be outlined, along with tips and strategies for crafting a funny feature.
The course focuses upon the principles of jokes and narrative humour. These principles are ancient, fixed and universally applied through all comedies. Attendees are presented with processes and principles for devising comic conflict, metaphors, juxtapositions, reversals, story structures, knowledge differentials, pathos, subtext and the rhythms of comic dialogue. The course operates by way of lectures, script analysis and the viewing of narrative comedies. Some class time will also be devoted to exercises and workshopping. The course concludes with tips for formulating series bibles and pitching concepts to the film or television markets.
Tim Ferguson is Australia’s internationally-acclaimed ‘Comedy Doctor’. He lectures in narrative comedy and screenwriting at the RMIT School of Media & Communication in Melbourne and works as a script consultant and editor for production companies and networks in Australia and Britain. For over twenty years, Tim has toured the world performing stand-up and musical comedy, writing dozens of live stage comedy shows as well as writing or producing sitcoms and a comedy film. His work includes Doug Anthony Allstars, Daas Live In New York, Daas Kapital, The Big Gig, Daas Love, 01 For London, Friday Night Live, Juste Pour Rire Specials, The Edinburgh Years, Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush, IMT, Unreal TV/Ads/Stuff-Ups/Pink-Label & Big Brother Insider and Shock Jock. Tim’s book The Comedy Manual (Currency Press) is due for release in 2010.
This workshop is presented in collaboration with the University of Canberra.
Venue: Workshop Room, ACT Writers Centre, Gorman House Arts Centre, Ainslie Ave, Braddon.
Cost: Members: $200, fulltime students and concessional members: $185, non-members: $250 (includes 12 months of membership).
Limited seating so bookings are essential on 6262 9191 or admin(a)actwriters.org.au
The course focuses upon the principles of jokes and narrative humour. These principles are ancient, fixed and universally applied through all comedies. Attendees are presented with processes and principles for devising comic conflict, metaphors, juxtapositions, reversals, story structures, knowledge differentials, pathos, subtext and the rhythms of comic dialogue. The course operates by way of lectures, script analysis and the viewing of narrative comedies. Some class time will also be devoted to exercises and workshopping. The course concludes with tips for formulating series bibles and pitching concepts to the film or television markets.
Tim Ferguson is Australia’s internationally-acclaimed ‘Comedy Doctor’. He lectures in narrative comedy and screenwriting at the RMIT School of Media & Communication in Melbourne and works as a script consultant and editor for production companies and networks in Australia and Britain. For over twenty years, Tim has toured the world performing stand-up and musical comedy, writing dozens of live stage comedy shows as well as writing or producing sitcoms and a comedy film. His work includes Doug Anthony Allstars, Daas Live In New York, Daas Kapital, The Big Gig, Daas Love, 01 For London, Friday Night Live, Juste Pour Rire Specials, The Edinburgh Years, Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush, IMT, Unreal TV/Ads/Stuff-Ups/Pink-Label & Big Brother Insider and Shock Jock. Tim’s book The Comedy Manual (Currency Press) is due for release in 2010.
This workshop is presented in collaboration with the University of Canberra.
Venue: Workshop Room, ACT Writers Centre, Gorman House Arts Centre, Ainslie Ave, Braddon.
Cost: Members: $200, fulltime students and concessional members: $185, non-members: $250 (includes 12 months of membership).
Limited seating so bookings are essential on 6262 9191 or admin(a)actwriters.org.au