Screenwriter John August On Laughing At Your Own Jokes
Screenwriting guru John August fields another sticky query from an online acolyte who asks the Charlie's Angels 2: Full Throttle scribe if a writer should be laughing at his own jokes.
[August:] No, usually my writing doesn't make me laugh, at least after the initial how-clever-am-I chuckle. Any joke becomes unfunny after you stare at it for too long. The trick is to remember why it was once funny, and protect those aspects. While rewriting generally sharpens comedy, it's all too easy to lose subtle jokes in the process.
See these comedy principles helpfully illustrated by "memorable quotes" from CA2:FT after the jump.
The Unfunny After You Stare At It For Too Long Principle:
Madison Lee : What's up, Angel?
Natalie Cook : Madison Lee?
Madison Lee : Natalie Cook.
Natalie Cook : Oh, my god! How'd you know?
Madison Lee : I get the newsletter.
OR, The Rewriting Process Dulls Subtle Jokes Principle:
Max : Helen Zass. So, uh, where's that, where's that name come from originally, is that, uh "Ass-Tralian"?
These might be poor examples as each seems to illustrate both principles, may have been written by one of CA2:FT's legion of comedy punch-up writers, or might never have been funny at any stage in their development.
