Length of a Sketch

[shalvi]

I took intro to writing at SC and they said there was a rule of thumb for how long a sketch should be... 3,4,5 pages?

[Run]

Are you writing for a SC-style show? I mean, do you want it to flow like a SC revue? If so, that sounds like a good rule of thumb.

If you are writing for yourself or your own style... make it whatever length you want. But be honest with yourself if it starts to feel "a little long".

I would recommend focusing on the material first ... write until you heart is content .. and then come back and worry about length. After a while sketches will just start to come to you naturally inside your head at about the right length of time.

That has been my experience at least.

-Jonesy

[shalvi]

I just felt it was a useful guideline for me at the time... I just can't remember what it was :)

[Janes]

In classes, we say keep it to three-to-five pages. We do this for two reasons.

One - it's about four minutes, which is about right for a scene to be developed and not overstay its welcome.

Two - it's a class. We can't have everyone write comedy opuses (opi?) or we won't get through them all. And when it comes to a Writing 5 show, when you're trying to give every writer two scenes in a show, the long ones get weeded out first.

A sketch should really only be as long as it is. Seriously. It's called a sketch for a reason. It should be brief and the premise easy to communicate. That might be done in two pages or eight. If it gets longer and more complicated, you're pushing into "one act" territory.

But like Jonesy said, it really all depends on what you're up to with your show and what you want to write. And getting feedback from others helps you figure out if your scene works at eight pages or drags.

- Joe

[Mike McKeown]

I agree with Joe. Classes are structured as such for other practical purposes. The thing I loved most about finishing writing classes was taking what I learned and seeing where I could bend the "rules". These days, revue-style sketches tend to get shorter and shorter. Back in the 60's or 70's it wasn't that uncommon to see SC revues with 8, 9, 10 min. scenes. But these days most audiences have such short attention spans so they start to wander when scenes drag on (unless it's an incredibly compelling 10 min. scene).

When I write I tend to write quick first drafts just to get all my random thoughts on paper. But if you have good discipline and a sense of scenic structure, you can definitely edit down a 7 page first draft to a tight 4 page sketch. Just remember to establish your "who, what and where" in the first couple of lines and follow the rule of "show, don't tell" in your writing. Just like in improv, if your characters make active choices, don't ask too many questions, and try to stay in the present, your scenes should zip along without getting too bogged down with exposition and plot.

Then again, every writer is different, so find what works best for you. If the scene has a great premise and strong characters, there's no reason it can't go on a little longer. The question I ask myself most when editing my sketches is "is this part absoultely crucial to my scene"? If not, I chuck it.

[shalvi]

Interesting. I never thought there was a practical classroom reason for the rule. Either way, I like the guideline because it's roughly 1 minute per page. I'm just starting out, so I could use a little structure. Thanks a lot, guys!

[Scol]

Something I think many writers, especially newer ones, overlook, is rhythm. Comedy is music. I don't know if this is teachable. You gotta feel it. When making cuts, get rid of the words that gum up the rhythm.

[pedropolis]

Poetry is a way how you reinvent the world. Making the familiar into something new. Using that perspective, the key to writing very funny sketches (and really good poems) is to surprise the audience. Lead them somewhere, then sucker punch them into somewhere else and go all the way with it. If the audience knows what your punchline is then your sketch is will only be slightly amusing.

Though this is a general idea it has helped me alot.

[dewidiot]

Our crew was always getting needled in Second City classes about going too long. Especially when we all started out. I'm not sure that like a standard 5 page max is the only way to go but it's become more and more of a good rule of thumb. At the very least it forces you to look at longer sketches and say, "Do I really need this?" and if so, keep it in.

One thing I've found is that the sketches we do that are longer than standard, typically are the ones that tell big stories, and these usually have distinct mini scenes within them, like a musical montage or setting changes, time lapses, etc. These seem to go over even better than our shorter, trim scenes, but only if we don't go epic more than once.

I think in the end, you have to think about more than just whether or not it works on its own, but also how does it affect the show as a whole? If you're in classes, it can feel a little disjointed because, at least until Writing 4, there is no show.

I do think however, that trimming as much as you can get away with leads to some really good, quickly paced, funny stuff. Editing a sketch can take it to the next level and even if you get frustrated by constraints, like alot of my buddies and I did, it's still good to force yourself to follow rules they set up for you. You can always hang on to a second version Director's cut.

Word,

Andrew

www.thewarheroes.com (http://www.thewarheroes.com)