Looking to learn comedy, not dark comedy, because that is what I wont my animation to have. I am thinking of going to the local Comedy clubs once a week but I would like some reading material. There is a section at the book store that is full of books that claim to be humorous but I would like to know if any of you have authors or titles in mind.
I remember seeing a PBS documentary on comedy hosted by Rowan Atkinson. He went through all the "rules" that good comedians have either been taught or have known instinctively. After each rule he then showed clips of classic comedians (Marx Brothers, Chalie Chaplain, Peter Sellers, etc.) to better illustrate how each rule ahs been applied.
That would be something worth seeking out if you want to study comedy and how it works.
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You were close to being right, the show was hosted by Alan King. There are three volumes in the series and they are still in print, lucky me. Here is the full title, "The College of Comedy with Alan King". Great Performances was where the show aired. Thanks for pointing to this Haredevil_Hare
Yeah, I'm definitely searching that out!
The Comic Toolbox is a cheap book I read that does a pretty decent job of going through comedy for writing, comic situations, comic plots and why certain things are funny (while others are not).
It's not a master class or anything like that, but for $10 it's definitely worth the read.
Also, a lot of comedy clubs offer comedy classes as well. Usually one night a week for a month or whatever and you end with a 5 minute bit on an open mic night. Not the same as writing for animation, but good practice and there's nothing like the immediate feedback of laughter (or the lack thereof...).
Good luck...
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