Roots of humour

Comedian Ian Coburn discusses the roots of humour on The Screenwriters' Store website.

Scripts mimic real life. One day I'll write a scene in which a close loved one has died. Click. I'll take out the mental image and have the characters laugh about something before crying or hugging. If humor is a bandage in reality, it needs to be one in my script. This will make it more real, more accurate; make the emotions of the characters honest and help the reader feel them. I may even show some coldness in one of the characters by not having him laugh; perhaps he feels it is inappropriate and it disgusts him. Or, maybe, on a deeper level, he simply can't face the death. I can have him laugh alone later and finally begin the healing process.