Romantic Comedy is bust?

[mariesetiawan]

I guess in a sense that comedy in itself can be mastered when actors can play them out well. Writing cracks and jokes is half of the job. The delivery completes the package.

[padnar]

yeah it is very difficult to write a comedy. I do read many scripts . Though many scripts  classified  under romantic comedy, I could not laugh by reading it .
padma

[mariesetiawan]

Thanks Maxthevir, ScriptNurse. I've been trying to write the best ten minutes so far... challenging, but it's becoming rewarding with every new edit. ScriptNurse, I've discovered that the characters did need more sprucing up. Thanks for the article!

I guess need to peruse the site thrice over for more inspiration.

[ScriptNurse]

My thinking is that it's not so much the formula, but the execution of the formula. In the case of comedies, I think that comes back to (a) the characters, or (b) the situation. I would look to apply a healthy dose of "quirkiness" to both. Here's some food for thought:  http://www.scriptnurse.com/wcms/index.php?chardevelop

[Maxthevir]

I don't think you should stretch it out to more than ten minutes. When you're trying to sell a screenplay, the producer/agent/assistant wants to be hooked by the first ten minutes or even the first page. If not, they won't waste their time reading any more.

In my experience, I know that they read a couple of hundreds of screenplays a week and about only four catch their attention and are given to their boss.

[mariesetiawan]

Lately I've been taking some time to research on romantic comedy nowadays as well as some takes on the rom-com genre. Needless to say, though I've started to write one in basic outline, I feel it's lacking something. In regards to screenwriting in general, the first ten pages should capture your audience immediately, leading them to want more. But for a rom-com, the rule seems to be overlooked. At least, every time I try to figure out this initial intro.

So, my question is, should the rules of the rom-com apply to the first ten minutes of a film? I.e., Girl meets boy / Boy meets girl. Or could I simmer that to maybe a twenty minute period?

Thanks in advance!