Watch the video interview on Youtube here.
In this Film Courage interview, author, instructor, and script consultant Steve Kaplan discusses the portrayal of protagonists in comedies. He highlights Harold Ramis’ perspective that comic protagonists don’t have to be nebbish or pathetic like in Woody Allen films. Ramis was interested in rebels, iconoclasts, and those who don’t fit in, as reflected in movies like “Meatballs,” “Ghostbusters,” “Groundhog Day,” and “Stripes.” These characters are imperfect and lack decorum or maturity but are rebels, much like Ramis saw himself. Kaplan suggests that comic protagonists should be authentic and human, flawed but relatable…(Watch the video interview on Youtube here).
BUY THE BOOK – THE HIDDEN TOOLS OF COMEDY:
The Serious Business Of Being Funny
BUY THE BOOK – THE COMIC HERO’S JOURNEY:
Serious Story Structure For Fabulously Funny Films
BIO:
Steve Kaplan is the author of The Hidden Tools of Comedy and The Comic Hero’s Journey, best-sellers in their field. He’s working on a third book about writing comedy for television. In addition to having taught at UCLA, NYU, Yale and other universities, Steve created the HBO Workspace, the HBO New Writers Program and was co-founder and Artistic Director of Manhattan Punch Line Theatre. In addition to development projects for HBO, he has taught workshops online and around the globe and at companies such as DreamWorks, Disney Animation, Aardman Animation, and NBC’s Writers on the Verge. Steve has worked as a script consultant and script editor for productions companies, studios, directors and individual writers.
UPCOMING COMEDY INTENSIVE ONLINE CLASS WITH STEVE KAPLAN
Kaplancomedy.com/product/the-comedy-intensive-online-2023-spring
MORE VIDEOS WITH STEVE KAPLAN
CONNECT WITH STEVE KAPLAN
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