KID_1012_COMEDY_EUR_1006_ELLENDER 9/24/12 8:51 AM Page 2
TV KIDS
A good example would be Disney Channel’s surreal animated comedy Fish Hooks, which provides a unique yet familiar take on the U.S. high school comedy, transported to an aquarium. “This is the kind of thing we are always on the lookout for—a show that stands out from the crowd because it’s unlike anything else out there,” Schwartz says. His strategy for finding this kind of content is to “consciously look for things that are new, fresh and different and avoid proposals which seem derivative.” At CAKE, which has sold comedies like the Total Drama franchise, Angelo Rules and Oscar’s Oasis around the world, Tom van Waveren, the CEO and creative director at the company, looks for “a clear and recognizable premise that can be the starting point of an unlimited number of stories. The funniest series to watch are the ones that remind us of our own lives and dreams. They show funny observations about human behavior and magnify them in the process.” Asaph “Ace” Fipke, the CEO and founder at Nerd Corps Entertainment, says that “freshness is the biggest thing I’m always looking for in comedy—a new take on traditional comedic themes.” The two most important features of a good kids’ comedy series are the idea and its realization in the script, he states. “It’s script first, most definitely, and all the things that make up what that script is. By this I mean the unique and interesting characters and the situations the writers put those characters in.” For van Waveren, what’s absolutely crucial is comedic timing. “It’s not just coming up with funny ideas but making sure they are delivered in such a way as to maximize their impact. Think about it, a joke is only truly funny if it is well told. “Don’t forget, the difference between a good pitch and a good show is execution. That means finding the right writing, directing and talent to make that one funny idea into a great show. A well-executed good idea makes a much better show than a moderately executed great idea.” In particular, making sure that the writing lives up to the promise of the idea is crucial, says FME’s Schwartz. “As the saying goes, ‘If it ain’t on the page it ain’t on the stage.’ If the script isn’t funny, then neither will the end result be in terms of animation or live action.”
action series with comedic elements was co-created by Russell T Davies, the writer behind the revival of the BBC mega hit Doctor Who. According to Nerd Corps’ Fipke, to write successfully for different age groups you have to get down to basics and ask yourself, What is it that kids of different ages find funny? AGE DOES MATTER
In general, preschool shows are all about breaking the rules—a theme that comes at a time when young children are being taught a lot of rules, Fipke says. “The humor comes from the characters not fully understanding the reasons for rules. Kids enjoy seeing characters doing the wrong thing and experiencing the consequences.” For older children, from the age of four upward, you can begin to get a little bit more diverse and sophisticated, says Fipke. “Here you can introduce word play, subtlety and nuances of characters in situations where you know how they will react—kids can start to anticipate what will happen.” Commisso, of 9 Story, adds, “Material for older age groups can involve more conflict that can resolve itself in a comedic way. With younger age groups, the comedy can’t have as much of an edge.” Before he moved to CAKE, van Waveren was involved in distributing one of the first live-action kids’ comedies to res-
POWER OF THE PEN
Make sure you spend time finding the best writing talent that can fulfill the promise of the show, advises Schwartz, who drafted The Simpsons’ former co-showrunner Josh Weinstein to work on Strange Hill High, FME’s co-production with CBBC, created by the London-based outfit Yoshimi & Katoi. The show will pioneer hypervynorama, a technique that combines puppets—styled like Japanese vinyl toys—with animation to produce “real-time animation.” “Josh has a unique comedic sense of humor and he surrounded himself with writers who he knew would also understand the show,” says Schwartz. Schwartz stresses that finding the right writing talent can be one of the toughest challenges when trying to make quality children’s comedy, particularly when treaty co-production rules require writers to be drawn from specific territories— ones that otherwise might not have been used. There were no such problems on FME’s Wizards Vs Aliens, which is a CBBC commission. The sci-fi fantasy live10/12
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Goofing around: Nerd Corps’ newest animated comedy is Endangered Species, a TELETOON Canada commission.