Theory
This theory says that humor occurs when a perceived threat is proven to be false
Benign Violation Theory
A recognizable situation from life, legend, or media
Trope
The last line in a character or sketch
Blackout line
This is also known as sketch structure
5 Point Structure
Contrary to its name, this type of joke often has two lines.
One-liner
Anything that threatens one’s beliefs about how the world should be.
Violation
The place in a joke or sketch where you’d find a button
The end
The Who, What, and Where of your sketch/character
Base Reality
A pattern of unusual behavior with a justification
Game
A style of stand up in which a comedian tells stories from their life
Storytelling
Strange behaviors and flatulence are examples of benign violations that break this kind of norm
Social
One guiding principle of joke writing is called the Rule of ___
3
A character based on something that normally doesn’t speak: a place, thing, or idea
Conceptual character
Instances of the game occurring
Beats
A style of stand up in which a comedian makes jokes about relatable experiences, like airplane food or visiting the doctor
Observational
Puns and malapropisms are examples of benign violations that break this kind of norm
Linguistic
The act of presenting your idea to a room of writers.
Pitching
When a character denies something the audiences knows to be true
Playing Coy
Adding information to raise the stakes with each beat
Heightening
A style of stand up in which a comedian improvises jokes based off audience interactions
Crowdwork
Two things that are required for creativity
Time and Space
Name at least 3 of the 5 elements that make something funny
Strong POV
Relatability
Specificity
Surprise
Punching up
A reason for a character’s unusual behavior
Justification
Name/describe the 5 points that make up 5 Point Structure
Set Up
Inciting Incident
Raise the Stakes
Turning Point
Button
(In stand up, sketch, or characters), using an extended metaphor to create humor
Mapping