A comedy feature film typically runs 95-105 pages and is defined by character-driven humor built around misunderstanding, social awkwardness, or absurd situations. comedy features lean on dialogue, timing, and escalating comedic stakes.
Comedy screenplays run leaner — 95 to 105 pages is ideal. Every scene must have a comic engine: a source of conflict or embarrassment that generates laughs. Dialogue does the heavy lifting but action lines should contain visual gags too. Setups and payoffs are everything — plant a joke in act one, pay it off in act three. The protagonist needs a flaw that creates comedy, not just funny things happening around them. Avoid writing 'he says, sarcastically' — the line should be funny on the page.
The comedic premise locks in by page 15. Act one establishes the character's normal world and the disruption (20 pages). Act two escalates the comedic situation through complications and misunderstandings, with a 'dark night of the soul' that has genuine emotional stakes (55 pages). Act three resolves with character growth and a final comedic set piece (25 pages).
Start with the comic premise — write the logline first and make sure it makes people laugh in one sentence.
Give your protagonist a specific, relatable flaw that creates comedy naturally, not just funny situations around them.
Write the set pieces first — the three funniest scenes — then build the story to connect them.
Read your dialogue out loud. If it doesn't sound like how people actually talk, rewrite it.
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