Fall 2024 special topics class: Sitcom scriptwriting
Photo courtesy of Sam McGhee on Unsplash.
Treasure Hardwick, Staff Writer
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to produce a script for a sitcom? Have you ever wanted to be involved behind the scenes of a production? Well, you are in luck because next semester NGU’s School of Communication is offering a sitcom class for the very first time.
In the fall of 2024, students will have the opportunity to take a class that teaches them all the ins and outs of writing a script for a sitcom. During the first few classes, students will learn all the fundamentals of script writing and how to be intentional when producing dialogue. The class will collaborate and use their creativity to write a script from scratch that will eventually be produced after they know the basics.
The class will spend the entire semester writing the script and ensuring that it is quality writing that will keep the audience entertained and laughing. They will focus on the dialogue and characters and eventually come up with a viable script. After it’s written, the goal is to collaborate with the School of Theatre in the spring of 2025 to perform the sitcom.
Kelechi Benet, professor of communication, has a good deal of experience in film and television and he will teach the class. He encouraged students who are interested in the class to step outside of their comfort zone and add the class to their schedules.
“This is the first time NGU is offering a sitcom class. To be a part of the first class who produced a sitcom is an honor and exciting. We are always going to want to stay in our comfort zone, but you won’t regret stepping out of it,” he said.
Benet encouraged all students to take the class, but he especially encouraged people with an interest in theatre and broadcasting because it provides knowledge and experience for real-world jobs.
“You learn details you would never think about. You have to think about the audience and what they would find funny. You have to think about how this script will be filmed with multiple cameras and posted on YouTube. It’s a real experience. It’s not just a grade you receive,” Benet said.
He said that students can prepare for this class by watching sitcoms. He suggested analyzing the dialogue, timing and what makes the audience laugh.
Students can be excited about this opportunity to step outside of their comfort zones and use their God-given creativity to entertain others. They can also be excited that their work will eventually come to life when it’s performed.
The class will be held next semester on Tuesdays from 6 to 8:30 p.m. and it is worth three credit hours.
