EXTRACT THE MAXIMUM FUNNY FROM YOUR FILM & TV SCRIPTS
PUNCH IT UP
A unique program designed to train your comedy brain to help you make film and TV scripts funnier
Have you finished a film or TV comedy script and want to take it to the next level? Are you a Script Consultant or Story Editor looking to add more tools to your toolkit for your comedy writing clients? Or do you simply want to learn the ways of comedy writers in the script punch-up process? If so, this online course is for you.
This multi-faceted program kicks off with six hours of pre-recorded training where screenwriter and punch-up artist Daniela Saioni pulls back the magic curtain to unveil how to think like a comedian when punching up scripts. She will lead you through her insights on sharpening dialogue, help you make stronger and more original choices, amplify subtext through humour, disguise exposition, identify any potential “game” in the scene, apply jokewriting techniques and give you tools to help you find or improve your jokes, strengthen your theme and distinguish your character voices.
That will be followed up with five weeks of twice-weekly live group afternoon Joke Gyms and Punch-up Gyms via Zoom, where we will apply different jokewriting techniques each week to brainstorm jokes and punch up scenes that course participants bring in. You will have access to a year's worth of Joke Gyms and Punch-up Gyms after purchasing the program, with the five-week session running at least twice a year.
The next ones will start mid-October 2023.
Course Structure
Six hours of lecture content outlining the punch-up process in detail (these will be recorded live on Zoom and accessible to course participants for life, including all future course updates).
Five two-hour Joke Gyms, where each week we draw joke topics out of a hat and attempt to write original jokes on topic using a different approach to jokewriting each time. The joke gyms will be recorded on Zoom, and attending live is highly encouraged. The recordings of Joke Gyms will only be made available to the current cohort and will be destroyed one month after our final class.
Five two-hour Punch-up Gyms in the same weeks we have Joke Gyms, where each week we collectively punch up two scenes from film or TV scripts provided by course participants who wish to submit one.. The Punch-up Gyms will be recorded on Zoom, and attending live is highly encouraged. The recordings of Punch-up Gyms will only be made available to the current cohort and will be destroyed one month after our final class.
A private Facebook group for the program, where you can ask Daniela ongoing questions and network with your fellow comedy writers between classes
PLEASE NOTE: The initial lectures will be available by September 7, 2023 and you will have lifetime access to review them at your own pace. However, to get the maximum benefit from the program, all participants are encouraged to attend and participate in as many joke and punch-up gyms as possible in the year following their purchase of the course..
Joke and Punch-up Gyms will be scheduled for 4pm to 6pm EST (NYC Time) to accomodate multiple time zones from Australia to the UK in October 2023 - I am aiming for Tuesdays and Thursdays but will consult with the group to see what the majority preference will be.
If you have any questions, please email Daniela at mondocinema@gmail.com
About the Instructor
Daniela Saioni is a former stand-up comic, multi-award-winning comedy screenwriter, script consultant and punch-up artist.
Her comedy writing programs From Schtick to Script and Make 'Em Laugh for 90 Minutes have been training working comedians and laypeople alike since 2012. Between her students and private clients, Daniela has closely shepherded the creation of over 100 original scripts from concept to finished draft.
In 2022, Daniela served as the Story Editing and Punch-up Instructor at the Pacific Screenwriting Program's Scripted Series Lab.
Her feature script Jiyan, based on a story by Mazdak Taebi, won nine laurels internationally including the Grand Prize at WE Screenplay Diverse Voices 2021 and Best Screenplay and Best Fresh Voice at the 2019 Female Eye Film Festival. More importantly, her students have been winning more awards than ever, landing more agents and optioning more scripts over the past two years than ever before.
A veteran script supervisor on major comedy motion pictures (My Big Fat Greek Wedding, A Simple Favor, Shazam!) and TV series (Suits, People of Earth), her talents are varied but her mission is singular: change the world, one laugh at a time.
What they're saying...
I can honestly say that "Punch It Up" is a game changer in joke writing courses, as it allows us to experience different creative methods. The joke writing gym sessions are really enjoyable, as well as extremely helpful in building up one's comedy muscles within a short space of time. I have become much more experimental and adventurous, and my writing is more refined, using an entirely different angle from before.
Nobumi K.
Semi-Pro Stand-up Comic (London, UK)
“Within the first 5 minutes of Daniela’s writing course, I knew I’d already gotten my money’s worth.” (on FROM SCHTICK TO SCRIPT Original Sitcom Pilot Writing Program)
Peter C. Hayward (Winner of the inaugural comedy.co.uk award)
Los Angeles, CA
"From Schtick to Script was an amazing experience - I took the class twice - and I still use things I learned in the TV writing rooms where I now work. It's an excellent, comprehensive and super fun workshop." (on FROM SCHTICK TO SCRIPT Original Sitcom Pilot Writing Workshop)
Zoe W. (Schitt's Creek, Crawford)
Toronto, CA
Daniela has a natural gift for inspiring you to do your personal best. Her natural instincts provide immediate, useful feedback. The writing room environment she facilitates is consistently nurturing and fun.
Bryan P.
Toronto, ON
Daniela's courses set me on the path of exploring my comedic voice in both series and feature writing. She is fabulously entertaining and a deft award winning screenwriter. She works with our industry's finest and teaches what she knows from an insiders perspective. If you're looking to hone your craft, find your voice, or explore comedy writing as a professional, Daniela Saioni is the real deal. I highly recommend any and all of her courses whether it's in the room or virtual, you won't be disappointed.
Leslie Ann Coles (Filmmaker, Quarterfinalist PAGE International 2020)
Toronto, Canada
I came to Daniela from an improv background and despite having comedy experience I didn't really have a clue on how to consistently write or develop comedy beyond an improv sketch. I don't say this as some exaggerated testimonial comment : there is no one out there with Daniela's talent for writing who has her talent for teaching.
The thing that just wows me is that she truly and deeply cares about every student. If you have struggles, she helps you through them (but if you are really high maintenance don't take the class because I want her to have some time for me).
Rob Watts
Toronto, ON
[on the Story Editing & Punch-up program at the PSP] Daniela is a fantastic teacher. Her comprehensive ability to breakdown what stories need, how humour works (and sometimes doesn't!), and how to improve your script in concrete and specific ways is incredibly valuable. This course is jam-packed with industry knowledge and you will leave able to write better. On top of that, she's kind and funny and you will love spending time with her.
Shauna Johannesen
Screenwriter (Vancouver)
