What It Takes To Be A Writer For 'Saturday Night Live'
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- čas přidán 10. 08. 2018
- "Hits & Misses" author and former "Saturday Night Live" staff writer Simon Rich walks us through a week of writing for the iconic show.
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Following is a transcript of the video:
Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!
Simon Rich: "SNL" has been functioning I believe in pretty much exactly the same way since 1975. On Monday, you meet the host. Lorne calls on you one at a time and you say a few ideas. You don't actually have to write those ideas, you're mainly just trying to make everybody laugh. Sort of a colossal waste of time, creatively, but a nice diplomatic thing to sort of say to the host, "Don't worry," "we're all pretty funny, you're gonna be okay and not humiliate yourself."
And then you write pretty much until Wednesday morning. Write all day Tuesday, and all night Tuesday. And at Wednesday there's a big table read where the cast and the host read all of the pieces out loud. Sometimes the list will be like 50 sketches. It takes like four or five hours, this read through. The producers, Lorne, and the host, and the head writers, they go back into a room, and they pick the 10 or 12 best ones, the ones that made everybody laugh the most. It's pretty meritocratic, I mean if something works, it's in definitely, all the time. And it doesn't matter if it was written by a first year writer whose name people are forgetting, the sketch goes into the pile.
Thursday, you rewrite these sketches as a group, trying to punch them up and improve them. And Friday and Saturday you're rehearsing, and building sets, and building props, and designing costumes. And then at 8 p.m. on Saturday there's a full dress rehearsal. It's two hours long. Lorne watches the sketches on a little monitor. You sit next to him, he tells you his notes.
The great thing about working for Lorne is that he gives you full creative freedom. He lets you try whatever you want. There aren't heavy notes, but when there is a note, you trust it, because it's backed by, you know, decades and decades of mastery of comedy.
Then they go into another little room, and they cut another half an hour out of the show, based on which sketches performed the worst in front of the audience. So it can be really stressful because you really work hard on your sketches, but there's multiple times at which they could just be cut completely out of the show. Like in sports, you know, if you strike out you just have to kinda try to forget it because next week you have another show to do.
A lot of people assume that "SNL" is like a really competitive, socially toxic environment. That there's like, backstabbing, and rivalries, and feuds. It's really not true. In my experience it is one of the most friendly groups I've ever seen. People were incredibly generous to one another, helping each other out all the time, for zero credit. People like Seth Meyers, and Colin Jost, who were senior writers, were extremely generous with their time, explaining to me stuff which in hindsight was unbelievably basic.
Like I would do things sometimes in my sketches where a character would be like, "All right, here we are at the dentist's office." Because I was like, "We need some exposition about where they are." And they would be like, "You know you could just, like, show a dentist's office. And I was like, "Oh wow, that's a really amazing..."
And I saw that everywhere I went, every year when the new writers came in, because it was mostly people who have never written for television before. Stand-up comedians, or people who have written funny articles for magazines, or he hires like, playwrights, or people who've done some web videos. He almost never hires somebody who's written for another actual television show. So you have all these novices coming in. The more experienced writers are so nice, and they really teach them. And so I'm super grateful for the experience, because it was fun, but also I learned almost everything I know at that show. - Zábava
I already have my practical dream career, but being an SNL writer is my secret dream career.
Have you seen that they're allowing writers to submit sketches?
Shannon Byrd how do I show them?
Shannon Byrd Yess please, how do you submit them ?
Shannon Byrd oh my god how
Apparently it is toxic as hell there.
So what you’re telling me, is that I will never be a writer for SNL?
this man went to the dalton school (for at least high school), which costs at least 50,000 a semester. he then went to harvard. ladies, let’s give up.
It takes a lot of connections
Justin Y. Y u here
Justin Y. Subscribe to me
How?!
Can a dude eat a taco? I making animation subscribe to me please and I will subscribe to you
John Syzlack I making animation subscribe to me please and I will subscribe to you
Well said! 👏 this is exactly what I was looking for! Great description! 👍 Thanks! 😁
he looks overworked, like he had no sleep for the last 72 hours writing the next SNL, under the effects of caffeine
electronicbits he left snl a long time ago
This was filmed 7 years after he left
Thanks for sharing this. I'd love to write for SNL.
Loved watching this. SNL - there has never been or ever will be anything else like it!
I been saying this for years, Im going to give it a try....
Did you?
I’ve been curious about Simon Rich since John Mulaney mentioned him on Seth Meyer’s.
0:54 where can I find the video of the event that this photo is from?? Please tell if you know thankyou :)
I'm going to get through some how!
This would be something that would be useful to know.
Is it just me or does Smon Rich look kinda like Eric Forman from thats 70s show.....
Love
I came straight here from the "Disney" skit with Steve Carell... cause... wtf, ya know?
Interesting I actually learned nothing about what it takes to be a writer for Saturday night live but learned what the Lifecycle of a skit is. Maybe perhaps next time making a video about the title or coming up with a different title that matches the content.
I have a bunch of really good ideas for the show, trust me i do. Been watching SNL for a loooong time.
Would love to give them the play if i had a chance.
Make your own mini SNL and build your resume!
I've always wanted to go in person to SNL or write a short or an actual skit that one of the Comedians use.
Cool I'd love to write for snl
give this man some sleep...GODDDD!!!
Bye yall, boutta throw all job opportunities out the window and audition for snl ✌️😛
I'm 57 years old and I loved a laugh. I know, I could write some great skets, I have a lot of great ideas and they're pretty funny. I wish I would be given a that's had a pretty rough life. And I have no living family and I don't know. I just would be so fun and optimistic for me to have a chance to do something like that.
my dream
do you think education Plays a big part in Getting chose to be a writer on snl ? Like, do they Only chose People from Like Harvard, Or Whatever ...
its all about connections not really university... if your funny, your funny
woah
Hell o
The only thing less creative than the Snl writing staff is this comment section complaining about the snl writing staff.
The funniest things ever. I love SNL.
Not much apparently
Hi
Hands, it takes hands
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE 1⃣ Actually it takes a keyboard too
Ok.
Saturday MORNING news: This morning, rapper young thug was arrested.
Lorne, Saturday night and, tonight’s script is written already: Ok, change of plans! Some rapper got arrested! We have to rewrite the script!!!
27th
how do You apply to be A writer on Saturday night live ?
dave lightSaber you go to Harvard and if you can’t afford that you go to ucb
But if you go to Harvard you have a better chance
willmakesvideos it’s A shame Because, ones Academics shouldn’t Be the deciding factor to Write comedy . a sense of humor is something your born with, and is sharpened By the interaction of people, and the Environment your raised in. “Life” is what makes you a good writer, not S.A.T scores. not to mention the cost of Goin there, and the simple fact There’s no Major titled “Comedy Writing” . shit, I might As well make my way up As a performer, and put On shows With other writers . that Seems Like a Less-impossible Strategy lol .
Probably not a bad idea to figure out how capitalization works beforehand, tbh
@@williamevans1708 you domt need to go to Harvard....
Where are u getting that from?
@@williamevans1708 lmao what is this?? blatantly untrue lmao... university’s with good comedy connections do help but it’s what these people do between college and snl that gets them snl wether that be stand up, working on small comedy shows, improv etc
Cool!
no matter how horrible it is, we still
watch
Maybe Pizxa
He cute, he can get it
He kinda looks like Ninja
WE ARE SENDING IN ALL SPIES TO SHUT YOU DOWN.
Everyone here just talking bout politics and I’m here thinking...how does one think about this as a job? Like, “Johnny, what do you wanna be when I grow up?” “I wanna be a writer for Saturday Night Live, so that I can write a bunch of comedy about a bunch of random stuff!”
lmao mulaney was like right after "people who havent written for tv, stand up comedians" like john mulaney was a writer for snl for years, i think maybe hes written for tv a lil
I think this show appeals to a teen audience, the comedy is pretty much low brow, it fits well with a little help from that special "herb".
One of the best comedians to come out of that plethora of funny humans, was the late Phil Hartman, who would go on to star in, what I think is one of the most inventine sitcoms ever, News Radio.🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣📻
I know this comment is old but comics like Phil Hartman and Jan Hooks were so unbelievably talented and it’s sad to see how hard it is to watch SNL now
This man got paid to say it's not a backstabbing work environment
SML?
And after video the guy gets a rise
step 1: have humor as dry as my scalp.
This one is humorous 😀
They need better writers
Looks stressful
I am sure that it is
A: weed.
Hello
Hi
Hi
Early
😂
3rd comment
16 th yeah please give me an shoutout
Wut?
...
7th
Hiiiiii
Hi
Hi
Step 1: Be Liberal.
Step 2: That's it.
CPARK5511 so I'm already a writer
CPARK5511 damn u upset and bitter
I'll pray 4 u
What it takes to be a writer for "Saturday night live"
Step 1: not be funny
Brittany C Hey man, that's not cool these people work really hard. How would you like it if someone made fun of you and your work. Not everyone can be a janitor like yourself and not everyone like yourself can be a janitor and work at the high school you dropped out of.
@@johnjames9728 there are a lot of fantastic sketches on snl. however there also a lot of sketches that make you think they were written by an 8 year old.
So this is why SNL is so unfunny anymore..
say any negative joke about trump and you’re set
I hate Saturday night Live 😑 Its full of sh!t !! Conan is the best 💖
Can they go back to being funny again and stop the politics
snl has always been political
Yaaass
political satire has been the backbone of SNL even from the earliest decades, what you mean bye “stop the politics” is “stop saying things I disagree with.” Grow up and grow a sense of humor
"10 or 12 best ones" that really makes me realize you guys are horrible writers. The only thing you can come up with is boring trump jokes.
you try and write 5 sketches in 2 days every day for months 😭😭😭😭
Actually watch that era of the show and you’d know that Trump isn’t the only thing they write about. Stop being stubborn and actually watch it instead of seeing random Trump clips that trigger you on twitter
Be liberal?
fran porter yeah Fran that’s it. The right has their version of it snl it’s called fox and friends
Step 1: be a liberal
all the good comedians left the show a long time ago, now its just a left wing political propaganda show. i dont watch it, wont, untill they go back to comedy and leave the politics behind. give us one good season with no politics, and watch the ratings sky rocket.
snl has always been political jfc
wish it was just the same cast from 2008 again
You do realize that SNL has always been political, political satire has literally been the backbone for SNL. And if you don’t watch it, how would you know that it’s a “left wing political propaganda show” you yourself said you don’t watch it so how can you say that for a fact. Yes the do political satire, but they make jokes about everyone on both sides, and it’s not the only thing they produce
I know a writer from SNL and this persons experience wasn't a good one at all. A bunch of snobs from what I understand.