In The Pitch I wanted to create a story that depicted the pitching of the television show Love on the Spectrum in a comic frame. Specifically not to mock the show itself, but considering the incongruous idea that the person behind the pitch would’ve sounded particularly distasteful despite the show having been made with the intentions outlined by the assumed studio executive.
Within the comic frame of a heightened reality boardroom pitch, I attempted to create a story with a specific “comic character” (Toplyn 2014) who demonstrates an exaggerated interest in pitching this show, as well as exuding an exaggerated distasteful air throughout the piece. The passionate delivery behind the censorship bar as well the sense of opposition to the comic characters pitch created by including reaction shots from the characters opposite having confused and negative reactions to a pitch the audience cannot hear, creates a sense of mystery behind the show being pitched. The stakes are raised as the reactions intensify and the twist is delivered right after the comic character achieves their ultimate goal of pitching this television show. (Toplyn 2014)
This twist is a violation that comes with the reveal that the show being described is in fact the beloved reality show Love on the Spectrum, a reality TV show that documents the romantic efforts of people on the autism spectrum. As I have family members with disabilities I believe I understand the strong emotional connection audiences have to these topics, and approached the joke with a sensitivity to the subject that impressed on me the importance to successfully make the situation benign in an attempt to make a comedic observation. Thus, we incorporated dialogue that describes the positive effects television shows such as Love on the Spectrum have. Something I would change after reflection on this piece would be to replace the vomit gag with a confused look, as it has implications the idea itself is revolting which I didn’t want to include.
Storyboard
Toplyn, J. (2014) Story Sketches in Comedy Writing for Late-Night TV, New York Twenty Lane Media, pp. 221–238.