What is the First Rule of Comedy?

David Zucker's First Rule of Comedy 

Right at the top of this video, we get the first rule of comedy: actors in his films should not try to be funny. 

Zucker calls this the "joke on a joke" rule.

The idea is that all of the humor should come from the script, and the actors' job is to deliver the lines with complete seriousness.

This is why he famously has a "no comedians" rule, which he jokingly calls the "Jerry Lewis rule" when he's making movies. He wants people playing roles who understand that if they hit the lines and the marks, the comedy will follow.

Zucker says that on Naked Gun, he told Priscilla Presley to "just let the lines do the work."

More Rules in Zucker's Comedic Formula

Pacing

Pacing is another critical element in Zucker's comedic formula. He aims for a rapid-fire pace of about three jokes per minute to keep the audience constantly engaged and laughing.

Visual Gags

This, combined with the liberal use of visual gags, creates a relentless stream of humor. He points to the famous "Nice beaver" scene in Naked Gun as a perfect example of a line followed by a visual punchline. He also talks about building gags, where a simple joke can be expanded upon with more and more visual elements, like the hysterical woman scene in Airplane!.

Story and Characters Must Be Great

Zucker emphasizes that jokes alone are not enough to sustain a comedy feature film. He has learned that a strong story and well-developed characters are essential, especially for the second half of a film.

You need somewhere else to go outside of the jokes, and a character arc helps the audience continue to buy into the story.

It took him years to develop all these ideas and skills, but I think that because he did so during the formative years of filmmaking, he provided a solid foundation for us all to build on moving forward.

Summing It All Up

Zucker's comedic philosophy is a testament to the idea that comedy is a craft that requires precision, discipline, and a deep understanding of what makes people laugh.

To me, these rules and ideas are really good jumping off points for myself and for any writers who like looking into comedies and seeing how they tick.