How to Structure a Six-Minute Sketch

A short sketch does not have room for a second idea. It has room for one idea, turned three times.

Start with a normal situation and one rule that is slightly wrong. An elevator that will not move is not funny. An elevator where three strangers all believe they are in charge is. The rule creates the conflict, and the conflict creates the lines.

The three-turn shape

Turn one establishes the rule and lets the audience understand it. Turn two raises the stakes: someone commits to the wrong interpretation. Turn three pays off the earliest detail, which is why the opening line has to be written last.

Mark your pauses

Most new scripts lose their laughs in the edit because the reaction is cut too early. Write the pause into the page. If a line lands, give the room a full beat before the next speaker. The script should tell the editor where to wait.

End on a button, not an explanation

Once the premise is exhausted, stop. A final short line that reframes everything is stronger than a paragraph explaining what the audience just saw. Our single sketch packs are written to this shape, with every beat and pause marked.