01 / Detect
Explicit laugh cues
Markers like [JOKE], (laughs), CHUCKLES, and APPLAUSE register as joke beats.
MirthMurk · Comedy Engine
Comedy,scene by scene.
Follow explicit joke beats through a screenplay. Comedy Engine counts the cues and compares their density from scene to scene, so you can see where the draft signals a laugh.
The report counts marked cues; it does not decide whether a joke is funny.
Illustrative screenplay fragments
Explicit laugh cues are the counted beats
INT. LAUNDROMAT — NIGHT
[LAUGHTER]MIRA checks the timer. MIRA At least one thing here is finishing a cycle. [LAUGHTER]
EXT. OFFICE PARKING LOT — DAY
(laughs)JAMIE holds a parking ticket. JAMIE Good news: the meter is finally running on my schedule. (laughs)
The comedy lens
Count the cue. Keep the scene in view.
Comedy Engine uses explicit comedy markers as a consistent reading signal. It splits the screenplay by scene headings, counts those markers, and calculates joke beats per 1,000 words for each scene and the full draft.
02 / Group
Scene by scene
Each detected cue stays attached to the scene where its marker appears.
03 / Compare
Density, with context
Beat counts are read alongside scene word counts as cues per 1,000 words.
This is a cue-based heuristic, not a quality score. An unmarked joke can go uncounted, and a marked cue does not guarantee a laugh.
Two genres. Two different reads.
Keep the lens true to the story.
Comedy Engine
Joke beats + scene density
Counts explicit comedy cues and compares joke-beat frequency across scenes.
Horror Vault
Tension cues + scare pacing
Reads atmosphere and threat cues alongside explicit scare actions and their pacing.
From draft to report
A short path from screenplay to scene read.
Start inside the MirthMurk workspace. Your report is private to your account.
01
Bring a plain-text draft
Choose a screenplay saved as a .txt file and give the report a title.
02
Choose Comedy Engine
The comedy track reads explicit joke cues and groups them under scene headings.
03
Review the scene read
Open a private report with cue counts and density by scene.
Before you start
Comedy Engine FAQ
A few useful details about the cues, the report, and how the two genre tracks differ.
Comedy Engine counts explicit screenplay cues such as [JOKE], (laughs), LAUGHTER, CHUCKLES, GROANS, and APPLAUSE. It does not infer an unmarked joke or judge whether a line is funny.
Ready when the draft is
Start with a scene. Read the pattern.
Sign in to upload a plain-text screenplay and save a private Comedy Engine report.