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Comedy Writer Special user 594 Posts |
Leaving the joke lists aside, is anyone interested in discussing the techniques for writing and performing comedy?
Comedy writer |
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Pizpor Elite user 476 Posts |
I am.
I'll start. Knock, knock. |
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Cabrera Special user Seattle 513 Posts |
Using buzz words associated with the subject is a good start. Then looking for something surprising or funny
"The quilt of life is woven with many different threads"
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Sealegs Inner circle The UK, Portsmouth 2596 Posts |
Anything that helps keep the game threads at bay.
I've not looked into or studied any particular techniques for writing comedy and during my university days, where I took a Bsc Hons degree in psychology, I found the dullest and most humourless course was, 'The psychology of humour'. What I do when looking at a new effect or routine is try and establish the comedic stepping stones that will get me through from the start to the finish. I rarely do a new bit that has more than just a framework of a script worked out. The effect or routine normally doesn't last that long on the first outing but I can usually tell after one or two performances if it has has potential. If it has I find the routine becomes fleshed out during performances.
Neal Austin
"The golden rule is that there are no golden rules." G.B. Shaw |
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Floyd Collins Inner circle Ohio 1633 Posts |
First we need to understand why people laugh. It is an emotional response much like crying. Our brains trigger something that says, hey that’s funny and our emotions take over from that point. Just as when something is sad, and we cry. So then it becomes our job as the performer to pull this response from our audience. There is no clear formula to comedy.
There are, however, known facts as to what makes people laugh. The triggered response can come from, something you have said hitting home with the person, and they find it amusing or someone falling down, rolling over and popping back up can become very comical to most. Sarcasm even has its place in comedy and can trigger the emotion. A stand-up comic will employee all the above along with a story line that creates the flow for the comedy. As a magical performer we must find that hook within what we do to make what we say funny. It’s no easy task, and even though I have had professional stand up comedians tell me I have an easier task then they do I disagree, for the most part, however, once we have our lines working, and in place they can stay like that much longer than a stand up who needs to keep everything fresh. You will need to find what makes you laugh and employee that in your routine. Don’t be afraid to use standard lines. However, be careful not to use lines that do not give you the needed response. With comedy, giggles, laughs and groans are all part of the entertainment. While scripting your routine include all the above not every line needs to be side splitting funny nor do you need a laugh a minute to have a very funny routine. I feel sometime we worry way too much about making every second of the routine funny that we forget the amazement factor that we must place carefully into the routine. Don’t get caught up in making every word you say funny, there is plenty of room for setup and don’t lose that trying to cram too many lines in. I have always looked at comedy magic as a sitcom, I am on stage, and I am putting in a frame for my audience a picture of what is funny. The visuals we have allow us to lean on them to bring out the funny in the routine. So we already start out with something that allows us to build the comedy into it. For comedy, we need a setup and a payoff. Each effect we do needs to have an element of comedy and mystery. The audience needs to be able to distinguish the difference or our magic is lost in the comedy. So while you are scripting you need to look at each effect you plan to bring into the routine and decide how you will take it from funny to wow and back to funny without losing the magic. This is not easy to do, but there are ways that the pros use to make sure something is not missed. Look at Mac King he has a very successful comedy routine yet he also wows his audience when he produces a gold fish on the end of a string in mid air. Mac can transfer his energy from the comedy into his amazement of the magic. The key is making sure the effect you do has room for comedy. Not all magic effects do, some need to be played very logical for the effect to be amazing and the timing does not lend itself to comedy. -Floyd
No one said it would be easy, or did they?
Check out my all new book "Chicken Scratches" visit my lulu store for more information. http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/thecenterstage http://www.collinscomedymagic.com |
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tabman Inner circle USA 5946 Posts |
How do you think Mel Helitzer's Comedy Writing Secrets stacks up?
...Your professional woodworking and "tender" loving care in the products you make, make the wait worthwhile. Thanks for all you do...
http://Sefalaljia.com |
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Floyd Collins Inner circle Ohio 1633 Posts |
I like them, lots of good sound advice in his books.
No one said it would be easy, or did they?
Check out my all new book "Chicken Scratches" visit my lulu store for more information. http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/thecenterstage http://www.collinscomedymagic.com |
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Comedy Writer Special user 594 Posts |
Its a good book and one I recommend. Get the 2nd edition.
Comedy writing guy |
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magicgeorge Inner circle Belfast 4299 Posts |
The best way to learn how to write and perform comedy is to write and perform comedy.
Theory and books are all well and good and may speed the process but nothing is as good as writing everyday and getting on that stage as often as you can. |
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TheAmbitiousCard Eternal Order Northern California 13425 Posts |
I tried to address this topic earlier and seem to have been met up with a bunch of armchair quarterbacks spewing theory and entertainer trivia that made no practical sense, if any sense at all.
After reading those posts, admittedly, I quit. These are things I've ended up discussing 1-on-1 privately or on other forums where people contribute and share practical info. Not lines and bits and gags but real theory and ideas learned in the trenches, on the subject. I'm not interested in adding a new idea only to receive back: heh heh. good one. hey. cool. Can I borrow that? consider it stolen. just joking.... not really. yeah, I already do that! Yeah, well, Johny Carson always did X, so you're wrong. I don't consider myself extra funny or extra creative but I have worked hard to make my act funny and entertaining. I've put a lot of work into it. Not exactly where I want it to be but it's going places. On many of the posts I do read, there seems to be a willingness to stop thinking at the point where "it's not that funny, but it gets a laugh" or "it always gets a laugh". Sounds a lot to me like a smattering polite chuckles (like you might see at a magic club meeting). Honestly, that's where things should BEGIN. Not END. If I'm wrong let me know.
www.theambitiouscard.com Hand Crafted Magic
Trophy Husband, Father of the Year Candidate, Chippendale's Dancer applicant, Unofficial World Record Holder. |
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Floyd Collins Inner circle Ohio 1633 Posts |
Frank,
I agree many of the post like this one get side tracked way to easy with the same old joke after joke in this section. Your question “smattering polite chuckles (like you might see at a magic club meeting). Honestly, that's where things should BEGIN. Not END. If I'm wrong let me know.” I do agree with you but I also know that with some audiences that is the most you can get. You can perform you’re A list material and with some groups that just don’t get the humor you are stuck with chuckles and giggles. I agree one should not stop there but sometimes we need to play it out a few times before deciding that it does not work. I have some material that kills when I delver it, yet I also know it’s not comical enough for others to pull off due to the fact of my timing and personality. When you said you put a lot of work into your routine to get it where it is now, that is one thing everyone needs to understand. It takes time and a lot of effort to get an act so it works with just about any audience you may encounter. Yet there will always be some that no matter how funny your act is, they will end up giving you a chuckle here and there or a smile. Sometimes this is all we can get and we take what we get. However you can perform the same show the next night and kill. This also makes scripting our magic harder because we do want to entertain; at least I hope we do. When met with a flat audience it can seem as if we did all that work for nothing. I don't think ones act should ever end, it should always be a work in progress.
No one said it would be easy, or did they?
Check out my all new book "Chicken Scratches" visit my lulu store for more information. http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/thecenterstage http://www.collinscomedymagic.com |
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TheAmbitiousCard Eternal Order Northern California 13425 Posts |
You're correct. Audiences are all different. One of the hardest things to do is to perform for a flat audience and then do it the next night again. Sort of sucks the energy out of you.
Most of the work I do with my act now is with pencil and paper. Or with mind-mapping software (Freemind).
www.theambitiouscard.com Hand Crafted Magic
Trophy Husband, Father of the Year Candidate, Chippendale's Dancer applicant, Unofficial World Record Holder. |
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Floyd Collins Inner circle Ohio 1633 Posts |
I will have to check out FreeMind, I use good old word.
To add to the flat audiance. I was performing in Toronto some time back and the audience I had in the parlor show was not getting my humor, so I thought. They chuckled and giggled but none where laughing like here in the states. When I was done performing, I apologized to the host. He said why are you apologizing you are the funniest magician we have had here in years. I scratched my head and later figured it out, that people react differently. Larger groups seem to laugh more than smaller, some people laugh once and they can’t stop no matter what you say. Everyone has a different trigger and if we over analyze that we can lose ourselves trying to figure it out. Later I corresponded with Bill Abbott about this and he agreed that Toronto audiences can be the hardest to win over. I wish someone would have told me that when I was in my 20s and went home and re-scripted my whole act because I felt I screwed up. Funny how all this works. I am going to download Freemind now and check it out.
No one said it would be easy, or did they?
Check out my all new book "Chicken Scratches" visit my lulu store for more information. http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/thecenterstage http://www.collinscomedymagic.com |
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magicgeorge Inner circle Belfast 4299 Posts |
I find the flat audiences very useful. That's when you find out what your gold is.
Great audiences are lovely, good for your ego but you need a tired, grumpy and not really up for it audience to pick out your killer bits. To better myself as an artist I've been doing stand up for a couple of years. During which time I've written 100's of pages of material. Spent days on stage. Tried tested and polished hours worth of original shtick. I now have IMHO a pretty good 10 minutes. That's all George |
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tabman Inner circle USA 5946 Posts |
Quote:
On 2010-03-15 18:10, Frank Starsini wrote:...been met up with a bunch of armchair quarterbacks spewing theory and entertainer trivia that made no practical sense, if any sense at all. Thanks a lot!
...Your professional woodworking and "tender" loving care in the products you make, make the wait worthwhile. Thanks for all you do...
http://Sefalaljia.com |
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TheAmbitiousCard Eternal Order Northern California 13425 Posts |
Now that IS funny. Thanks tabby!
www.theambitiouscard.com Hand Crafted Magic
Trophy Husband, Father of the Year Candidate, Chippendale's Dancer applicant, Unofficial World Record Holder. |
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Floyd Collins Inner circle Ohio 1633 Posts |
How many of you record yourself before committing your words to ink?
I was told many years ago to do this and I have found that when I write my scripts out they flow better if I use the same words I would if I was speaking to an audience. Just wondering if anyone here does this and what you have found both positive and negative with doing so.
No one said it would be easy, or did they?
Check out my all new book "Chicken Scratches" visit my lulu store for more information. http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/thecenterstage http://www.collinscomedymagic.com |
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harris Inner circle Harris Deutsch 8812 Posts |
Yes..the written word for comedy, is a bit different than the spoken.
Since I started adding song parodies...it is even different from the sung word(s) Writing as George and others stated..very crucial..So is a small digital recorder..Mine is about the size of my diatonic harmonicas..(now theres a sight gag in there somewhere) 3 pages (at least a day) was recomended by "The Artist Way". She also recomended recording your filter "this will never work", I'm tired...where did the creativity go..I also included drawings...scribbling.. Go back to the old stuff as well as continue writing... Harris
Harris Deutsch aka dr laugh
drlaugh4u@gmail.com music, magic and marvelous toys http://magician.org/member/drlaugh4u |
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tabman Inner circle USA 5946 Posts |
Last year I did a photography project for a well know Hollywood writer/photographer (and not Pete Biro this time). His credits include Star Wars, Raiders, Back to the Future and a S* load of other stuff.
One of the things I took away was the way he emailed me instructions. One or two sentences to a paragraph and kept it very simple. It was a pleasure to work with his scripts and it changed my writing forever (recently nominated for GA Writer of the Year 2009). Something else that helped me too was taking a couple of online writing courses. I can still write a run on sentence with the best of em when I want to but getting somebody to read it is another matter. Of course I'm not agreeing with TW, I would never do that! Posted: Mar 16, 2010 5:14pm ------------------------------ Last year is what I said in my previous post but on looking back that project was in 2005. I was supplying still photos of a town in south GA as a potential movie location. It was thousands of pictures and it was five years ago. Time has been flying since then.
...Your professional woodworking and "tender" loving care in the products you make, make the wait worthwhile. Thanks for all you do...
http://Sefalaljia.com |
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Floyd Collins Inner circle Ohio 1633 Posts |
Harris
Do you use a digital recorder or tape. Since I have started using a digital recorder I fine myself using it a lot more. Does anyone else recommend taping first then typing?
No one said it would be easy, or did they?
Check out my all new book "Chicken Scratches" visit my lulu store for more information. http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/thecenterstage http://www.collinscomedymagic.com |
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