Below is a list of comedy's necessities:
1. Playing opposites is food for comedy! The unexpectedness of what will come
next, and the surprise of what does, is invigoratingly funny. For example,
someone says, “It’s the best day of my lie!!!” followed by, “I hate myself.”
You can use opposites even by saying your lines, but with the opposite emotion to open countless opportunities to explore!
2. When competition is involved, characters are able to compete for their case of importance!
By heightening and making non-life threatening incidents that much more serious allows for
plenty of hilarity. Seinfeld does this often.
3. Being specific is what keeps comedy alive; you can’t survive
without it. It's like making a pancake; keep it on the pan a second longer then it should be, and chances are it's already burned! You must know exactly when and how to do things.
4. When performing in comedy, the audience wants to
experience your stories as if they were happening right in front of them. Make
sure you start from the very beginning, and take them through your
emotions as they occurred.
5. Comedy is rarely about making friends, but more so about confronting
conflict. Many times characters set each other up for ginormous blows! For example, act innocent, and then set up your partner for a huge blow and AHA! You got em!
6. Laying the bomb is the event in which the character "lays the
bomb," and lets his partner receive the blast. However, many actors fail to achieve
this hilarious response because they do not trust the end result. For example,
an actor is not supposed to "shoot an arrow" and take time to point it out to the audience to
make sure they saw him shoot it and laugh. That will only distract the audience from the target, and
lead to the imminent death of the comedy!
7. It’s not when you focus on your partner that you create comedy. It’s where you
are looking while you are laying the bomb for your partner. Nobody in this
world talks with direct eye contact, so it would be untruthful to stare into
the eyes of your partner when acting. Instead, focus on your intention of
laying the bomb, the image of what you are talking about, and see where your eyes wonder; that creates the comedy!
8. Playing
to the audience in comedy does not mean "mugging." It means knowing how to address those questions
which we address in real life. For example, how many times a day do we throw
our words, “WHY DID I DO THAT? I’M SUCH AN IDIOT!” You are not asking yourself
that, your asking the imaginary person, who in this case is the audience.
10. Framing is a way of framing your words to make sure they are perfectly clear to your partner.Clarity
in comedy is VITAL. Everything must be very clear or you
risk the audience missing the point, a moment you can't get back.
11. Act with extravagance and do not be afraid to take risks! Comedy is bigger then life, so
you may do things you would not normally do in life, but do not apologize or
question them. Take the risks!!!
12. When you do lay a bomb or shoot an arrow, hold the moment until your
partner picks up from there, and if they don’t, pick it up yourself. Allow time
for it to register, and take over when necessary.
13. Ping
Pong is a game that becomes better the faster the responses are. A slow game of
ping pong with no rhythm will eventually end with a lost ball. Don’t lose your
ball, go back and forth with your partner as people do in real life.
14. Timing is instinctive, vital, and often hard to teach when performing comedy. It is knowing when to act, react, pause, stop, start up again, etc. Timing is an art all of its own!
Comedy is challenging, but you may have what it takes!
Don't try to be funny, just be. -Actors Nook Team
No comments:
Post a Comment