How To Be A Comedian

How To Be A Comedian

Avis Acting International

Among the most frequently asked questions I get while touring is"how to I get into this business?" I've been a professional traveling comedian for 25 years, so I have heard this a lot! In the bigger, sense, getting a comedian is genuinely a three-pronged job.

Compose your material

Hone and create your comedy content (rehearse your"collection")

Get work.

Sound simple enough? Well now comes the complicated part; really doing it. The facts are that if I gave you all of the answers just one to two percent of you would actually employ it and go out and take action.

Comedy isn't just an art. It is a science and a business. But most comics--both skilled and novice-- revolve comedy with frivolity and they handle their professions frivolously. Like anything worth doing, comedy takes work. It takes work to write new material and it takes more work to really go out and find the gigs. Show company is two phrases; there's the"show" and there is the"company" and it may surprise you to understand that a lot of the moment, you need to put more effort to the business compared to the series. The fantastic news is, when you do it correctly, you're having such a blast that you don't really work daily in your life!

Sound like fun? Let us move forward!

Let us start with developing and writing material. You will find a great deal of people out there that think you can't learn comedy, which you're either born with it or you are not. That is a pure and simple fallacy spoken by people who don't have any idea about the science behind bliss or the structure behind it. If you really Consider It, have you ever seen a baby pop out of his mother's uterus:

"two people were making love. . .then boom! Out pops me! Is this thing on?" You call a birth canal? It is similar to trying to push an egg through a stir rod! Hey Mom? (spit, spit), you should shave that things! Have not you heard of a'Brazilian?'"

It just doesn't happen! Granted, there are some people that seem to naturally have a sense of humor constructed in. They appear to receive it. My theory is that they grew up around comedy, possibly listening to the greats in a young age, or they had been raised in a family that was full of humor. Each of the comedians I understand which make me laugh had exposure to amusing people at a young age and started adapting comedic behaviors. Those behaviours obtained them attention. They started to comprehend the patterns of behavior and speech which resulted in laughter and applied them to other situations with good outcomes.

The crucial word from the preceding paragraph is"patterns" There are particular patterns which professionals use again and again, to get laughs and it is usually a pattern that produces surprise. According to psychologists who study comedy, within this context, surprise is the number one element that triggers human laughter, If you can surprise somebody with what you will state, they will usually laugh. Among the simplest ways to do so is to apply one of the 12 major comedy formulas I discovered over the years of analyzing the best comedians. But you do not even need to study the greats to recognize this formula. If you've got a friend (I believe we all do), who turns everything you say to a sexual connotation, than he/she is most likely applying this formula. It's known as the"Double Entendre." This literally means"two significance ." You basically have a common phrase and spin the supposed meaning to imply something totally different, but it could actually fit in the announcement, but its exaggerated...

Another day I was in the grocery store. The clerk said,"Did you find everything you were looking for?" I said,"Well, I discovered the wine and the candles, but I couldn't find a soul mate... You'd Mahi-Mahi, but I'm not into twins."

In the aforementioned joke, once the clerk employed the phrase"everything," she meant everything in the store. As a comedian the term everything may be a great deal of things. In this case I went with a'soul mate' What makes the joke work isn't just the misdirection on the intended meaning of this word, but the simple fact that comedic interpretation of this phrase still fits within the context of this question. In case it did not make sense, then there would not be a joke.

Let's look at the following Double-Entendre play on words: Former head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was having a terrible year. In the press conference a journalist said to the trainer,"Coach, how to you feel about the execution of this offense?" McKay replied,"I am all for it."

You can see that the term execute was utilized in two different ways. This arrangement should be a regular tool for anybody who is learning how to write comedy. One of the ways that I refine this capability and also make it more accessible for my everyday life is through practice. After a month I do a term exercise that reminds me that our speech has a ton of words that have multiple meanings. Maintaining this refined in my mind, gives me a tool that is always sharp and accessible. This permits me to re-interpret something somebody says and apply a comedic twist on the word. The practice is simple, yet extremely powerful. For the exercise, I take fifteen random, but rather common phrases and write them down. I then find at least five distinct meanings for each word. Working this workout consistently will give you an amazing leg up on your quickness and finesse for a comedian. It is simple, yet extremely powerful. Especially because few comedians really do it. This is but one of twelve big comedy structures used by all the best comedians and comedy writers. If I had been to include all of them in this article, it would take you a week to finish reading. It is a simple, yet powerful example of how you can control the English language and create surprise and trigger laughter from an audience.

FACT: Each comedian that makes you laugh utilizes a minumum of one comedy architecture. It's the arrangement of the the act-out that triggers the laughter. Without the structure, there is no laughter. .

Even once you have all twelve comedy structures down, (most comics operate with 3-4), and you also develop an act of at least five minutes, to begin, thirty minutes to start getting paid, you have to start to operate and hone it before an audience. I'd start using buddies. Run the material by themsee what they believe, see if you can make it better by tweaking the surprise. Once you feel comfortable you may do the five minutes without thinking about it, then do it in front of an audience. How do you do so? Well, if you're in a larger city, there are probably lots of open mics. These are places where you can perform 5-10 minutes of material to'test it' in the front of an audience. This is the way I started. If you don't have the benefit of being in a big town, then you may have a comedy show that performs once a week or once a month in your town at a local pub or restaurant. If that is the case, have a trip down there and inquire if you can M.C. the series. Most bars that have'one-niter' comedy shows, don't have an M.C.. Therefore, in case you show up and ask, they will probably be more than pleased to have you do it. When you do your five or ten minutes up front, then you can video tape it. When you have a video tape that is of excellent quality, you've got a calling card to get work. So now you still need to function the'business' aspect of the how to be a comedian equation. Whenever you have an action that is creating a laugh each 18-20 seconds, also has a solid beginning, middle and end, it is time to escape there. What most start comedians do not see is that when you hit this level, (can take 6 months, or 2 years), it is time to get serious about fixing your stand up comedy just like a small business. You are presently a product (or service), and you need to sell. At this point in your career, you won't have a manager or a broker. If you are lucky enough to have the money, you can hire a Public Relations manager (around $3500 a month). They can help you get out media releases, stains on the radio or television. However, you must have a gig to advertise original. But the majority of us do not have that option once we're starting out so let us leave this alone. So you've got a 30 minute act that you've been developing at open mics and other events such as parties, meetings, etc.. How can you get it on the road? At this point you could be looking at several possibilities on your journey to becoming a comedian:

Targeting the comedy club and one-niter Sector

Breaking into corporate comedy or speaking engagements.

I do both clubs and corporates in my profession, but now I mainly target corporate only because there's more money in it for me personally. There is in addition the college comedy market, cruise ship market, resort and casino marketplace, warm up comedian market (for live sit-com, sport and talk show audiences), and military shows. Army shows could be large. I was working with a liaison for the military who said he could have me working for the rest of my life doing army shows. We could spend a great deal of time going through all the possibilities, but that could take days. The key issue to remember is that if you're able to compose and develop a comedy routine that is clean and good, you can work indefinitely. As soon as you have this information, it's time to target your market, do your homework and start selling. That is appropriate. Start selling. You're your own company at the moment and you supply a service. If you learn how to treat yourself like a business by drawing up a business plan, setting goals and following through, you will start to work. When you begin in comedy there are 3 positions available. They are each expected to perform for various periods of time:

Opener/M.C. (15 minutes)

Characteristic or Middle (occasionally called"premiere") (30 minutes)

Headliner or Closing behave (45 mins. -1 hour)

NOTE: This can be company is competitive, but here is something most comedians don't understand: If you work hard and you develop your act and you develop your reputation for being a fantastic comedian, you WILL WORK! This company as well as the bookers who supply comedians across the nation are constantly looking for good talent.

If you would like to aim the club marketplace, you should also target the one-nighter market.This manner you've got more booking choices available to you when booking dates. How can you target? Start small; begin local. In case you have comedy locally, contact the clubs, visit the clubs, ask the supervisors, door people, M.C.'s what the protocol would be for getting at the door and auditioning or performing a guest set. Be polite and be persistent. Jay Leno drove from Boston to the New York City Improv a few days every week for many months prior to Bud Friedman (the owner of the Improv) allow him perform a set. He had been ready. He did a great job. The rest is now history. When you receive your opportunity, be prepared and do a well-crafted 5-10 minute set. Afterwards, talk to people, see what is needed to get back to perform another set. As soon as you mingle with people and develop relationships and a reputation for being a solid act, now you've got all you have to get work. A good deal of comedy talent bookers on the street need to see video. Some will take a chance on you if you have testimonials from a headliners. It's a fantastic idea to develop relationships with as many comedians as you can. Be nice to everybody, always act professionally. It's these relationships which can make or break your odds for getting work. Make at least 10 phone calls per day for your livelihood.

Call comedy clubs and bookers. If you do not get them on the telephone, always, I mean always leave a message. Keep exact records on which you spoke to, who the decision maker is, the names of supporters and the best time to call.

If it sounds like you are a sales person. . .then nicely, you're. This really is the business side of the equation of how to be a comedian and it is where many comedians neglect.

When you do eventually get a booker on your telephone. Be polite and ask them if you can send them a movie and if they would rather see the movie on the internet or on DVD or even E.P.K. (Electronic Press Kit). Believe it or not, there are still a few bookers out there who would rather hold a DVD in their own hands.

Some of these bookers are tough nuts to crack. When I run into that dilemma, it is time to make a personal sales call. I just call or email and inquire,

"I really want to meet with you and perform your room. If I could fly out there in two weeks or so, do you feel you could find room on the lineup for a guest collection?"

For the roughest bookers in the country, it has always functioned. But how can you manage that? Why your own building your own contacts and one-niter gigs, you make sure you book something around the area of the club you so covet. Whenever you have that date in place and booked, call the club and see if it is possible to drop in and perform an audition collection. Place in this extra step and you will most likely get a guest collection.

As soon as you perform the guest series, send them a thank you card (and or something with your image on it), to thank them for the chance and keep following up till you get a spot. Never follow up more than once weekly, if you don't still haven't spoken to this target person, then follow up every 3 days.

Calvin Coolidge said,"persistence and consistency trump talent any day." So be persistent and consistent. Be considerate and keep following up. And if calling does not work. Pay them a visit. Let them know you are persistent.

When you start setting dates together. Use every opportunity to tape. Attempt to find good sound quality, if possible. A great tape leads to more work.

If you follow these steps:

Write your comedy material

Hone and create your substance (your own"set")

Get work.

You will be on your way to understanding how to become a comedian.

Current in France, London and the USA, the Avis Acting International theater and cinema college has been contributing to the emergence of the world's greatest actors for over 30 decades. The educational idea of Acting International, unique in its completeness and singularity, is based upon the complementarity of international methods and the bases necessary for studying in direct contact with the requirements of today's livelihood. This educational process is continually redefined through the organic interaction of complementary knowledge and recognized procedures of a team of renowned masters - French, French, American, Italian and English - all busy artists.

The college offers multidisciplinary theater and theatre courses that span a period of 3 decades. Two classes are accessible to students who will select between theater and cinema classes (full course) or cinema specialization. In addition, advanced workshops are stored in Hollywood, New York and London.

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