Comedy is a science, you must learn the science.
(to learn Comedy is half an actor's work.)
(A normal view of people in comedic situations.)
Main thrust of Comedy must amuse people.
Comedy is an exact science and 'anyone can learn it'.

Comedy is not clowning. Comedy is doing preposterous things for the wrong reasons, that is what Comedy is.    
          First start with characters: who are they?, what do they feel? and what do they want? Then add in comedy, what is the underlying joke?
          If a character in a scene is going to be funny, the character first has to be creditable.
Be serious actors who want to do Comedy.

Comedy played well is desperation.

          When approaching Drama and Comedy you must interest the audience right off. You must be dynamic. Even in Comedy, you have to have something grab the audience. Audience wants to see suffering. Audience wants to say, "Yes, I have been there", a world for audience to come into. 
          In playing Comedy your character must suffer. Comedy is someone else's tragedy. All of it is the sad story of life. It's the way life goes, it's sad, it's unfair, it's terrible, it's suffering and it's tragic. There is no good Comedy without suffering.
All comedy situations have to get more terrible, the minute you get over it, the humor is gone.
The goldmine for Comedy is the continuous track principle. The track has to be continuous until the 'beat' before the train gets derailed. 
            Comedy is a fine line, very minute. Extra things kill it. Don't try to get a laugh on each word. Simple, simple, simple until you get to the punch line. Throw a lot of stuff together, then a derailment.
         All comedy set-up: some of the characters are the clown. The square character is the identification of audience. 

BASIC OF COMEDY

Essence of all comedy is the need to find the underlying basic joke throughout. 
1. Frame the joke you have dreamed up with specific action.
       Framing: Basic joke, train of thought, continuous track, comedy beat, derailment and ride a laugh.
           A. Joke is like a gem, you have to frame it.
           B. The joke has to be perfectly framed by cleaning up the joke.
           C. If you don't play the jokes right, they will back fire.
           D. There can be a basic joke in a scene and there can be a basic joke for the whole movie.
           E. There can be a running basic joke throughout the movie.
           F. Framing jokes is high energy. It has nothing to do with normal behavior.
   How to built a joke:      
           1. What is the joke?
               a. When you are reading your script and you know where the jokes are, put a slash mark next to it so you know when to do the 'beat'.
                b. I'm going to make them laugh here, mark it.
                c. Once you spot the nature of the joke stay with it.
                d. Where jokes lie in humanity from start of time. 
                e. There are no new jokes, only the same old jokes in different settings and context. 
                f. Any joke has to go in progression with beginning, middle and end.
                g. Start a gag, apply it out to its resolution.
                i. The rule of three in Comedy. Can do the same joke three times, if the third time you do it with variation.
           2. Train of thought
               a. Don't lose process of thought, not line to line or thinking and feeling, not necessarily question to question for being funny. 
               b. Even play human qualities. Terribly real.  
               c. Play for the reality of it in the part that moves audience. 
               d. Play his need rather going for joke. 
               e. Don't be a clown, go for funny or sentimental.
           3. Continuous track 
               a. Track has to be continuous, until the 'beat' before the joke.
               b. Don't stop and pause.   
               c. Don't have to speak fast.
               d. Just keep it going.
               e. Can't stop, no periods.
                f. Don't hurry.
               g. Then go crazy.
           4. The skill of the Comedy beat 
               a. String of words, try to find all the 'beats'.
               b. Your laughs come from your knowledge of them, not accidentally.
               c. Get factual. Don't punch anything until something ridiculous. 'Beat' before you want them to laugh.
               d. Don't do all the punch line with each line.
               e. The joke has to be perfectly framed (cleaning up the joke). Don't bury a joke because you went by it as if it was of no importance.
              5. Derailment
               a. Important things     
                   1. derailment.
                   2. clean up joke.
               b. Don't try to get a laugh on each word. Simple, simple, simple, until you get to the punch line. Throw a lot of stuff together, then a derailment. 
               c. Humor is total derailment.
               d. Derailment with emotion
                   1. is characters dilemma.
                   2. is the joke.
               e. Mystery like Comedy has derailment.
              6. Ride a laugh
               a. Acting problem
                   1. Stay in character during laughter.
                   2. Ride a laugh, keep up emotion.

2. Reaction causes laughter.
       Reacting: have a reaction to a joke.
           A. No joke unless you react.
           B. Normal reaction, do something opposite. What makes it funny.
           C. Reaction to jokes. Comedy has a straight man and comic. Comic is the one who generates. Straight man gets pie in face.
           D. Verbal joke - laugh - reaction.

3. Timing is the truth behind Comedy.
       Timing: work on exact timing.
            A. Perfect physical stuff. Work out falls, can't know you are going to fall.
            B. Get the right laughs at the right time. 

4. Precision is the secret of Comedy.
        Precision: moment by moment.
             A. Comedians must learn precision.              B. Comedy precision with the jokes. 
             C. Precise: know skill, it can't be sloppy but precise.            
             D. Attention of the audience must be precise.

5. Clarity is the name of the game.
        Clarity of speech: enunciation.              
              A. Must be understood in Comedy. 
              B. Clarity is one of the major things in Comedy no matter what the emotion.
              C. Understand every single word.

6. Pace has nothing to do with hurrying. 
        Pace: doing away with meaningless pauses.

              A. The rule in Comedy is that pace is not hurried.

7. Working clean don't muddle it up.
        Work clean: justify what the characters do.
                 A. Know skill it can't be sloppy, but precise.
                 B. Rhythm of line.  
              C. Do everything in specific order. 
              D. Don't rehearse things to do. The feel-think-do technique will come up with things to do. 
              E. Planning before in being the other person, then don't plan when you start doing.
              F. People are afraid to be ridiculous. 
              G. During rehearsal don't think how well it's going to be.

8. Clock in head learn how long to hold.
         Clock in head/timing: how to get the audience to laugh.
              A. A 'beat' can be the time needed to inhale air. It can be a second or half a second in length. Actually, the 'beat' before the joke can be whatever you feel is natural to get the laugh.  

9. Motivation of the character.
         Motivation: find out who the character is, it comes out of character. Both are absolute idiots, now you got "character".
              A. Don't find what is nice to play, find the motive of the character. 
              B. Feeling is the whole motive, if you don't have it you can't play the scene.
              C. We are not motivated by one reason, only by many things, other reasons.

10. Technique technique, technique to cover the technique.
         Techniques: comedy is exact.
               A. You must learn technique, technique and then technique to cover the technique. 
               B. Comedy requires technique.
               C. Learn technique it will never fail you.
               D. Don't depend on word jokes. 
               E. Be kooky, don't be logical, comedy is opposites. That's the insanity found in the opposites.
               F. If there is no humor, then that means nothing irrational is going on. 
               G. The feel-think-do technique will get you to do what you need to do.
               H. Once you spot the nature of the joke stay with it.
                   I. Study what your funny is.

Basic Joke List

  1. Ancient Romeo.
  2. Answer in front of your nose.
  3. Answer is right in front of her and she is confused.
  4. Bar prince and the pauper.
  5. Big woman with small man.
  6. Blind leading the blind.
  7. Blundering detective.
  8. Both afraid of each other.
  9. Both trying to get along.
  10. Boy trying to make a reluctant girl.
  11. Bumbling expert.
  12. Calamity Jane.
  13. Celebrating at a funeral.
  14. Child is more dissolved than adult.
  15. Competing suffers.
  16. Compulsive gambler.
  17. Conman and the disillusioned sucker.
  18. Conman and the sucker.
  19. Conman conning the conman.
  20. Conman conning the idiot (sucker)
  21. Conman who is no good at it.
  22. Couch romancing.
  23. Cowardly explorer.
  24. Cowardly hero.
  25. Cowardly warrior.
  26. Crooked judge.
  27. David and Goliath.
  28. Doctor sicker than the patient.
  29. Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde. Two sides of somebody's nature.
  30. Each one blames the other.
  31. Each one thinks the other is an idiot.
  32. Eager old maid.
  33. Educated dope.
  34. Educated putts, no horse sense.
  35. Enough is enough.
  36. Fool in charge.
  37. Frantic new father.
  38. Frightened cop.
  39. He is trying to be in charge.
  40. Henpecked husband.
  41. Hot pants has no conscience.
  42. Husband who can't bed his wife.
  43. Hypochondriac.
  44. Idiot in charge.
  45. If a thing is tragic enough it's funny.
  46. Inconsolable woman.
  47. Innocent abroad.
  48. Innocent bystander.
  49. Innocent villain.
  50. It's much to do about nothing.
  51. Jolly undertaker.
  52. Kid who's smarter than the grown-ups.
  53. Kissing up to the bully.
  54. Last one to know.
  55. Like gorillas, everything but fight.
  56. Little guy beating up the big guy.
  57. Little guys acting like the big guys.
  58. Look for praise get egg in face.
  59. Looking the gift horse in the mouth.
  60. Lover under the bed.
  61. Lover who can't make out.
  62. Maid is in charge.
  63. Man and woman combat.
  64. Man chases a woman until 
  65. She catches him; marriage.
  66. Man doesn't understand woman.
  67. Man woman 
  68. jokes.
  69. Marriage misfits.
  70. Married couple blaming each other, each one 
  71. talking to an idiot.
  72. Married couple, each faulting the other.
  73. Master out done by apprentice.
  74. Merry widow.
  75. Mice behaving like lions.
  76. Mice playing with lion.
  77. Midgets being giants.
  78. Mistaken identity.
  79. Mother-in-law.
  80. Mouse teasing the lion.
  81. Mouse that roared.
  82. Mr. Know-it-all.
  83. Normal person in the nut house.
  84. Odd bed fellows, shouldn't be in the same bed.
  85. Odd couple.
  86. One makes pancakes, the other eats them.
  87. One man's tragedy is another mans comedy.
  88. Overage sex queen.
  89. People never want the truth when they ask.
  90. Person who protests too much.
  91. Plays a big winner who loses.
  92. Practical joke.
  93. Professional virgin.
  94. Profound thinker.
  95. Prude and make-out artist.
  96. Prude and the playboy.
  97. Prude.
  98. Reluctant lovers.
  99. Reluctant virgin.
  100. Reversal of the sexes.
  101. Servant bossing the master.
  102. Sex on demand.
  103. Sex pot and the prude.
  104. Sex starved prude.
  105. She needs a roll in the hay.
  106. Shot gun wedding.
  107. Sinful reformer.
  108. Social climber.
  109. Spoiled brat.
  110. Square peg in a round hole.
  111. Storm in a tea cup.
  112. Strange bedfellows.
  113. Talking sex instead of doing it.
  114. Terrified son-in-law, a life situation.
  115. That each one suspects the other one of being gay.
  116. That is not what I did in my day.
  117. There's no prude like an old whore.
  118. They are all failures.
  119. They are all nuts but Englishman isn't.
  120. They are in love but don't know it.
  121. Turn around.
  122. To have a cake and eat it.
  123. Transvestite.
  124. Trying to get sanity out of a moron.
  125. Two conmen out conning each other.
  126. Two educated nuts.
  127. Ugly duckling.
  128. Ultimate fight between women and men.
  129. Underling in charge.
  130. Underling that takes over.
  131. Uninvited guest.
  132. Unwelcome houseguests.
  133. War between men and women, who's superior.
  134. Ways of getting it up.
  135. When the penis rises, the brain flies away.
  136. Who's got the balls? Who's in charge?
  137. Who's the dumbest, stupidest.
  138. Why me?
  139. Woman is more ballsy than man.
  140. Worm turns.
  141. Wrong guy getting the medials.
  142. Wrong person in charge.
  143. Wrong person is asking forgiveness.
  144. Wrong person is injured. (insulted)
  145. Wrong person is suffering.
  146. Wrong person is upset.
  147. Wrong-way driver.
  148. You stole my club, disrupt my cave.

11. Business can't just be invented.

         Business: must have timing, technique and find motivation.
               A. You mustn't louse up the joke with physical "business" that distracts the audience.

12. Skill of comedy is a string of words, then find the beat.
          Skill: if you have skill you can make them laugh, give audience time to react.
               A. What works, skills of comedy, nothing has changed over the centuries.

    Do you have a basic joke? I will add it to the Basic Joke List. 
Copyright © 1999-2013 by Tiny Ron Taylor. All Rights Reserve.