Thank goodness for unpublished books — really saves the trouble of writing new stuff! Here is another excerpt from my unpublished book “Improv Shortcuts, Gimmicks, Cheats.” This is one of the “shortcuts” sections: “Find the Funny.”
You want your scenes to be funny, right? But nothing is less funny than someone TRYING to be funny. So what do you do? Instead of going directly for funny, you aim for: surprising, specific or fun.
What follows are shortcuts to help you do that. Be surprising, specific and fun.
When In Doubt, Confess
The idea is that if you feel the scene has stalled, and you’re not sure what to do next, have your character confess something. It was taught to me like this: When in doubt, confess.
“I’ve been meaning to tell you this, but I’ve quit my job.”
It’s easy to see WHY confessions are good for a scene: they’re personal, important and a surprise.
What surprises me is how often it works and how well it works.
How often it works: I think you could do it in every scene and it would not stop working. Even clumsily. You could say, in every scene, “I have a confession to make...” -- that exact phrase -- and it would still work.
How well it works: even with very new improvisers, the confessions they make tend to be specific and gripping. Players who normally have trouble thinking of even a single name for the other character, and who get lost trying to mime brushing their own teeth, if you ask them to make a confession, will turn to their scene partners and say: “Sweetheart, I’m buying a falcon.”
Exercise: Yeah, We Knew That
Four people up. They are going to play friends hanging out. Each of them has a big confession to make. When the scene starts, they should establish a where and almost immediately start confessing things.
“I’ve got a confession to make. I’ve been stealing money at work.”
Confessions can be big or small, silly or realistic.
In response: the other friends reveal they already knew about it. “Yeah, we knew.” They give reasons why they knew already. This “yes ands” the confession and fleshes out the world.
Note: It does not hurt the scene that everyone decides to know. Being offended just slows down a scene.
Generally, it’s the content of the confession that helps, not that it had been kept a secret.
Choose To Lose
If “when in doubt, confess” is the most useful shortcut I know for making scenes funny, then “choose to lose” is the most powerful. It’s a little bit harder to do, but it’s so valuable that it’s worth practicing.
When someone accuses your character of doing something bad, agree that you did it.
Choose to lose.
The very understandable mistake people make is that, when faced with an accusation, they make their characters realistic by providing a reasonable explanation as to why they did something. Like this:
“Dad, you sold our photo albums?”
“Yeah, but it was by accident! I had no idea it was in that box in our yard sale!”
Top of their intelligence, but also…. kinda boring? And in a way, it’s a denial. A denial that you are a foolish person who has done something unusual.
Another way to say it: “accusations are gifts.” If someone asks you why you ordered meat when you knew your date was vegan, they’re not looking for an explanation. They’re giving you a casting breakdown. You are the kind of person who doesn’t care that someone is vegan.
Bonus if you give an emotional reason why.
“Dad, you sold our photo albums?”
“I know. I am mad at the family.”
Less realistic? Yeah. But more emotionally relatable. And a better yes-and.
And: funny.
Exercise: I did it, and here’s why.
Two people up.
The first person initiates with an “explain this” accusation.
“You want to explain to me why you are wearing my shoes?”
In response the person must admit that they did do this thing, and then have a reason.
“I did do that, and here’s why. I deserve them more than you. I’m fashionable. You’re a slob.”
Any reason will do, but emotional/philosophical ones are better than external circumstance. Remember, you’re not trying to be realistic. You’re trying to be emotionally relatable.
“I deserve them more than you.” is better than “My boyfriend made me!” which is better than “It was an accident! No one caused this and therefore it’s unimportant and the scene is so far meaningless!”
Make It A Debate
If you are unable to say yes to accusations, a really good second choice is to turn things into a philosophical debate.
Fights are boring, but debates are interesting.
Someone accusing someone of being a bad person, followed by a defensive explanation, is tedious.
“You always skip our child’s concerts!”
“You know I’ll get fired if I leave work early!”
But debates are generally compelling.
Take whatever you’re arguing about, and make it universal.
“You always skip our child’s concerts!”
“I think attending concerts is not really that big a deal.”
“What? It matters!”
“I disagree. I feel that doing good work at my job and bringing home a good salary is far more important.”
“No, Jake will notice if you aren’t there and it will hurt his feelings!”
“Hmmm. Okay, I’ll explain to him my job requirements. I bet he understands.”
“I’m telling you, it’s the little things that matters.”
“I’ll write him a letter.”
It requires both actors to stop being upset and instead discuss the issues.
Exercise: Accuse, Philosophize
Two people up. The initiator accuses the other person of something. The other person states a philosophy.
You missed my birthday.
Yes, I'm sick of living in the past.
Big Moment Before
Here’s a pretty easy way to get a scene going with energy: Start a scene assuming that it’s RIGHT AFTER something big has happened.
Someone dropped an engagement ring down the sink.
The cast list for a high school musical just got announced.
A rainbow has appeared in the sky.
Too many people try to put the big thing in the future.
“We’re about to find out who got in the musical.”
“Once we get in there, remember these guys don’t want to hear about our personal lives.”
But time never moves forward in an improv scene. You will NEVER get to the cast list being announced. You’ll never “get in there.” Easier to have it just before the scene started.
This is “starting in the middle.”
Example beginnings:
“Well, that certainly is a dragon.”
“So That car just exploded!”
“Well, that’s it then, I’ve lost the lottery.”
“Great news! The mail is here!”
Exercise: Big Moment Before
Two at a time, do a scenes where the first line reveals that something has just happened. This a good exercise for the very start of a class to warm everyone up.
Do It Again
Patterns are funny. If something is funny or even just fun -- do it again. Don’t get too logical here. Just make it happen again.
Dad: “Son, it’s your birthday. I know last year I bought you a unicycle and you hated it. I vowed that I would never disappoint you again. So here’s your birthday gift. It’s a unicycle.”
Son: “Dad! You JUST SAID you’d never disappoint me again! I HATE unicycles!”
Dad: “Still? I was hoping you’d grow out of that.”
I find that very well trained actors will forget to make patterns, because they are waiting for something to organically motivate them to do the weird thing again. I saw this exchange in a scene recently.
Car salesman: “Sir, before you look at this Camero, would you like a drink? I find a drink puts people at ease. Plus this is a car meant for people going to cool parties, where there will be drinks! I’m a drinks guy, I guess. What do you say? Have a drink!”
He actually said “I’m a drinks guy.” Which is remarkable considering what happened next.
Someone from the backline changed the scene to show this same car salesman meeting with his boss.
Boss: “Lenny, I’m considering firing you. Customers don’t like how much you’re pressuring them to drink. Unless you can think of a way to change my mind?”
And what did the guy who had JUST DESCRIBED HIMSELF as a “drinks guy” say in response?
Car Salesman: “I can’t think of anything to do. Sounds like I’m fired!”
My point is he should have tried to buy his boss a drink. Maybe this is a bad example since the “wrong move” I’m describing above is also hilarious. But I stand by my advice: make patterns.
Exercise: Repeat the first four lines
Two people up. They should do a four line scene, and then continue the scene — repeating those same four lines over and over. You can reword it slightly as you repeat to help explain why you are repeating yourself.
Person 1: It’s a nice day.
Person 2: I love this. It helps to appreciate nature.
Person 1: We need to do this more.
Person 2: Oh look! A four-leaf clover!
Person 1: Yeah well, I’ll say it again, it’s a nice day.
Person 2: And I still love it. Still appreciating nature.
Person 1: We really do need to do this more.
Person 2: Wow, it’s another 4-leaf clover.
Person 1: Just goes to show you: this is a nice day.
You will be stunned at how entertaining this is.
Make Things Worse
Do not solve problems, make them worse.
If you’re stung by a bee, by all means get lotion for the character. But after you’ve rubbed it on, realize that you’ve accidentally used honey.
(Hat tip: this is inspired by a Craig Cackowski exercise which I believe is called “things get worse?” I would happily admit to outright stealing this but I think I’m unintentionally altering how he does it. I guess I’m “making things worse” in teaching the art of “making things worse.”)
Exercise: Make Things Worse
Get 6-8 people up. Give a situation. The group’s mission is to make things worse. Rules: no one can die. Things can temporarily get better. No character MEANS to make things bad.
Pretend a couple is eating a fine diner.
Someone walks on as a waiter and spills wine.
The waiter wants to make things better. “Let me buy you dessert to make up for this.”
The couple responds “We’d love some ice cream.”
Waiter: “Ah, we’re out. all we have is peanut pie.”
Husband: “I’m allergic to peanuts.” Wife: “I’m allergic to pie.”
Watier: “No problem! Drinks are on the house, then, and we’ll get a new glass of wine.” Waiter leaves.
Then the wife’s first husband enters. He’s there’s with his new wife and baby. She is a movie star. The baby is incredible. She’s in an advanced kindergarten class. The wife in the original couple sinks.
“Do you have any kids?” Asks the ex-husband.
“Yes, but he’s a real dud,” says the wife of the main couple.
The waiter comes out and says “I spilled the last of the wine on myself. Can I give you a coupon for another visit?”
“No,” says our husband. “We’re moving to another country tomorrow.”
“Ah! Which one?” Asks the waiter.
“Belgium,” says the husband.
“Waiters are famously terrible there.”
Is this good? I think it’s good.
Get Specific
Specifics are funny. If you can come up with them, use them.
Don’t order a steak, get an English Broil.
Don’t say you’ve been married for 20 years, say it’s been 13 months.
Don’t ask to play some basketball, ask to throw around the ‘ol Spaulding.
Don’t say you need to check with your manager, say you have to ask Lorraine.
Be able to come up with: names, foods, cars and companies.
Ask “What’s Really Going on Here”
If a scene is stalling, ask “what’s really going on here?” Almost any answer to this question is good except for “nothing.” Actually, even that’s pretty good.
Go Sad And Personal
This is especially good in a group game, where everyone is going down the row and trying to top the last person. Let’s say it’s a group game where a family is revealing that everything they brought on this camping trip is useless. When you can’t think of how to top the last one, GO SAD.
“Let’s all say what we’re bringing on this camping trip.”
“I’m bringing a copy machine.”
“I have some extension cords.”
“I have a chiminey”
(And now someone can’t think of what to say)
“I brought my divorce papers. I thought I might need a good cry.”
That’s it!
Plugs, Fresh
The Smokes - My UCB improv team. Paired with the Big Team. Friday Dec 1 8:30pm at UCB LA! $15
Beta Beta - Jim Woods and I do characters, sketches, bits! 9pm at the PDA Space in Alta Dena. $10
Plugs, Ongoing
Screw It, We’re Just Gonna Talk About Comics - Comic book podcast, hosted by my brother Kevin and I. We are preparing to do a series on legendary comics writer Keith Giffen!
Clubhouse Fridays - WGIS’ weekly improv show. Fridays 7pm at The Clubhouse. Free!
The World’s Greatest Improv School: The improv school I run with Jim Woods and Sarah Claspell. We’ve got classes online, in LA and even a few in NYC!
How to Be The Greatest Improviser On Earth - My improv book, available at Amazon. Kindle or print. It’s a hodge-podge of advice I wrote in 2016 about doing improv. If you’re broke and want a free PDF version just email me and I’ll send it over.
Denials and furrowed brow to the contrary, Will, these will become a book at some point, and it will be a good thing when it happens.