'Bad Idea' Initiations
jumpstart your scenes
I’m obsessed with this strategy for starting scenes. It works like this: whoever starts the scene proposes something that sounds like a ‘bad idea’ for them.
Not like a ‘bad comedy idea’ but something that within the world of the scene seems like a bad idea.
So if the suggestion were ‘the sun’ you might says “You know, I think I’m gonna hit the beach without sunscreen today.”
Okay? Doesn’t have to be CATASTROPHICALLY bad, just something that is in some sense a bad idea.
In ‘game of the scene’ schools we say to focus on the “unusual thing.” But “foolish” (bad ideas) things are easier to play than simply “unusual.”
“I made a robot and he’s going to be my boyfriend.” is unusual but not necessarily foolish. The comedy is not immediately evident.
“I made a robot and based him off of all the worst traits of my worst boyfriends.” is a bad idea… and sounds funny!
Proposing a bad idea for yourself also trains you to LOSE in a scene, which is an essential skill for playing comedy! You must not defend yourself too well or protect yourself too much! Lose, it’s fun!
The Hand Thing
After you’ve pitched a bad idea, do what Alex Berg calls “the hand thing.” The “hand thing” is the best metaphor I’ve heard for what it’s like to give yourself a “why/justification.”
It goes something like this (explained better on Berg’s old improv Tumblr which is filled with good stuff).
Your thumb is the first unusual thing (bad idea).
Then you back up into the “palm” which is the why/justification/explanation for your foolishness
Then you can make other moves “off of” your palm — i.e. inspired by your why.
So instead of doing a weird thing and then just copying it, you do a weird thing, explore the deeper reason, and use THAT as inspiration going forward.
So after saying “I’m going to the beach without sunscreen”, which is your THUMB, you give yourself a PALM, which could be any of these (and others):
“I’m so sick of modern medicine, I just don’t trust it.”
“The sun is natural and what is natural can’t hurt me.”
“It feels sticky, I want to be comfortable.”
Whatever you pick, that should motivate the rest of your moves in the scene.
A small note: “money” is a common “why” but it rarely works. Maybe because it’s too general. But if you are avoiding sunscreen to save money, it won’t lead to a funny scene. Money is a bad “why,” comedy-wise.
Make It A Worse Idea
What if you’re the other person in the scene? One of the most common questions I get is “What do I do if I’m the voice of reason?”
In a ‘bad idea’ scene you can add information that reveals that the bad idea is EVEN WORSE THAN WE THOUGHT.
Ways to make the sunscreen scene “worse:”
“But you’re the palest person I know!”
“Haven’t you gotten skin cancer twice in the last year?”
“But they just announced that the ozone layer is completely gone!”
“But we’re on Mercury!” (a crazy one that I believe would work)
You can be “peas in a pod” and still make it worse.
“I’m going without sunscreen too! Who cares if we’re the palest people we know?”
If you’re a coach, I heartily recommend having your group try a round of these. It will open their eyes to how to “lose” a scene in a funny way!
That’s it!
Plugs
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i love this and will steal it immediately