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Karl Ontario posted:I know this thread isn't the most active, but I'm looking for some advice. I feel I'm a strong writer, and I've been told as much from some people I know in the area, but I am struggling to get my actual performance to match up with the writing. I'm very laid back on stage and I think it's preventing me from getting more consistent and potentially larger laughs. Any advice to come out of my shell a bit? To become more active on stage? Besides just "do it". i got real confident real fast by doing every lovely mic and bar show during the week, then weaseling my way into guest spots at clubs every weekend. the poo poo shows make you develop thicker skin and get so comfortable with getting nothing that your confidence is through the roof on good shows. being laid back is fine, as long as you do it confidently. i got to host for ted alexandro back in may and that guy is as laid back as it comes, but he commands attention through confidence and body language like no one else.
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Aug 12, 2014 02:57
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Karl Ontario posted:Absolutely, I'd love to hear some feedback: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jSN9d68iAI You're stepping on your punchlines by not giving people enough time to laugh. You need more bravado. Your light up shoes joke is good and had a good tag, but if you say "... When I lay my beautiful head down on my pillow" and say it like you don't feel confident being beautiful, it's awkward. I don't know why no one laughed at the going to prison to avoid work joke. Your energy over all is really low. Strike that- you start out low and seem to gain energy from audience reaction. You're supposed to be putting energy into the audience, not the other way around. Are you doing the box step on stage? You've got some really solid jokes and you got good audience reaction. You can improve by maintaining a consistent energy and paying more attention to your on stage movements.
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Aug 12, 2014 06:26
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Serious Cephalopod posted:Notes as I watch your video: Thanks for the honest feedback. I am confident in my writing, I know it's my performance that's hurting it. I'll try to come out more energetic this weekend and see how it goes. I'll also try to be a bit more "in place", not stationary, but less unneeded movements.
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Aug 12, 2014 13:13
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Karl Ontario posted:Thanks for the honest feedback. I am confident in my writing, I know it's my performance that's hurting it. I'll try to come out more energetic this weekend and see how it goes. I'll also try to be a bit more "in place", not stationary, but less unneeded movements. I'm really looking forward to when you get the performance party down. You're a funny dude.
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Aug 13, 2014 05:34
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Pretty much agreed. Some energy would serve you well early. Some real good stuff in there.
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Aug 19, 2014 02:40
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Getting back in to stand-up after a 10 year hiatus, this is my second show after getting back in. Tried doing an entire routine based around one theme, which I've never done before. I'm not terribly happy with the middle bit, but I think the beginning and end are pretty good. I have a decent idea of what I need to work on, but feedback/criticism is always welcome. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQXIyqfeM5Y
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Aug 21, 2014 17:36
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coolguy90000 posted:Found this the other night, Ralphie May talks the business and gives some great advice. Check out some of Kyle Cease's other videos too. daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamnnnnnnnn
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Aug 26, 2014 09:29
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BulletRiddled posted:Getting back in to stand-up after a 10 year hiatus, this is my second show after getting back in. Tried doing an entire routine based around one theme, which I've never done before. I'm not terribly happy with the middle bit, but I think the beginning and end are pretty good. I have a decent idea of what I need to work on, but feedback/criticism is always welcome. The Ralphie May video I quoted above this post here might be really good for you to watch:
Maybe it's just because I'm not Canadian, but you seem extremely nervous and awkward on the stage. It's not in a funny way, either.... You're also extremely monotone. Your voice is uninteresting to listen to -- it's like Ben Stein from Ferris Bueller. Case and point @1:45 I stopped watching halfway through because it was just too awkward. Love Stole the Day fucked around with this message at 14:42 on Aug 26, 2014 |
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Aug 26, 2014 11:02
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People who fringed: how was your Fringe?
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Aug 26, 2014 14:22
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Love Stole the Day posted:The Ralphie May video I quoted above this post here might be really good for you to watch: I don't think his facial hair advice is as relevant today as it was then, pop culture has accepted beards, just off the top of my head both Zach Galifinakis and Louis C.K. have facial hair.
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Aug 27, 2014 16:41
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Love Stole the Day posted:
Thanks! I was trying more for a dry/depressed sound, but it really didn't come across the way I wanted. I wasn't drunk, but my nervousness definitely made it seem like I was. I think the previous performance I posted was a lot better. I'm fine when I have someone to play off of, but as soon as I'm by myself I sound all unnatural and stilted. A lot of my nervousness comes from me having trouble remembering my lines. It seems like no matter how well I know my material, the moment I step on stage or in front of a camera, it all leaves my head. What do you guys do for this? Also, the beard stays.
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Aug 29, 2014 07:31
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Karl Ontario posted:I don't think his facial hair advice is as relevant today as it was then, pop culture has accepted beards, just off the top of my head both Zach Galifinakis and Louis C.K. have facial hair. They only did this after they were super duper famous, though. Look at Galnifinakis' first comedy central special. No beard.
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Aug 29, 2014 10:58
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BulletRiddled posted:Thanks! I was trying more for a dry/depressed sound, but it really didn't come across the way I wanted. I wasn't drunk, but my nervousness definitely made it seem like I was. I think the previous performance I posted was a lot better. I'm fine when I have someone to play off of, but as soon as I'm by myself I sound all unnatural and stilted. Please don't try to make "nervous awkward guy" your thing. It never works.
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Aug 29, 2014 10:59
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Love Stole the Day posted:They only did this after they were super duper famous, though. Look at Galnifinakis' first comedy central special. No beard. you're being a real weirdo about beards. dan st germain has a big beard and he's blowing up. sean donnelly, mike lawrence, literally a ton of guys who are climbing the ladder right now.
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Aug 31, 2014 12:54
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I'm not a cop. I'm just a guy who paid close attention to that Ralphie May video and is echoing his sentiments and reasoning.
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Aug 31, 2014 13:20
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freud mayweather posted:you're being a real weirdo about beards. dan st germain has a big beard and he's blowing up. sean donnelly, mike lawrence, literally a ton of guys who are climbing the ladder right now. I opened for Dan St. Germain in a mid-sized southern town about a year ago and it seems like in the public's mind he looks too much like Galfinakas, even though their acts are pretty different. There are lots of other great guys with beards like Sean Patton, Derek Sheen, Dave Stone etc. but they're definitely struggling to market themselves, as evidenced by the fact that they come through my town every six to nine months to perform in front of 25-30 people. Hell, sometimes I don't even remember which bit goes with which of them, and I've seen them all live/opened for them/am facebook friends with them. It's definitely possible to be "good" but not "distinctive" and a lot of guys at the lower levels of barely-paid work hit a brick wall for reasons almost completely unrelated to their material. http://connectedcomedy.com/gabriel-iglesias-interview/ Comedy is comedy, but once you get past the open micer level marketing is as important as the act. I don't think Gabriel Iglesias is funny at all, (AT ALL!) but he is proof that if you work hard and market yourself well, the material doesn't matter much. If people don't really know what to expect from you that's bad news, even if you're an indie-artiste comic or whatever.
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Sep 1, 2014 20:45
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Barely related, but I saw Sean Patton a few months ago in New Orleans (his home town) and again a few times since then here in Denver and he's great. I was the show manager for a handful of shows at the High Plains Comedy Festival and he rode with me to the after party and is a genuinely nice guy. I really can't wish him enough good fortune.
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Sep 1, 2014 22:42
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Women do not always tie back their hair, and I cannot think of a woman besides Janine Garaofalo who does. It's important to be able to see someone's facial expressions while they're on stage. If you have a beard, make sure it's brushed and groomed so your mouth is visible. If you have long hair, make sure it's out of your face. If you have bangs, make sure your eyebrows are visible due to cut or are accentuated. They aren't hard rules, but it's helpful for audience empathy from a distance.
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Sep 3, 2014 04:50
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Serious Cephalopod posted:Women do not always tie back their hair, and I cannot think of a woman besides Janine Garaofalo who does. Serious Cephalopod posted:If you have long hair, make sure it's out of your face.  Love Stole the Day fucked around with this message at 18:59 on Sep 4, 2014 |
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Sep 4, 2014 18:51
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Yes, but on the jumper with her face on it her hair isn't tied back, so... 
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Sep 5, 2014 02:04
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Ayyyye guess what neither of those women consistently tie back their hair on stage Also it's totally possible to keep your hair out of your face without tying it back!
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Sep 6, 2014 06:17
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I think it's worth pointing out that it wasn't too terribly long ago that this same discussion would be about how you should always wear a suit on stage. There are always a set of (ever changing) "rules" to comedy, but the beauty of comedy is the constant subversion of those rules. That said, I think we can all agree that, no matter your stance on beards, ponytails, or whatever, no one should wear shorts on stage.
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Sep 6, 2014 07:51
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XIII posted:That said, I think we can all agree that, no matter your stance on beards, ponytails, or whatever, no one should wear shorts on stage. you gotta pay me for the privilege of not seeing my fat legs.
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Sep 6, 2014 21:06
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Serious Cephalopod posted:consistently 
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Sep 6, 2014 21:21
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freud mayweather posted:this is good advice, but sometimes when i do guest spots i wear shorts anyway. I've gone on stage once in shorts, but it was because the host got sick between comics and I had to cover for him. It felt weird and I hated it.
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Sep 6, 2014 21:31
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Ultimately, what you wear is part of your act, and can help get the audience on board with your jokes. Dressing in a certain way can help you get your head in the right place, too, but it's hard to give advice on that sort of thing past "make sure they can tell you have a face." And depending on the act, challenging that could be funny, too.
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Sep 7, 2014 00:10
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I have a question about approaching open mics. My buddy who is a seasoned veteran keeps telling me to avoid anything that might turn a female audience member against you. I'm just getting back into the game, but I wanted to touch on the entire Ray Rice situation. In no way am I doing a set condoning spousal abuse, so I don't necessarily think it would be a big deal. The two things I was looking to touch on was how Stephen A. Smith just can't stop saying stupid things. The other thought it how we as people love being sanctimonious, even though we are all awful. Should I shy away from controversy when starting out, or just not worry about it? Part of me feels that I shouldn't shy away from saying something that might upset someone, but the other part thinks that I am starting out after a long hiatus and don't have my stage legs back, so maybe I should make things easier for myself. The only reason this is even an issue is that this material has a short shelf life, so I feel I might as well use it while I can.
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Sep 12, 2014 18:18
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Even though this thread is mostly dead, I'll try another question. How long do you feel you have to use "topical" material? What is a good shelf-life?
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Sep 24, 2014 20:38
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Sataere posted:Even though this thread is mostly dead, I'll try another question. How long do you feel you have to use "topical" material? What is a good shelf-life? depends how long the topic is relevant. i see a lot of guys still making chris browne/rihanna jokes and, even when it was relevant it would still be pretty hacky, but five years later it's insufferable.
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Sep 24, 2014 21:11
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So basically, it is a play it by ear thing? When you realize the general public is bored with the subject, just gotta move on? And Chris Brown jokes are lame. At least insert Ray Rice in there to make it relevant. 
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Sep 25, 2014 00:46
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Sataere posted:Even though this thread is mostly dead, I'll try another question. How long do you feel you have to use "topical" material? What is a good shelf-life? Good topical material can be used as lead in or else endlessly retrofitted and made into a proper bit. Bad topical material has a shelf life of a few weeks and is usually low-hanging fruit everyone else has already gotten to, or else it's too much work to put into a topic that's going to feel stale in a month. It's usually better not to not even go down that road while you're still trying to find your voice. This is especially true at the open mic level, because the comic not doing topical material usually stands out more than all the guys who don't really have anything to say. It's fine if it falls in your lap or you want a cheap "pop" to get a crowd on board with your act, but if you're not working towards crafting pieces that can fit together to make a lasting 15+ minute set, it's even more of a waste of time than being an open-micer is already.
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Sep 25, 2014 03:20
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Smerdyakov posted:Good topical material can be used as lead in or else endlessly retrofitted and made into a proper bit. Bad topical material has a shelf life of a few weeks and is usually low-hanging fruit everyone else has already gotten to, or else it's too much work to put into a topic that's going to feel stale in a month. It's usually better not to not even go down that road while you're still trying to find your voice. This is especially true at the open mic level, because the comic not doing topical material usually stands out more than all the guys who don't really have anything to say. I'm not a one-liner sort of guy, and a lot of what I'm putting into this set can be used in various ways. I'm of the belief that if I have something to say, I should try saying it. Besides, I think it reads more like my own social commentary on current events. For context, I am talking about Ray Rice and the NFL stuff, but really it is more about how some people will justify anything. (I heard a guy talking about the Ray Rice video while I was out saying that we weren't seeing the whole thing, so we didn't have enough information.) Now that I think about it, I think you are saying what I am already doing. Using the current event to lead into my own dumb rants on the horrible society we live in. You are right about focusing on building long term sets, and this does have some solid stuff I can hopefully use later on. Or it might be terrible, who knows. I'll tell you guys Friday if it is bad. It makes me sad that this thread isn't more active. Are there just not a lot of guys out there doing open mics?
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Sep 25, 2014 04:16
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I just moved to Denver to do comedy more seriously and the scene here is amazing (especially coming from Arkansas). I've been stressed like mad about money and jobs and housing, so I haven't gone up any yet and that nagging voice that I'm not working hard enough is going crazy. Thankfully, things are starting to stabilize.
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Sep 25, 2014 04:31
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XIII posted:I just moved to Denver to do comedy more seriously and the scene here is amazing (especially coming from Arkansas). I've been stressed like mad about money and jobs and housing, so I haven't gone up any yet and that nagging voice that I'm not working hard enough is going crazy. Thankfully, things are starting to stabilize. I'm right there with you. I'm in Chicago and I know people who have done things, but I got a wife and kids, so it is hard to balance. I've just said gently caress it and am going out somewhere tomorrow, because if I wait for the right time, I'll never do it.
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Sep 25, 2014 05:54
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Yeah, I'm getting to that point, but being super broke through the end of next month has kept me in the apartment. But, it's been nice in its own way because I've been developing better writing habits and reworking old material that I wasn't happy with (I'm still not, but is anyone ever?).
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Sep 25, 2014 06:17
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Sataere posted:It makes me sad that this thread isn't more active. Are there just not a lot of guys out there doing open mics? The best and worst thing about standup is that no one can really tell you what to do or what will work. What might be good advice for one comic in one scene might be terrible advice somewhere else. Some comics work on their material obsessively and write and refine it and just because they work hard that doesn't mean they're funny, while other people literally just go on stage wasted and say whatever they're feeling and it's hilarious. Some rooms will die laughing if you work clean but shut down if they hear any swearing or mean-funny, and other rooms require 3 solid minutes of dick jokes up front or they tune you out, etc. The only consistent advice is to record yourself as often as you can so that you can review your material later and be more objective about what's working and what's not.
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Sep 25, 2014 09:03
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Smerdyakov posted:The best and worst thing about standup is that no one can really tell you what to do or what will work. What might be good advice for one comic in one scene might be terrible advice somewhere else. Some comics work on their material obsessively and write and refine it and just because they work hard that doesn't mean they're funny, while other people literally just go on stage wasted and say whatever they're feeling and it's hilarious. Some rooms will die laughing if you work clean but shut down if they hear any swearing or mean-funny, and other rooms require 3 solid minutes of dick jokes up front or they tune you out, etc. The only consistent advice is to record yourself as often as you can so that you can review your material later and be more objective about what's working and what's not. While I agree with this, I still feel this should be more active. Then again, I understand why someone wouldn't want to put jokes in this thread. I think we are all secret meglomaniacs who think their brilliant bit about their cock is gonna get stolen, even though it wasn't that funny to begin with.
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Sep 25, 2014 15:56
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Any goon comics want to exchange twitter names? I'm fairly choosy about who I follow (don't want a feed full of poo poo), but I'd be happy to follow fellow thread members. Mine is @zacfelts. I'm not good at it, but I try.
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Sep 25, 2014 18:44
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I just created a Facebook account yesterday. Haven't worked my way up to twitter yet, but I will soon. I'd definitely be down with that. I have friends who are supposedly interested in doing this with me, but they are ghosts when I actually ask about it, so it'd be nice to have people to bounce ideas off of.
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Sep 25, 2014 20:57
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XIII posted:Any goon comics want to exchange twitter names? I'm fairly choosy about who I follow (don't want a feed full of poo poo), but I'd be happy to follow fellow thread members. Mine is @zacfelts. I'm not good at it, but I try. i gave you a follow. i'm @freudmayweather if you wanna follow back.
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Sep 25, 2014 20:57
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