You're Funny. DB Gilles

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СКАЧАТЬ also noteworthy that in the last several years stand up has gone global. Comics, both upcoming and established, are performing at comedy festivals throughout the world. In Scotland there's The Edinburgh Comedy Festival, which began in 2008 as an offshoot of the renowned Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and The Glascow Comedy Festival.

      In Spain: The Barcelona International Comedy Festival. South Africa offers The Cape Town Comedy Festival.

      There's The Melbourne International Comedy Festival in Australia, and in that same corner of the planet, The New Zealand International Comedy Festival.

      In Dublin, The Bulmers International Comedy Festival reigns supreme. Hong Kong and Singapore both have International Comedy Festivals. Canada has The Global Comedy Fest in Vancouver and in Montreal, The Just For Laughs Comedy Festival, as well as The Montreal International Comedy Festival. Plus The Halifax Comedy Festival in Nova Scotia.

      Upper echelon comedians are selling out huge venues and earning multi-millions. Last year the following comics were the Top 10 earning comedians: Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Jeff Dunham, Dane Cook, George Lopex, Howie Mandel, Larry The Cable Guy, Jeff Foxworthy, Terry Fator, and Russell Peters.

      In the quest for laughs, people also have the choice of going to their computers to find entertainment and chuckles on innumerable websites ranging from short films on Funny Or Die, parody at The Onion, amazing wit at drmardy.com and funny news (and not news) from Fark.com.

      History tells us that when times are tough, people want to laugh. They need to laugh.

      That's where you come in.

      You have the ability to amuse people in your personal life. Now you're ready to see if you can get more from your sense of humor than laughs.

      Let's talk about you for a moment. Maybe you're not all that “happy” yourself. You don't like your job anymore (or maybe you never did). Despite college and a degree (or two) you now realize you went into the wrong profession. Or maybe it was right for you at one time, but not anymore.

      Even if you've made good money, you're, well, miserable. Too extreme a word? Okay. Unhappy. Dissatisfied. Bored. Frustrated. All of the above?

      Whatever your state of mind, and whatever your reason for taking the leap from funny person with friends, family and co-workers, to someone who earns money from your talent, you're starting the journey at an opportune time.

      A whole new, expansive audience is waiting for you to make them laugh.

      Let's find out the best way for you to do this.

      How to Know for Sure You Should be Writing Comedy

      You know you're a comedy writer if you would much rather be playing “Grand Theft Auto” than be in a book club discussing the works of Teilhard de Chardin. Instead of going to therapy, you ridicule people who do. You can't get through a day without trying to make every person you know laugh. You believe that your sense of humor can get you out of any awkward situation. You joined “Second Life,” where you created not only a Second Life, but a Second Second Life and have contemplated starting a Third Second Life.

      If you're a guy, you get little if any exercise and spend too much time indoors – usually online – and you've visited way too many porn sites. You've subscribed to Fangoria since you were a kid, still have every issue, and look forward to passing your collection on to your son and watching your favorite splatter films with him. You have to think twice about whether you would rather make a woman laugh or have sex with her.

      If you're a woman, you worry that you'll never find Mr. Right because none of the dullards you meet get your sense of humor. On a date, you have to restrain yourself from making wisecracks and clever observations for fear that the guy will resent that you're funnier than he is. You reject the historically accepted female virtues of modesty and submission in favor of telling a good dick joke. You have to hide the fact that you love gross-out humor, especially fart and bodily function jokes. You have to think twice about whether you would rather make a guy laugh or have sex with him.

      Only kidding!

      Well, not really. Comedy writers do tend to be a little strange, weird, and off-the- wall. I should know. I'm one of them. Therapy helps. A little.

      PART 1

      Two Jews Walk Into a Bar:

      Comedy Writing Basics

       I regard the writing of humor as a supreme artistic challenge.

      — Herman Wouk

      Introduction

      Somebody Laughed

       Humor is an affirmation of dignity, a declarationof man's superiority to all that befalls him.

      — Romain Gary

      There was a moment in your life when you acknowledged to yourself that you were funny. Maybe you were trying to be funny. Maybe you weren't. Maybe it just slipped out.

      But somebody laughed.

      Or giggled.

      Perhaps someone just smiled.

      It might have happened when you were in second grade or freshman year in high school, or when you were a senior in college. You did or said something that got a rise out of your teacher and snickers from your classmates.

      Or it could have happened when you were out of school and into a career when you got that first reaction from a coworker at the photocopy machine.

      Maybe your boss laughed at something you blurted out at a meeting. Maybe a group of people laughed at what you said while you were in an elevator. Or you realized that a thought you had or a remark that slipped out was incredibly witty or clever or, well, funny.

      Perhaps you had a knack for making cute, endearing remarks that made your relatives laugh at family gatherings.

      You liked the feeling. Maybe you even loved it. But one thing for sure: You knew deep down that you needed to hear that laughter. So you tried to get your laughs wherever you could. Depending upon how shy you were, maybe you limited it to your siblings or parents. You'd do goofy stuff or say nutty things and get your laugh fix from your family.

      Once you had them in the palm of your hand, you may have decided to test the waters outside the safety of your home. So there was school or the sports teams you played on or the clubs you joined. The people here were a tougher audience. Maybe the silly things you did at home were too easy. You had to be more creative. So you'd take a shot. Sometimes you'd get the laugh. Other times you'd crash and burn.

      Crashing and burning was probably more the norm. But on the days when you got the laugh, it made the failures worthwhile. Getting the laughs did something to you. Maybe it built up your confidence. Made you feel cool. Hip.

      Perhaps your sense of humor got you into a more high-profile crowd. СКАЧАТЬ