"A roadmap for understanding and creating comedy from the visionary Second City comedy director"-- Provided by publisher.
A roadmap for understanding and creating comedy from the visionary Second City comedy director
Great comedy can feel ineffable—and unlearnable. Debunking the myth that “either you are funny, or you aren’t,” Libera breaks the magic of comedy down into an innovative theory and practical toolkit. Developed over the course of thirty years as a director for The Second City and professor of comedy studies in their training center, Libera’s approach is effective across stand-up, sketch, film, and television comedy, as evidenced by her powerhouse students: Amy Poehler, Kristen Schaal, Steven Yeun, and many more of your favorites.
This book starts with a way to think about comedy and then guides you through concrete strategies for making your work smarter, richer, funnier. Libera covers everything from generating material to revising and performing to fostering social connection through comedy. In the book’s final section, Libera draws from her personal life to make a profound case for why future comedy writers should consider the ethics of their art and their responsibility to their fellow human beings in the audience. Readers won’t just be funnier because of this book—they’ll be better people.
Arvustused
I have admired Anne Libera as a teacher and a director for 40 years. This new book proves to me shes only gotten better. Stephen Colbert, American comedian, writer, and television host
As a student of Anne's in my early days of comedy, she opened up a world of comedic history that helps me in my writing to this day. With Funnier, she continues to demystify and examine comedy for a whole new generation of students. Aidy Bryant, American actress and comedian
I wish I had written Funnier. I might tell people that I did. No, I wont. I mean, maybe? But I wish I had. But youre lucky that Anne Libera wrote it because its brilliant. Funnier will quickly become your go-to book for creating and analyzing comedy. It expertly weaves together comic theory and practical exercises, allowing the reader to both analyze and create comedy. Whether youre funny or not (and this book will definitely make you funnier), youre going to love this book. Matt Fotis, Albright College
Foreword
Introduction
Part I: Thinking About Comedy
Introduction
A Theory of Comedy
Recognition
Distance
Pain
Comedy is Relative
Comedy Theory Overview (please cut this section, per ACQ notes)
The Five Components of Comedy
Jokes
Physical Comedy
Character
Narrative
Point of View
Thick and Thin Comedy
Taste, Hack, and Watching Comedy as a Comedian
Analyzing Comedy That Someone Else Has Created
Humor Theory For Comedians
Superiority Theory
Incongruity Theory
Tension and Release Theory
Benign Violation Theory
Evolutionary Theories of Humor and Laughter
Not Exactly Humor Theory But As Long As Were Here, Lets Talk About Comedy
and Your Brain
Biases and Heuristics
Anchoring Bias
Salience Bias
Story Coherence
ToolContext: Physical (Where Are You?)
ToolContext: Capitalism (Who is the Customer?)
Putting the Frog Back Together
Part I: Making It Funny
Introduction
Generating Comedy Materials and Ideas
Types of Material Generation Prompts
Creating Prompts That Use the Elements of Pain and Distance
Material Generation Prompts
ToolTruth
How to Write a Joke
Defining Jokes
How to Write a Joke
How to Write a News Joke
Creating Original Jokes
Joke Filters
How to Rewrite a Joke
Jokes That Use Other Comedy Components
Revising Jokes That Use More Than One Component
ToolNovelty and Surprise
Performing Comedy
Defining Comedy in Performance
ToolDiscovery
ToolExplore and Heighten
Defining Physical Comedy
Making Physical Comedy
Props
Slapstick
ToolStatus
Performing Comedy
Creating Comic Characters
Defining Comic Character
Creating Comedic Characters
ToolCharacter Space Walk
More Ways to Create or Practice With Embodied Characters
Playing With Character Point of View For Writers
Good Comedy Hygiene: Character
ToolUseful Definitions
Persona
Defining Persona
Creating Your Comic Persona
ToolPersona Worksheet
Point of View
Defining a Point of View
Point of View 101: you Already Have a Point of View
Comedic Opinion
ToolUseful Definitions (Irony and Sarcasm)
Parody and Satire
Creating Parody
Creating Satire
ToolUseful Definitions (Parody and Satire)
Creating Comedic Narratives
Story and Narrative: A Quick Introduction
Defining Comedic Narrative
ToolUseful Definitions (Farce)
Comic Premise
Starting With a Comic Idea
Writing a Short Comedy Piece
Sketch
Sitcom
ToolPutting Characters Into Comedic Stories
ToolThinking About Structure
Variety Narratives
Defining Variety Narratives
How to Write a Simple Standup Set
Sketch Running Order
Running Order Outlines
Running Order Hierarchy of Needs
Part III: Making It Funnier
Introduction
ToolExpectations
ToolRisk and Failure
ToolTaking a Comedy Class
Next Steps of Revising
Digging Into the Comedy Triad: Recognition, Pain, Distance
Looking at Structure
The Five Comedy Components
The Obvious
Part IV: Making It Better
Introduction
Thinking About Comedy Ethics
Making Your Comedy More Ethical
Comedy to Read and Watch
Acknowledgments
Notes
Anne Libera is an associate professor at Columbia College Chicago, where she created the first program in comedy writing and performance in the country. She teaches and directs for The Second City in Chicago and across the globe, and is the author of The Second City Almanac of Improvisation, also published by Northwestern University Press.
