Cycle 4 & Reflection Comments

CYCLE 4
Kyle Moynahan
Jason Smith
David Weiss

REFLECTION
Mohammed Rashid

Harry Chernak
Evan Kuo

Reflection :)

Wow. That flew by. I presented yesterday for almost five minutes but it felt like two.


It was a crazy feeling - while Matt was presenting (one presentation before mine), I wasn't mentally preparing myself as I do for all my presentations. I don't know if I was out of it, or just too nervous to think, or something else. Anyway, Matt had just finished with his questions and I walked slowly onto the stage, again, very out of it, kind of in a daze.


Now that I think about it, I was unbelievably nervous, which is why I'm so proud of myself. While I was practicing the night before, I was panicking more than I ever have before - I was at the point where I was almost in tears, freaking out on the floor of my bedroom. But I conquered my fear; I conquered my worry. I went up on stage and gave it my best shot, and that is the most I could've asked of myself.


I'll let you in on a little secret... that was not the routine I practiced the night before the presentation. It was something I'd looked at a few days before, but ultimately, I was going to present about a different topic. It was only in fourth period (one period before the presentation) that I actually presented my original routine, the one you guys heard, to Jacob Kaffey. To my surprise, he laughed! I asked him if he thought I should use it in the TED Talk, and he told me I should. So I basically had to prep myself during lunch (whilst also finalizing my CD project ;) ).


There was an issue, in my opinion, regarding the presentation just in general. I spoke a little quickly and a little robotic. I knew that my talking speed tended to pick up when I presented, and I tried to prepare for this, but I guess that I still messed that up.


If I had to rate myself on the whole presentation, I would give myself an 8.5 to a 9. I stepped outside my comfort zone and all, but that is no excuse to speak monotone and speak too quickly on the whole presentation. I did show you guys my final product in an effective way though (I think).


Ultimately, I was very pleased. Not only did I face a fear but I made you guys laugh (my ultimate goal)! I would like to thank you all for being supportive and laughing your way through my project and presentation, even if you were just faking the laughs.


Signing off for the last time,
Jacob

Three Days Away!

I'm just three days away from my TED Talk (hence the title)!

Mixed emotions. Nervous. Excited. Stage Fright.

This week, I basically did a little more writing and eventually wrote my actual stand-up routine for the presentation. It was very tough - choosing a final topic and then writing about it was so frustrating. I went from school lunches to not getting called on, to like 4 more topics, and then finally chose one (it's down below).

One of my potential topics was basically a funny way of guilting (don't think that's a word) Perlman and McDaniels. I was going to say stuff like, "If I don't get a good grade on this, I don't think I'll ever be able to perform in front of a crowd again," and just go on about that.

I was also considering talking about teenage girl phrases.
"Oh my God, I can't even."
"I'm LITERALLY dying."

I think you could figure out what direction that was heading in.

While I liked those topics, I ended up choosing a different one that I liked even more.


ANYWAY.........................................

I'm almost ready to finally present --- As I mentioned earlier, I've written my whole stand-up routine. The topic is... going to be a surprise. I don't really want to say anything just because it would spoil the show! I've also finalized my general TED Talk as well.

This was my original goal: finish the stand-up/TED Talk over the weekend so that I have both Monday and Tuesday to practice. Check.

I'm unbelievably super duper nervous... not really how a comedian should be feeling. Well, maybe they feel nervous, but they don't show it on stage. Hopefully I don't show it on stage.

[I'm sorry about the following things I say - I was literally just writing my thoughts down]

For my presentation, I think I'll be wearing a T-shirt and jeans. Just about everyone has dressed up, or at least appropriately for their topics for their presentations. However, comedians tend not to dress up. It's more of a casual look.

I'm hoping to be able to use a microphone. I think it'll make me more comfortable and I'll be able to speak normally like I'll be practicing, rather than have to yell it.

Also, I was actually recommended by more than one person to bring up a stool and put a bottle of water on it. If you're confused by why that would be relevant, it's just something that comedians tend to do - walk on stage, take a drink of water, wait a little, and then begin.


I'm probably making no sense but I think you can figure out what I was saying.

Thanks so much for checking in on my blog these past weeks. It's much appreciated!

I'll see you all on Wednesday.

A New Idea...

Hey guys,

This is going to be brief, but I just thought of a possible idea for my stand-up. It does involve sports, but obviously not everybody knows so much about sports, so I'd be making the script very generic, understandable and relatable.

The idea is baseball.

I personally think that baseball is a boring sport to both watch and play, though other people (Alex Tappen) may not necessarily agree. Still, part of stand-up comedy is picking a side of something and just going off and ranting about the point of view. I've already drafted a few lines/ideas that I could use in the routine (if I decide to use this). However, I will not share them with you unless I choose not to use this in the end - I don't want to spoil anything for you guys!

That's it for now - I'll be sure to keep you updated.

Cycle 4 Comments

Arslan Amir
Kenny Daily
Sam Langman

VLOG!

Here is my blog post...

[Vimeo wasn't cooperating so I had to use YouTube]

Enjoy! :)

Week 3 Comments

Matt Thompson
Sarah Kollender
Jacob Kaffey

Be Fearless

[1. I recommend using Internet Explorer for this]
[2. Click 'show all content' if the videos do not load]

This week, three things were done. I talked, I listened, and I wrote a little.

First, I had a conversation with my dad about comedy. He gave me some good advice, telling me this...

• Everything can be funny.
• No matter what the topic is, If the delivery and emotion associated with it is appealing and humorous, you will be funny.
• Talk about universal experiences that people typically don't talk about but are common.
• There are lots of things that are uncomfortable for people to talk about - if YOU talk about them though, they will laugh.
• Talk about human nature.
• Attack, Attack, Attack - comedians are fearless.
• Make fun of someone or something. Don't be afraid.
• Be confident.
• Know you're funny
• Tell your audience you're funny

Actually, as I was writing this, I was sent two very helpful texts...

Thanks, Dad.

I also started to listen to comedy on YouTube and Pandora (well, with a purpose at least). I did this in hopes of learning some lessons and picking up on things from the greats, such as:

• George Carlin
• Chris Rock
• Rodney Dangerfield (whose real name was Jacob Cohen)
• Kevin Hart
• Sam Kinison (who I particularly enjoyed)
• Richard Pryor

Just paying attention to the way they presented was beneficial.


The video below is of Sam Kinison on World Hunger.

Anyway, I didn't take notes on these specific comedians, but I did take mental note of their similarities.


They...

• Use different voices
• Make weird noises and sound effects
• Tell stories
• Interact with the audience
• Have fun on stage!
• Say things in ways people have never heard before
• Are clearly prepared, but their stories and anecdotes come across as impromptu

In addition to the above, I began writing down some topics and ideas that I could possibly create a routine around for the TED Talk. Since I was looking for relatable topics, I couldn't write about marriage, raising kids, or subjects of the sort - but I could write about things we as teenagers suffer through, like school. Therefore, I drafted some ideas relative to school. They are below...

Recently, I saw a skit on Saturday Night Live that was absolutely hilarious. However, it was controversial. Still, I'm going to post the video because I know it will make you laugh.

[sorry, but there was no video of just the skit - I had to use one with commentary]

Well, this concludes my post for this cycle. Over the days of the next cycle, I'm hoping to begin writing specific jokes/stories about the topics above. The only thing I'm worried about would be writing something that I ultimately want to use in my TED Talk, but would have to post in my blog, even though it would spoil my TED Talk... :(


Okay sorry I'll leave it there. See ya!

Week 1&2 Comments

Week 1
Sam Langman
Mohammed Rashid
Alexander Tappen


Week 2
Zoe Bentley
Harry Chernak
Arslan Amir

Writing Comedy

Frequent cursing and discussing sex is common in stand-up routines. Considering my presentation will take place in school, I'm sure I can't curse, and considering my age and lack of experience, I don't think I can talk about sex either. (The only thing worse than not knowing anything about sex is having my parents offer to explain it.)






What I Learned

Well, the thing is, there is no set recipe for writing comedy. Every performance is about a different topic. Every comedian is different. Therefore, the websites I visited almost all said different things relative to writing comedy. However, there were some steps/pieces of advice that I found in more than just a couple sites. They are listed below:

• Just find time to write. Get out a pad of paper, don't think too hard, and write out ANY ideas.
• I'm going to buy one of those yellow notepads to put all of my writing on.
• I'll try to write a little bit every day and provide updates.
• It's not a formal way of note-taking. This is just a way to get ideas down.
• All ideas are good. They can later be morphed into a string of jokes/stories.

• It's informal. Like a speech. A conversation. It's not an essay. Full sentences not needed.
• As you can see, I didn't use full sentences above.
• Speak like it's a conversation with friends.
• Use the same dialogue/sentence structure

• What Exactly to Write About: Likes, Dislikes (these can come across funny), funny stories.
• Dislikes make the funniest performances (in my opinion)
• It provides the opportunity to rant about something that I'm passionate about.
• I think it'd be easier to find something funny in something I don't like rather than in one I do.

• Establish a point of view. Make it clear in the writing.
• How do I feel about what I'm talking about?
• What's my perspective/opinion?

*** Here's a website that I found to be very helpful: http://www.creativestandup.com/how-to-be-a-comedian-writing-comedy/


Final Thoughts

• When Writing...
• Take Risks.
• Put yourself out there.
• Write what you feel and passionately show it.

If I'm being completely honest, I'm very nervous. It's like I'm telling people that I'm going to make them laugh, and they're telling me to prove it. There are expectations set that I think are difficult to achieve. Still, I'm up for the challenge. I'm ready to start writing some of my own material. I'll start small - every day or two, I'll take 15-30 minutes and jot down any ideas that come to mind. I'll try to update you in my weekly posts, either by taking pictures or just typing up what I drafted.

Well, off I go. Wish me luck.

The Introduction

After days of stressing over my Genius Project topic, it finally hit me. I was just sitting in the middle of Spanish class and the idea came to me.

Stand-up comedy; it was the perfect idea!

I love comedy. When most people listen to Pandora radio, they listen to "Today's Hits," or "Katy Perry Radio." However, I listen to comedy stations - particularly stations like "Dane Cook Radio" and "Chris Rock Radio" (these are comedians if you were unaware) - basically, I enjoy comedy.

(Chris Rock)

Over the summer, my family took me to an event called Oddball Fest, where a large group of comedians came together for one big performance. Headlining the show was one of my favorite comedians, Louis C.K. I had a blast, and it increased my love for comedy.


My interest in pursuing stand-up comedy increased when I gave it a little more thought - I talked to my dad and uncle about it, and we ended up making up jokes about random topics for over a half hour.

In order to write and perform stand-up comedy, over the next six cycles, I'm going to be spending time researching, listening, watching, writing, and performing.

First, I'll do research on specific strategies and ways to approach stand-up. Then, I'm going to just listen to performances through Pandora, just to get a feel for the art. Next, I'll watch performances through YouTube and Netflix to understand the body language and stage presence necessary. I'll then write my own material about random things that I decide to write about. Lastly, I'm going to practice performing, and keep practicing until my final presentation.

My obvious goal for the project is to learn about the art of stand-up comedy.
However, I also have a few smaller goals.

First of all, I want to improve my public speaking and acting skills, because not only are they important in stand-up comedy, but I'm very bad at these skills and they're essential in other fields too.
I also want to be able to "find the funny," in simple, everyday things. By this, I mean I want to be able to pick out any random object, idea, etc., and be able to put a satirical twist and effect on it in hopes of appealing to
my audience.

Ultimately, in my TED Talk, I want to simply make my audience laugh and enjoy my presentation.