Standup Content Creation
Type of Jokes
Misdirection
Rule of three
Serious, Serious, Funny
"Giving 110% takes hard work, dedication and a complete disregard for how math works."
Funny, Funnier, Funniest
Literal
Using the exact meaning of the words. Eg. Surely, you can't be serious? I am serious and don't call me Shirley.
Puns
Exaggerations
Eg. It was so cold that I saw polar bears wearing jackets.
Simile
Comparing similarities between two different things. Eg. Dissecting comedy is like dissecting a frog. You understand it better, but they both die in the end.
Sarcasm
A sharp, bitter or cutting remark. Eg. Money isn't everything in life, but it does keep you in touch with your children.
Typical Joke Structure
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Premise: Broad
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Setup: Specific
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Punch Line: Surprised
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Tag(Another Punch line): Another Surprise
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Act Out: Acting out the punch line
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Call Back: Referencing later in your act.
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Premise: Like most comedians, I grew up poor.
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Setup: We didn't know we were poor because our mom lied about it. I remember one Christmas she tried to tell my sisters she had given them - dolls.
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Punch Line: But they were really just empty bottles of Mrs. Buttersworth
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Tag: And she was like "No, no - that's kitchen barbie!"
Put the punch word at the end.
Delivery
- Sell the punch line. You must be confident - and deliver it properly.
- Don't ask the audience questions. (?)
- Say most with less words. Brevity is the soul of wit.
- Hard consonants stick in ear better - 'pants' are funnier than 'jeans'.
- Go twice as slow as you think you are going.
- Don't step on your laughs.
- Movement on stage is good.
- Silence is ok.
- Keep your jokes in your pocket and let them come out organically.
Making a story funny...
- Write out the story
- Put a sentence on separate piece of paper
- Write jokes on the subject of that sentence
- Put that sentence back into your story
- Repeat.
Step 3
- Statements of Truth
- Lists - nouns, verbs, adjectives
- I (emotion) (subject) because - finish with chosen words from list.
Self Deprecation
- Pick one unique trait
- Statements of Truth
- List adjectives, nouns etc. on that trait
- I (emotion) (trait) because...