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Thanks guys I'll try all of that tonight and report back on how it went 
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Jan 28, 2015 16:21
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XIII posted:^another good thing about a line like “I'll leave you guys with this" is it gives the host a cue to get ready. Very good point as well. If you're just starting out, the best thing you can do (other than be funny, of course) is learn some goddamn stage etiquette. KNOW HOW MUCH TIME YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO DO. Say something like 'hey, keep it going for _________ (hosts name)' when you get on stage. That keeps the energy up and shows that you appreciate what a tough job hosting can be. KNOW HOW MUCH TIME YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO DO. If your host doesn't suck balls he will light you. If your room doesn't have the standard wall mounted red light he might flash his cell phone/a flashlight/something else at you. Either way, it's house talk for "wrap it up". Don't do just one more bit. Unless, you've been explicitly told something like 'I'll light you when you have a minute left'- then pull out the "I'll leave you guys with this.." line and get your last jokes in. Like XIII said, it gives the host a cue to get ready and also serves as an acknowledgement that you've been lit. You won't always be able to do that of course. if he's lighting you in the middle of a joke just nod. You'll get a feel for things like that as you get more stage time. Don't be afraid of running under time, but seriously do what you can to not go over. Your jokes are going to suck. You're new, that's just the way it is. But if you're capable of doing everything else well enough and running a smooth set, you won't be looked at as just another lovely newbie and hopefully instead will be viewed as someone who they can give more nights to because you won't screw it up for everyone else. Believe me when I tell you that short of personally insulting the host, nothing will get you on their bad side faster than going 4 minutes over and leaving a cold stage. Don't be that guy.
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Jan 28, 2015 17:05
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^that is a very good post. I know a lot of comics who runs shows and are pretty relaxed with time, but I know even more who take it very seriously. I fall firmly into the second group. For a showcase or thing where people's time caries, I always ask when someone wants the light. For a standard open mic, you get five minutes with a light at four. If you don't acknowledge the light (pointed at the back wall), I'll shine it in your face. If you go over your time and aren't quickly wrapping up a joke or just keep going, I will light you in the face until the sound guy fades out your mic or you get off the stage. I will absolutely remember you. I know I'm a dick about this, but it's a matter of respect for the show, the host, the other comics, and the audience.
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Jan 28, 2015 17:20
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Around here, I haven't noticed people being too worried about time unless you are going over by a crazy amount. I don't even notice the light flashing, but that might be because most of my sets don't go anywhere near the time allotted. One of my buddies was commenting when he saw me that I always seem to make the audience clap for the host and he found it weird. I told him it is the simplest way I know to get people to clap. Does anyone have any tricks on adding lines that indicate I'm about to wrap up? I generally just say thank you and end. I haven't figured out a way to add things into my sets that would let people know I am near the end.
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Jan 28, 2015 19:11
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Getting people to clap for the host isn't weird. It's a nice gesture. Someone in the thread mentioned ending with "I'll leave you with this..." I think those signifiers are great. "That's ask my time" "gently caress you, I'm out" etc, depending on your style. I've even heard "one last thing for you to meditate on..."
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Jan 28, 2015 19:17
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I do say "Well, that's my set. " My sets are all 3-5 minute monstrosities that build on themselves, so it doesn't feel like I can just add a "One last thing" in there. Is thanking the audience kosher? It occurs to me that when people laugh at me, I should probably thank them. I haven't though, probably because I'm an inconsiderate dick.
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Jan 28, 2015 19:55
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The thing I dislike about "well, that's my set" is you drop it at the very end. If you do three minutes when the host expects you to take five, it can catch them off guard and leave them scrambling from the back. It's not a big deal, but it's just a nice little thing you can do to help the host.
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Jan 28, 2015 20:15
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I get that, but I don't really have anything better. When I'm done, I'm done. I think my sets have a feel when they are wrapping up, but I could very well be wrong.
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Jan 28, 2015 20:20
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Sataere posted:Around here, I haven't noticed people being too worried about time unless you are going over by a crazy amount. I don't even notice the light flashing, but that might be because most of my sets don't go anywhere near the time allotted. Not going to or over the time allotted isn't a big deal unless your host is super anal or you're getting paid. In fact given the tendency of comics to run long if left to their own devices, the few hosts I know love when someone goes a little short (on open mics) because it keeps things moving. If you're getting paid you loving bring your allotted time or run the risk of not getting offered paid shows again. This last weekend a guy did his first ever paid middle at Yuks down here (he's been doing mics/guest spots for a few years) and while he bombed pretty hard (Like, the host had to leave the room because he couldn't keep watching) he was supposed to do, and was paid for, a 20 minute set. Walked off stage at 13. Unless they hire a new booker it will be years before they call him again because you just don't do that. As far as thanking the audience I think if you want to do it the best way to approach it until you really find your own voice in the matter is to just be like "Alright that's my time, you guys have been great, enjoy the rest of the show/have a good night". Works for me anyway. And I second XIII's opinion on closing- there's nothing wrong with just going 'well that's my set' and walking off- but giving a heads up for at least the sake of the host is the respectful thing to do especially if you're ending early.
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Jan 28, 2015 20:34
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"I'm almost done here, but this gets pretty crazy so hold onto your butts"
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Jan 28, 2015 20:39
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thunderspanks posted:Words ugh, I once got paid to do 20min + host for a show and bombed the whole way through (so did everyone else. It was a hell gig), but, dammit, I did my time. Everyone else, minus one guy, went waaaaay short because of how bad the thing was, so I kept having to stretch for time between people. It was a nightmare, but was hilarious in its own way. Sataere posted:I get that, but I don't really have anything better. When I'm done, I'm done. I think my sets have a feel when they are wrapping up, but I could very well be wrong. I promise, it's not hard to work this into your set. I doubt you're writing such tightly woven sets that you have to worry about breaking the magical hold you have over the audience.
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Jan 28, 2015 20:43
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XIII posted:ugh, I once got paid to do 20min + host for a show and bombed the whole way through (so did everyone else. It was a hell gig), but, dammit, I did my time. Everyone else, minus one guy, went waaaaay short because of how bad the thing was, so I kept having to stretch for time between people. It was a nightmare, but was hilarious in its own way. You underestimate the sheer genius of what I am doing. If I am going to keep them entranced with my philosophical sophistry, I shall not allow a single moment to be wasted.  But yeah, I probably could work it in. I just haven't figured out a way to do it. Honestly, I've been mostly going to the same places, so the guys know when I'm about to wrap up anyway, so it probably makes no difference. I'll put more thought into it later. As for paid gigs, I'm nowhere near that point, but if someone were paying me to do a set amount of time, I'd do the whole drat thing and eat it. If I know something isn't working at an open mic though, I will just walk off the stage early. I see no gain in floundering for an audience that doesn't want me there, and might as well bring on someone else they may enjoy.
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Jan 28, 2015 20:57
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XIII posted:The thing I dislike about "well, that's my set" is you drop it at the very end. If you do three minutes when the host expects you to take five, it can catch them off guard and leave them scrambling from the back. It's not a big deal, but it's just a nice little thing you can do to help the host. If my set ends on something where I can't very smoothly throw in a "One last thing..." type of deal, I just move the mic stand back in front of me during the last couple of sentences for a visual cue. Of course I'm still a semi-noob so sometimes I end up stage-blind and having to search for the mic stand. I've gotten that pretty under control recently but I actually got an accidental laugh by grabbing the wrong mic stand one time.
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Jan 28, 2015 21:25
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Shovelbearer posted:If my set ends on something where I can't very smoothly throw in a "One last thing..." type of deal, I just move the mic stand back in front of me during the last couple of sentences for a visual cue. Of course I'm still a semi-noob so sometimes I end up stage-blind and having to search for the mic stand. I've gotten that pretty under control recently but I actually got an accidental laugh by grabbing the wrong mic stand one time. That's a really good move too. I usually tell my first joke or two with the mic in the stand, take it out for the middle, then put it back for the last joke or two. I hate when I forget and finish my set, only to realize I haven't even moved the stand back and fumble awkwardly to get it back while the host of walks up and stands there.
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Jan 28, 2015 21:31
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Shovelbearer posted:I just move the mic stand back in front of me during the last couple of sentences for a visual cue. Yeah that's actually pretty slick, I didn't think of mentioning that. CATMAN, remember to move the stand off to the side when you start. Unless your a handsfree mic talker, and there's nothing wrong with that. I talk with my hands quite a bit so sometimes it's nice to leave the mic in place for a more casual vibe. Otherwise though, move the stand or it becomes a barrier between you and the crowd.
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Jan 28, 2015 21:35
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Shovelbearer posted:If my set ends on something where I can't very smoothly throw in a "One last thing..." type of deal, I just move the mic stand back in front of me during the last couple of sentences for a visual cue. Of course I'm still a semi-noob so sometimes I end up stage-blind and having to search for the mic stand. I've gotten that pretty under control recently but I actually got an accidental laugh by grabbing the wrong mic stand one time. See, this is fantastic. I don't like talking into a mic stand, so I always take the mic out so I can use the entire stage comfortably. This would be perfect and easy to implement.
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Jan 28, 2015 21:45
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Definitely move the mic stand. Also, don't fidget with the mic cord. It's distracting and tells the audience you're nervous. I did it my first time and I see newbies do it all the time.
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Jan 28, 2015 21:47
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I like the fact that everyone here is a stickler for resetting the mic stand. I hate when I'm hosting and someone hands me the mic when they're done. Or when an "Urban Act" drops the mic. Reset the stage, you diva! Also, if you can't find space to slip "this is my last joke" into your set, you're probably not being conversational enough. freud mayweather fucked around with this message at 22:12 on Jan 28, 2015 |
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Jan 28, 2015 22:09
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freud mayweather posted:I like the fact that everyone here is a stickler for resetting the mic stand. I hate when I'm hosting and someone hands me the mic when they're done. Or when an "Urban Act" drops the mic. Reset the stage, you diva! I'll own up to handing the mic to the host most of the time. Mostly because I always feel like a goof putting it back on the stand. I always gently caress it up, because I lack coordination. As for the conversational enough comment, it is spot on for me. My last set on Monday was the first time I felt I had that vibe going. I'll get there eventually.
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Jan 28, 2015 22:36
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freud mayweather posted:I like the fact that everyone here is a stickler for resetting the mic stand. I hate when I'm hosting and someone hands me the mic when they're done. Or when an "Urban Act" drops the mic. Reset the stage, you diva! Most of the people I've seen hand the mic back have also had that look of panic in their eyes, so I've given them a pass. One dude at a mic the other day just set it on the stool and walked off. Wtf. We had a dude do a mic drop at the mic I used to help run and we told him we would ban him if he ever did it again because the venue was amazing and let us use their (high quality) equipment and that poo poo ain't cheap.
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Jan 28, 2015 23:05
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Always set the mic down on the ground and run off stage without looking at or shaking hands with the host. As soon as the host begins to speak run in front of the stage and yell that you went the wrong way. Remember that you're all comics, which means you are fun people who aren't uptight about things.
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Jan 28, 2015 23:45
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thunderspanks posted:CATMAN, remember to move the stand off to the side when you start. Unless your a handsfree mic talker, and there's nothing wrong with that. I talk with my hands quite a bit so sometimes it's nice to leave the mic in place for a more casual vibe. Otherwise though, move the stand or it becomes a barrier between you and the crowd. The MC handed me the mic as I walked on, so luckily I didn't even have to think about that. It went really well. We had about 50 people in the crowd, and although it was only my 2nd gig there were more experienced people who didn't get as many laughs as me, which felt good. I managed to remember 95% of my material, but thanks to thunderspanks I referred to the notepad I had in my back pocket and it was a smoother transition than umming and arring. Only had to do that once! One bit of my set got a great audience reaction and I had to wait for the hubbub to die down before continuing, which was nice. It's hard to remember what went well though, as I'm still concentrating on getting my material out rather than actually paying attention to the audience, which is a bad habit I know. Dirty Dicks is a great little venue and the people who run it are really supportive, I'll definitely be doing that again. You can choose to pay £5 and they will record your set on 2 HD cameras and email it to you a week later after it's been edited. I'm looking forward to but also dreading watching that video.
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Jan 29, 2015 10:45
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Catman Begins posted:The MC handed me the mic as I walked on, so luckily I didn't even have to think about that. I honestly enjoy listening to what I do afterwards as much as the performance. I love breaking down jokes and trying to figure out how they work. Look at it from that point of view. The best piece of advice I think I can give as a fellow newbie, is focus on correcting one thing at a time in regards to your performance.
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Jan 30, 2015 00:34
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So my girlfriend has wanted to try out standup for a while, and decided on a lark to do her first try at a Raw Comedy heat. She won that heat, and so is going from never having performed to next month having to get on stage in front of a couple hundred people at the state final. I love standup and try to go watch regularly but have never done any myself. Does anyone have recommendations on how to be the best supportive partner? Especially on how to deal with requests for feedback when she bounces ideas off me. I'm stuck with wanting to give constructive criticism when she asks for it, but at the same time not wanting to because beyond my own personal opinion of what's funny I don't have any experience on which to base feedback.
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Jan 31, 2015 04:51
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Senor Tron posted:So my girlfriend has wanted to try out standup for a while, and decided on a lark to do her first try at a Raw Comedy heat. Yeah just tell her that everything she does is funny and you'll be fine. If you have any ideas for additional jokes or punchlines, give them. Don't rewrite her punchlines or premises or anything - you're pretty much there to just be 100% positive. She can get constructive criticism from other comedians. She can get notes from them. You're there to be her biggest fan! Oh and if she bombs, tell her that she did awesome and find a way to make it sound convincing. Specificity helps - e.g., "That new joke about [whatever] was my favorite part."
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Feb 1, 2015 06:25
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A little late, but this is the first chance I got to sit down and watch these.buffto posted:All right, here we go, rip me apart. I've only shown these videos to friends of mine so far, so I'm lacking an objective point of view. I've had plenty of compliments after my sets at the bar, but that could just be people being polite. So let me know what you think. Both of these sets were just under 5 minutes. For the first video.. I like the idea of booing people their first time. You should've acknowledged that. White Martin Luther King day is a solid joke. The we're not gay bit was pretty good. I like the idea behind the depression diet bit, but I'm not sure it translated in the execution. For the second video.. I love the facebook kid dying joke. That is well-set up. I like the idea you were going for with being bad with women when they actually come onto you. That is an idea worth expanding on. You mumble a lot. If we can't hear the joke, we can't laugh. You spend a lot of time rocking back and forth. Own your space. Good job. Work on those sets if you can. Get them tighter. Be careful of doing new jokes each time, because it makes it harder to improve. CaptainHollywood posted:Well guys I did it. It went about as well I could have hoped. I like the premise of not thinking friends are fat anymore, making you fatter. I kind of wanted you to expand on that bit. One of the biggest things I struggle with is saying something in the least amount of words possible. Don't spend seven words when you can say it in three. Also, try not to spell out things for your audience. For the most part, they will follow along with you. You do this rocking, swaying thing on stage. Work on owning your space. When you move, move confidently. There was some solid stuff there. I think you sounded a bit nervous at times, but for the most part, there was a level of confidence to what you were doing. Good job. Also, were they giving away pot there? Because drat, I want to do open mics at that place!
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Feb 2, 2015 17:43
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I didn't think it was that bad)
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Thanks for the feedback. Yeah, I'm aware of the mumbling/talking too fast and it's something I'm working on. And I do need to recycle material and work on polishing it a bit. It just takes a bit of restraint because I have plenty of material, but I can only work 5 minutes at a time.
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Feb 3, 2015 02:59
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How much should someone rehearse before doing an open mic?
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Feb 3, 2015 03:07
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I just record myself until I feel like I am getting through the jokes from memory without bumbling. Then I tell the jokes aloud when I'm by myself. I also occasionally test material on friends.
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Feb 3, 2015 03:16
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RandomPauI posted:How much should someone rehearse before doing an open mic? you'll never know how much you should have practiced if you don't just get up there and do it!
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Feb 3, 2015 03:59
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My first comedy open mic proper will be tomorrow, then there's another next week before the big one on the 17th.
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Feb 3, 2015 04:33
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Sataere posted:Also, were they giving away pot there? Because drat, I want to do open mics at that place! Thanks for the feedback. The next time I'm going to shorten my set up a bit. I'll work on the rocking as well. And yes, they were giving away pot. It's a 'vapor' lounge where everyone brings their own stash and uses vaporizers/volcanoes. All completely illegal, but because it's Toronto and as long as there's no gang related violence outside- no one cares.
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Feb 3, 2015 06:23
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buffto posted:I just record myself until I feel like I am getting through the jokes from memory without bumbling. Then I tell the jokes aloud when I'm by myself. I also occasionally test material on friends. This is pretty much what I do. Honestly, I've found that no matter how many times I listen or say a joke, until I've done it on stage, it isn't the same. Of course, I'm still relatively new. CaptainHollywood posted:Thanks for the feedback. The next time I'm going to shorten my set up a bit. I'll work on the rocking as well. And yes, they were giving away pot. It's a 'vapor' lounge where everyone brings their own stash and uses vaporizers/volcanoes. All completely illegal, but because it's Toronto and as long as there's no gang related violence outside- no one cares. So it's an elaborate sting? They give you the free pot and then bust you for possession?
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Feb 4, 2015 17:17
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My first open mic went well. I wasn't able to record myself but everyone was warm and appreciative. My personal stories/confessions worked the best but then again that's all I did. I'd like to do something with the webcomic phenomenon of white people staring in quasi-racist stories about racism being bad but the only way to make that personal is to say how much that just...sort of, well, breaks my mind. Like the authors don't realize subtext exists.
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Feb 4, 2015 18:10
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RandomPauI posted:My first open mic went well. I wasn't able to record myself but everyone was warm and appreciative. My personal stories/confessions worked the best but then again that's all I did. I'd like to do something with the webcomic phenomenon of white people staring in quasi-racist stories about racism being bad but the only way to make that personal is to say how much that just...sort of, well, breaks my mind. Like the authors don't realize subtext exists. Just keep trying stuff out. Anything can be made funny with the right perspective. I personally just analyze the poo poo on ideas like that and go off on ADD tangents until I find some connection that makes me laugh. So I had an interesting weekend. I have been getting a lot of positive feedback from other comics and audience members lately, but I have a hard time taking it when I feel I've done terrible. Last week, I was feeling like I finally had my stage legs, this week it just wasn't there. It's very frustrating. I was in a comedy contest Saturday and a lot of people told me how much they enjoyed me, but I know it was one of my worst performances this past month. I hated myself enough that I went through every recording of my first set and just marked off jokes based on laughter. I can't wait to bring the new version out tomorrow. If the new jokes and editing hit, it should be a very tight set. I've decided I am definitely going to try to audition for that comedy festival, if I can produce a clip of myself that I feel is strong. So far, I hate every video (only two) I've seen of myself. Gonna try another one on Thursday.
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Feb 4, 2015 18:53
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All right, got myself signed up to perform another 5 minute routine on the 24th. Pretty psyched about it. For the third time in a row it's all new material, which is probably a mistake, but I really like what I have set up right now. I'd really like an opportunity to do a longer set, but I'm still super new. Crawl before walk and all that.
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Feb 5, 2015 05:00
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There's a local (to me, in Nashville) guy named Rik Roberts who teaches classes out of Zanies and he has a podcast I've been listening to a lot lately called School of Laughs. It's really just a podcast of nothing but practical advice for people who want to become comics, or become more bookable comics. It's got realistic advice but without a lot of the scare-tactic "you're entering into a death trap of failure and rejection" stuff. Not that I'm fully against that stuff, but at a certain point you've heard plenty of it and just want some more practical, even optimistic advice. It's a really simple podcast, not trying to be entertaining at all, but it's got a lot of great info. I listened to three episodes on the treadmill tonight and by the end I was already mentally reworking some jokes that I'm trying to get polished for a ten-minute set I have coming up that I plan to record as my video that I send out-of-town people for bookings. Any way, enough of my rambling, you should check out the podcast if all of that stuff sounds good: http://www.schooloflaughs.com/podcast-blog-2/
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Feb 5, 2015 05:37
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I wound up canceling my first am/pro thing at Flappers in Burbank. I couldn't get people interested in going and didn't feel like my material was solid enough. That frees me up for another open mic in Ventura though. Yay for silver linings!
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Feb 11, 2015 07:43
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RandomPauI posted:I wound up canceling my first am/pro thing at Flappers in Burbank. I couldn't get people interested in going and didn't feel like my material was solid enough. That frees me up for another open mic in Ventura though. Yay for silver linings! There's a really good show I used to do in Ventura at Hypno Comics. If you want, PM me your info and I can pass your clips along to the booker.
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Feb 11, 2015 17:48
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Asterios posted:There's a really good show I used to do in Ventura at Hypno Comics. If you want, PM me your info and I can pass your clips along to the booker. I don't have clips yet and probably won't for a while. I'd love to hear more about the show though.
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Feb 11, 2015 18:20
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