Amanda Blake Davis knows funny.
Since her arrival in Chicago in 1998, she’s performed with Second City’s National Touring Company, the Virgin Daiquiri team at iO and in five reviews on the Second City e.t.c. stage. She also picked up her first Joseph Jefferson Award—the equivalent of an Oscar in the Chicago theater community—last week for her role in “Studs Terkel’s Not Working” at e.t.c.
Who better to advise contestants in Metromix’s “So you think you can funny?” sketch-comedy video contest?
Can people be funny in two minutes or less?
That’s the question with these viral videos—especially with Second City people who do a lot of behavioral or social commentary. How do you make that funny in such a short of time? We have what we call blackouts, which are one-hit jokes that you do during a show. That’s what these videos end up being. You’ve got to hit it with one punch and get out. People can’t sit still when they’re watching viral videos.
Should people try and squeeze in multiple jokes or build up to one big joke?
Obviously, the more jokes you have in it, the funnier it’ll be. That’s the goal. A place to start is have the joke of your scene be something you can hit over and over again and [have it] sustain itself.
How much time should someone spend setting up their big joke?
If you’re going to do a reveal, and that’s the whole thing, you could spend the entire two minutes setting it up so you’re pulling the rug out in the last two seconds. I think you want people to be on board right away, so within the first three lines you should establish the game of the scene so you can explore and heighten everything else you do within the scene.
What are some cliches people should steer clear of?
We can talk all day about what should or shouldn’t be done. But you laugh when you see it, isn’t that the point? We shouldn’t be so snobby that we think, “That’s been done before.” I can still laugh at “America’s Funniest Home Videos” when people get hit in the balls. I don’t know if that’s sad or what. I think the goal is to have a behavior that’s recognizable to people that’s based in reality, and then somehow surprise people.
Should the video have a beginning, middle and end?
If you’re doing it too formulaically, it’s going to seem forced and tired. If you’re honestly telling a story, if you’re trying to get something across, I think there’s a natural beginning, middle and end to it.
Matt McGuire is the Metromix editor.
