Brian Roberts

Comedy can be taught! That’s what BRIAN ROBERTS proved to us when he came to the Studio on February 1, 2012. This was a wonderful opportunity both for directors and for actors – more of a workshop, really, where Brian gave away all his comedy secrets. His famous Comedy Lexicon (included below). Plus a step-by-step break-down of a script, a step-by-step approach to setting up camera, demonstrations of blocking, and even a mock audition. It was invaluable - so informative - inspirational – and funny!

Brian has directed many episodes of EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND, THE DREW CAREY SHOW, MADtv, THE HUGHLEYS, SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH, KING OF QUEENS, and many, many more – and currently directs constantly in Canada and the US. He is a two-time Emmy winner and last year a Directors Guild of Canada winner, who started out as a writer and editor on THE SIMPSONS.

Brian took his first workshop with me in 1998, and is kind enough to credit my workshops and consultations with giving him tools and confidence for working with actors. Besides his full schedule of directing and writing, he teaches workshops in comedy and loves to get people turned on to their own comedic potential. He is a huge-spirited, very smart, funny, loving man.

THANK YOU, BRIAN!

I. IDENTIFY THE ELEMENTS
It is helpful when you are reading a script to identify what the purpose of each line of dialog is. With the exception of physical bits they all fall in three categories.
1. SET UP
the premise for a joke so that the punch line can land. Do not get in the way of the set up with additional words as this can ‘hurt the joke’. Set up can be called the ‘feed’
2. PUNCH LINE
The funny that follows the set up.
3. PIPE
Necessary exposition for the purpose of the story. ‘laying pipe’ can service to set up jokes and situations as well as propel the story forward.

III. RULE OF THREES
Look for lines of dialog with three elements. The first two are expected and the third delivers the surprise

IV. FUNNY WORDS
Words that have a k, c, t, p or hard consonant that sounds foreign to an audience should get a laugh

V. PHYSCIAL HUMOR
1. SIGHT GAG
a. seen
b. unseen
c. unexpected
2. STAGE BUSINESS
Can be as simple as ordinary (filing papers) or out of the ordinary (putting a book in the refrigerator)
3. PRATFALL/ENTRANCE/EXIT
Kramer and the art of the entrance. Identifying the character right off the bat.

VI. VERBAL JOKES
1. ALLITERATION – punchable “hot tub too”
2 PATTER AND PACING – punchable/accentuated
3. MISLEAD – usually part of a set up or rule of 3’s
4. CALLBACK – reference to an earlier joke – the Nakamura
5. ECHO - punchable
6. IRONY - understated
7. UNDERSTATEMENT - understated
8. BLOW – the big joke at the end of an act break or scene
9. BUTTON – similar to the blow, but can happen within a scene that has a few scenelets
10. TWIST – when you think that a sentence is leading somewhere and it doesn’t
11. ‘JOKE ON A JOKE’ OR TOPPER – an extended button or blow that has to top the blow.

VII. REACTION/CHARACTER BASED JOKES
1. DEADPAN
2. SLOW BURN - I didn’t read your book -
3. DOUBLE TAKE

VIII.PLAYING THE COMEDY IN MULTICAM
1. HONEST WITH THE CHARACTER
a. Playing the spine
b. Playing against the spine
2. HOLD FOR LAUGHS
3. MOVING ON A JOKE
a. The ‘give and go’
insults, quips, dropping unexpected information
b. holding for the reaction
4. THE TOUCH
a. Light touch
b. Punching or hitting it harder
c. Understated (duh)
d. Stating the obvious
e. Oblivious or unintended
5. THE RHYTHM
a. Patter
b. Pacing it up (shorter/faster/funnier)
c. Think Yiddish deliver British
6. TRYING TO BE FUNNY
a. Pushing
b. Don’t struggle to be the funniest
c. Discipline and playing your part of the ensemble
7. KEEPING IT FRESH
a. Stay in the moment and make it sound like the first time
b. ‘freezing’ a performance:
Identify your objective and intention (verb) and stay with it
8. TIPPING THE JOKE
a. Telegraphing
b. Laughing ahead of the joke
9. LISTENING
a. Cue biting
b. Reacting and staying in the moment
10. THE LINE READING
a. Result oriented and inorganic
b. Last resort
c. Idicating

IX. ANALYZE THE SCRIPT
1. Identify the elements.
2. Circle the jokes and decide what kind they are.
2. Make a choice on how you want to deliver the element: set up, punch line or pipe that is honest with your character, your objective and the intention within the scene as well as staying true to the type of joke it is.
SCRIPT EXAMPLE

X. AUDITIONING
1. Make a strong choice, but be ready to have a couple other choices handy.
2. You hold the power and solve our problem.
3. Never apologize before or after.
4. Don’t be bumped if you are asked to read another character.
5. What goes on in the room when you leave

XI. FOR DIRECTORS
1. Assisting the executive producer.
2. Being the messenger.
3. Hardest part is when your visions don’t match up – what to do.
4. Day players – asking a performer to completely change their spine