If you intend to learn standup comedy, you should pay particular attention to punchline mechanics. A punchline is considered as the soul of standup comedy. Comedians could not possibly make people laugh on jokes and antics without using punchlines. Thus, a punchline is a must. Learn to formulate it and to deliver it well.
Here are several things you should know first and foremost about punchlines, especially in any standup comedy act. It would help you a lot if you would know these insights by heart.
First, spoken punchlines should be less than about nine words. The shorter a punchline is, the better it gets. Avoid very long punchlines as the audience surely would not notice and get them. A punchline could make or break a joke or an antic. Strive harder to make it as catchy and as funny as it could be.
Effective punchlines are often placed strategically at the end of sentences. As you write your standup comedy material, remember to put the punchline of a joke at the end or near the end of a sentence or paragraph. You should not put it at the beginning. To illustrate, take this example:
A catechist asked his 6-year old pupils why people make it a point to stay quiet while in the church. He almost fell from his seat when a little boy candidly answered, “Because in the church, people are sleeping.” Take note of the punchline in this case. It is “people are sleeping.” Note that the literal meaning of that punchline has not been clearly revealed until the last word, which is sleeping.
Then, remember that punchlines should also contain a keyword or a keyword phrase, which must be located at the end or near the end of the sentence or paragraph. In the example given above, the keyword is ‘sleeping.’ People are not supposed to sleep at the church; instead they should be wide awake praying and listening to sermons of priests.
There are standup comedy tips you should know about as your learn standup comedy. Take note of the words or ideas you tell people that make them laugh. You could understand a punchline secret from doing so. Try to incorporate your observations into your standup comedy act.
Assess the punchline on your own. Take note of its keyword placement. You should edit and make necessary adjustments. If you do so, you may soon find out that you are turning any so-so punchline into a highly effective one.
Of course, there could be exceptions. Not all punchlines contain keywords or key phrases that are found at the end of lines. Some jokes and antics are not spoken at all. In such cases, punchlines could be considered as verbal. It may be harder to present such acts.
Learn standup comedy so you could excel in your endeavor. If you think you have the natural gift of humor, you may use it to make other people laugh. At the same time, you could earn a significant amount of money. Not all people are as gifted as you are. Use this fact to your advantage.
In the years of its existence, the comedy industry has shown a lot of development and innovations. This is why at present it has enjoyed numerous advancements in terms of people who enter the business as well as individuals who treat the trade as a major past time. From stand-up comedy to situational comedy, the world can’t get enough of the laughs brought by both budding and veteran comedians. Let’s chill out and explore the various genres that have elevated comedy to its worldwide status today.
Comedy is said to be categorized into various genres that are usually derived from the method of delivery, the context in which it is delivered, and the source of humor. Since the comedic field has become so much flexible and dynamic in recent years, these divisions can be used in overlapping fashion as talents are provided with the opportunity to base their acts on varying and numerous genres. One good example is the compensatory practice of utilizing observational comedy, black comedy, or blue comedy in order to lessen the offensiveness and morbidity of the joke. Deadpan comics accomplish this by exhibiting an exaggerated lack of emotion.
Black comedy is made present in events and topics that are commonly treated as taboo wherein performance entails a humorous or satirical manner in order to project the seriousness of the act. Performers tap on this comedic genre in order to allow for exploration of significant issues resulting into mixed amusement and serious thoughts from spectators. The usual themes are murder, drug abuse, war, terminal illness, insanity, rape, disability, crime, and chauvinism.
Let’s bring another color in the genre list with blue comedy which ventures into topics of profane, indecent, and obscene nature. Audiences that dare to partake in such events are commonly exposed to and at times offended and shocked by the normal cursing and sexual imagery that accompany it. This comic classification was tagged as blue due to the blue colored notebook that comedian Max Miller used to record all of his adult jokes. People in the comedy industry coined the performance of this kind of material as working blue.
Moving on, character comedy is a method used by comedians in order to present a character of their own creation. There have been a lot of comical personalities that have received huge amounts of success for tapping the principles of character comedy. Jim Carrey has been embraced by fans worldwide due to his hyper-animated antics. Rowan Atkinson has become a household name in his role as Mr. Bean. Tim Allen and Stephen Colbert have gained full strides in their professional career as evidenced by the success of Home Improvement and The Colbert Report.
Comedy can be jacked up using various forms of objects. The genre responsible for showcasing conventional stuffs in order to come with humorous acts is called prop comedy. Prop which is an abbreviation of property refers to any object that is utilized during the performance. Prop comedy reached the pinnacle of success during the vaudeville era wherein Olsen and Johnson run wild across Broadway with Hellzapoppin.
Comedy can be used in so many ways. A simple stand-up act can make the day of an ailing heart or a disturbed thought. Despite its long list of genres and classifications, it is not hard to learn as long as you possess the right outlook and attitude.
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