|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
|
Product Description
Product Description
A guy walks into a bar . . . With this guide, aspiring comics will learn to navigate the complex world of comedy writing. Aspiring comics discover how to tap into their natural sense of humor through real-life examples and hands-on skill-building exercises. They?ll learn the best ways to come up with ideas and write comedy that gets laughs?every time! Mike Bent, an accomplished stand-up comedian and teacher, provides readers with the inside scoop on techniques to jump-start their comedy writing careers, including how to:
- Develop comic characters for sketches and scenes
- Create and polish a standup routine
- Write for TV and movies
- Use the web to advance comedy careers
About the Author
Mike Bent (Belmont, MA) started performing stand-up comedy when he was sixteen at the famous Ding Ho comedy club in Cambridge, MA. He has performed at comedy clubs and colleges throughout the U.S. as well as the White House and the Montreal Comedy Festival. His television appearances include spots on NBC, ABC, CBS, HBO, Showtime, Comedy Central, and A&E. He teaches courses in writing sketch and stand-up comedy at Boston?s Emerson College, and is a comedy consultant for Warner Brothers.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
There are no customer reviews yet on Amazon.ca
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.2 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A very helpful guide to comedy and other writing and self-promotion, Oct 13 2009
By Jerry Saperstein - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Everything Guide to Comedy Writing: From stand-up to sketch - all you need to succeed in the world of comedy (Paperback)
I spotted this book somewhere and figured "why not"?I was skeptical that comedy writing could be taught through a book.
I was wrong. Mike Bent does an excellent job of it.
Bent says he started performing at a comedy club when he was 16. He now teaches courses in "writing sketch and standup comedy" at Boston's Emerson College. His website suggests that he specializes these days in comedy and magic for children.
His book is surprisingly helpful, progressing in a step-by-step fashion from a cursory discussion of what is "comedy" to detailed instructions on the value of keeping notebooks, setting up the audience for a punch line, the use of surprise, the magic number (there is one, really, according to Bent and his argument is convincing) and onward. He examines the use of lists and questions. He poses an interesting point - what can't you begin with the words "what if"? A number of chapters are devoted to the various forms of comedy: stand-up (performing and writing for others), parody and satire, sitcoms and movies. Bent then covers comedy venues. This becomes a lead in to, in my opinion, one of the most interesting chapters in the book: using YouTube and other online resources as a comedy performance venue.
Like everyone else in the world, I've watched funny bits on YouTube. What didn't fully hit me was just how massive YouTube exposure could be: a fellow named Judson Laipply's "Evolution of Dance" routine has been viewed more than 100 million times. That is incredible. Apparently this success has helped drive Laipply's motivational speaking business. Bent does an excellent job of explaining how to use YouTube, MySpace and other sites for exposure.
The one aspect of the book I could have done without were the interviews with comedians in almost every chapter. In my opinion, they added little to the content of the book. Perhaps - and it is pure speculation on my part - Bent didn't think his own writing could carry the load. He was wrong on that, if that's what he thought: Mike Bent has turned in a very well done on the basics of writing and performing comedy. I don't anticipate becoming a comedy performer in my old age, but consider the book to be worthwhile for its insights into comedy writing. It is really solid in that regard - and the chapter on YouTube is an eye-opener for anyone seeking to promote themselves.
Overall, for aspiring comedians and anyone who has to face the public, a fine book.
Jerry
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best guide to comedy writing yet., Sep 8 2009
By Willard P. - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Everything Guide to Comedy Writing: From stand-up to sketch - all you need to succeed in the world of comedy (Paperback)
During my career as a professional magician, I spent a lot of time performing and writing comedy magic. When I first started, I had barely any idea of how to do it. If you are a magician and you are in that position, or if you are a comedy magician who doesn't get enough laughter, you really need this book. It covers standup comedy, sketch comedy, and all other types of comedy as well.My experience has been that most comedy magic is a combination of sketch and standup comedy, in which the magician is only one character and his audience volunteers are the other.
Some magicians hate written scripts. They think it is too limiting and/or restricting. Mike tells you how to get around that.
I'd give it 10 stars if there were that many available.
Bill Palmer
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good for observational comedy, Dec 31 2010
By Sally Holloway, Author: Joke Writing (Serious... - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Everything Guide to Comedy Writing: From stand-up to sketch - all you need to succeed in the world of comedy (Paperback)
I think if you want to write observational stand-up comedy this book is not a bad way to start. It has lists of things for you to write in your note book when you are say, in a waiting room (which is the example he uses), lots of questions for you to ask about any situation, and lists of things for you to contrast. It doesn't tell you how to write jokes, (the author doesn't believe you can teach people to be funny) but it does try and guide you in how to look at things differently. Hence the observational nature of the material you might produce. I think it might have started out as a book about stand-up rather than writing comedy because there chapters on becoming a stand-up and even on dealing with hecklers, and interviews with stand-ups in every chapter, yet only one chapter on writing sit-coms and one on movies - that both bizarrely include interviews with stand-ups with nothing to do with the rest of the chapter. It is a tad general but like I said, if you want to write observational comedy it has an interesting approach.
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Entertainment > Humour > Comedy
- Books > Reference > Writing > Writing Skills
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
