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Post by stephbell8 on Aug 16, 2007 10:27:50 GMT -5
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Post by peter on Aug 16, 2007 17:20:05 GMT -5
It could be worse I suppose and actually there are a few interesting parts to it. However, I definitely have a few issues with it.
First off I think this is a great quote:
"Do as much as you possibly can and don't worry about getting paid for it," Carell advised those looking to get into comedy. "Don't be precious about looking for the big break, or that special moment. Just do it; just do it as much as you can. ... "Start with your family; embarrass them in public. That's what I always used to do."
It mirrors dome of the advice I've gotten from the improvisers I enjoy watching the most. The idea of improvising for the enjoyment you get out of it and not worrying about trying to be the next SNL star, or the next Will Ferrell (sure if it happens great, but if that's the only reason you're in it... there are easier ways to fame and fortune). It's also one of the reasons I enjoy the jams we've been getting together so much (and wish there were more things like that in th city) - the more opportunities we give ourselves to play and practice - the better we become. Also I love playing with new people (especially when you're with people who might be improvising for the 1st or 2nd time and then right alongside are some who've been doing it for years). Also it brings to my mind the idea passed on to me by other improvisers that sometimes you have to make your own opportunities to improvise (be it forming a practice group in between classes to hone your skills, setting up a jam, forming your own troupe, or whatever - sometimes the only chances are the ones you make).
Seth Rogen remembered of Apatow's 2005 flick, "The 40-Year-Old-Virgin." "A lot of the stuff was just us talking to each other and trying to make each other laugh, knowing that we had the freedom to say whatever we wanted..."
Also this quote I really enjoy - because it's this kind of mentality that I find in some of the best improv groups out there. Not necessarily the idea of simply trying to make the other group members laugh (though that's always fun), but the idea of playing for and to each other. The troupes/teams/whatever that I most enjoy watching are the ones that are really having fun on stage, because they have this mentality that they aren't just focused on the audience reaction, but instead care more about playing with each other and for each other.
Now there is another tidbit or two of gold scattered in this thing (like this quote: Mike Myers offered a similar definition: "What you can't fix, you feature, and mistakes are great happy accidents. That's the essence of improv..."), but for the most part it's disappointing (admittedly it's trying to drum up interest for SuperBad & Balls of Fury and does that admirably, but a lot of the ideas put forth about improv make me sigh)
Quotes like this: And who's the best at it? We asked the world's funniest peopleā¦. and this: But in this new heyday of unscripted laughs, who, exactly, is the quickest comedian in the game?
Hammer home so many of the wrong messages for improvisation in general that I don't even want to get started on it.
Overall the article seems to try and come across as a catch-all about improvisation - talking with so many different comedians, from different theaters & different films - they even bill the article as "exploring the evolution of this funny format." But with every other word being funny this, comedy that (heck just look at all the video descriptions....then actually watch them - sigh) - and the who's the best mentality. It falls rather short in my opinion. It's basically a completely masturbatory smoke and mirror act by the writer trying to sell the upcoming movies to people by making improv "magic" & "mysterious" and "quick-witted" & "hilarious" - all the while the very people being interviewed undercut that idea:
"There's not a magic formula. It depends on the talent of the people involved."
In the end though - I'm always thrilled to see other improvisers getting good press - just wish the article would listen more to what they said instead of forcing it's own agenda.
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Post by stephbell8 on Aug 22, 2007 18:48:32 GMT -5
Is masturbatory a real word? I was going to look it up but after reading the novel of "Thoughts by Pete" I'm feeling a little tired and lazy. Just kidding Peter! I appreciate you taking the time to not only read the article but to share your own opinion!! Very cool. I know my boyfriend sent me this article as a way to show how supportive he is about me doing Improv - but it's sounds so commercialized. Are people in Hollywood really that supportive of each other or are they saying "he is only famous because of such and such not because he's talented." I wouldn't think people would genuinely be supportive of each other because in the end.. they are all competing for the same parts right? Agree... disagree???
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