The Seven Comedy Principles (not to be confused with the seven deadly sins, though sometimes interchangeable) 1. Braggart Captain: Braggart Captain is your typical over exaggeration of a characteristic, an occupation or physical trait. If you have an accent, make it the most outrageous possible (think Monty Python). If you’re the president of a company, treat your position like you’re the emperor of the world. And if your leg is broken on stage, make the suffering so over the top that the audience can feel your pain. 2. Top Banana: Top Banana is the simple premise of one-up-man-ship. If I have a slingshot, you pull out a bow and arrow. Then I pull out a gun and you follow with a cannon. I must then reciprocate with a bomb and as a finale, you bring the wrath of God. 3. Shared Secret: Two words, Three’s Company. This sitcom built its entire series on this principle. Here’s how it worked. Jack Tripper was straight. We, the audience, knew it and so did everyone else except Mr. Roper and Mr. Furly, hence the shared secret. Just imagine the situations Jack Company could get into. 4. Uncontrollable Body: This is about as obvious as it sounds. To be funny, it doesn’t require that you have complete epileptic seizures. You can, but twitches, shakes and stutters are subtler and much funnier. 5. Parody/Satire: This principle basically allows you to make fun of other things. The basic rule of Parody and Satire is to choose your subject matter carefully. Nothing makes less sense than to parody obscurity. Historical events and pop culture are much better choices. Impressions fall under this category as well, but beware that you don’t let the character of your impression over run the scene. 6. Willing Slave: This comedy principle is the equivalent of having a little brother that you can boss around. With Willing Slave, one player (or more) must completely do the bidding of another player. The more outrageous the action the slave endures the better. 7. Denial of the Obvious: You’re in an airplane that’s crashing into the Himalayan mountains. All four engines are on fire and a terrorist has a gun to your head. You, however, would like a cocktail and headphones for the in-flight movie. Denying the obvious is not the same as denying your partner. With denial of the obvious, you are accepting your surroundings; they just don’t affect you in the normal way. Denial of your partner negates the forward action of a scene.
(not to be confused with the seven deadly sins, though sometimes
interchangeable)
1. Braggart Captain: Braggart Captain is your typical over
exaggeration of a characteristic, an occupation or physical trait.
If you have an accent, make it the most outrageous possible (think
Monty Python). If youre the president of a company, treat your
position like youre the emperor of the world. And if your leg is
broken on stage, make the suffering so over the top that the
audience can feel your pain. 2. Top Banana: Top Banana is the
simple premise of one-up-man-ship. If I have a slingshot, you pull
out a bow and arrow. Then I pull out a gun and you follow with a
cannon. I must then reciprocate with a bomb and as a finale, you
bring the wrath of God. 3. Shared Secret: Two words, Threes
Company. This sitcom built its entire series on this principle.
Heres how it worked. Jack Tripper was straight. We, the audience,
knew it and so did everyone else except Mr. Roper and Mr. Furly,
hence the shared secret. Just imagine the situations Jack Company
could get into. 4. Uncontrollable Body: This is about as obvious as
it sounds. To be funny, it doesnt require that you have complete
epileptic seizures. You can, but twitches, shakes and stutters are
subtler and much funnier.5. Parody/Satire: This principle basically
allows you to make fun of other things. The basic rule of Parody
and Satire is to choose your subject matter carefully. Nothing
makes less sense than to parody obscurity. Historical events and
pop culture are much better choices. Impressions fall under this
category as well, but beware that you dont let the character of
your impression over run the scene.6. Willing Slave: This comedy
principle is the equivalent of having a little brother that you can
boss around. With Willing Slave, one player (or more) must
completely do the bidding of another player. The more outrageous
the action the slave endures the better.7. Denial of the Obvious:
Youre in an airplane thats crashing into the Himalayan mountains.
All four engines are on fire and a terrorist has a gun to your
head. You, however, would like a cocktail and headphones for the
in-flight movie. Denying the obvious is not the same as denying
your partner. With denial of the obvious, you are accepting your
surroundings; they just dont affect you in the normal way. Denial
of your partner negates the forward action of a scene.
