I took the Steve Martin Comedy Masterclass online course to improve my joke writing. I love writing jokes and telling them to my friends in everyday conversation.
I am looking for and experimenting with the best format(s) to express my jokes and bits. I have absolutely no ambition to work as a travelling stand up comedian, but I do love the structure of comedy and the real place for humour.
As I love to write jokes and funny lines, I enjoyed lessons 3 to 8 the most: gathering your material; finding your comedic voice; developing a comedic persona; jokes and bits; delivery; and crafting your act. I wish there were more lessons on these topics.
I studied this course by watching all of the videos in about a week so that I can see the whole picture while taking notes of the most important bits for me to apply. Then I went through the course again and applied it to the 10-15 minute act that I am writing now for a performance in August 2017. I am also applying it to the 1 hour stand-up act I am developing for fun.
What I liked best about the course was the genuine insights from Steve Martin who clearly knows what he is talking about.
What has meaning for me is that Steve Martin speaks from his direct experience and the course is not theoretical. As a result, he says things that are the opposite of advice you get in how to do comedy books, such as look directly at people in the audience. Yikes! That always flusters me when doing work presentations, especially when people look bored or unhappy – and maybe for their own personal reasons. So Steve says don’t look at the audience.
The course is video lecture-based followed by a written recap of the major points, reading suggestions and links on sub-topics and activities. The lecture are short, talking head videos; no more than 15 minutes. Each video lecture is on one topic with a few sub-topics. For each lecture, you watch the video, then read the recap, and complete the activities.
I really like how in this course is structured in a way that is like an online version of the face-to-face university courses I did as an undergraduate.
Some topics have videos of Steve working with 4 students on the concepts and practices mentioned in the earlier lecture videos. These workshop videos are like the seminars in face-to-face university teaching, except we watch them and then do the work ourselves at home on our own (or not.) A video lecture-based approach is certainly the trend right now in online education. It reflects how the population is consuming their information and media.
There is a general discussion board so that you can connect with other students and there are more specific discussion boards where you upload your completed activities to get peer feedback. As there are so many students enrolled in this course, there is no feedback from Steve Martin or a professional tutor. Maybe there is for a few selective students.
I am wary of posting my jokes in the discussion forums of this course as I do worry somewhat about joke theft – it does seem rife in the stand up world as great jokes are not easy to write.
What I don’t like is that there isn’t any professional feedback on the assignments that I complete and the short videos that I post in the assignment sections. I don’t think peer feedback is working in the Masterclass. There are too many people in the course and there are too many comments to read.
Top 10 Takeaways from the Steve Martin Comedy Masterclass:
- Figure out a way to let your individuality come out.
- There has to be as many variety of jokes as they are performers.
- Tell a joke that is funny and has another level of meaning.
- Think beyond punchlines. A little slight twist, unexpected thing, can just be a look, can be your own facial response to the line you just said.
- Use your old jokes (and ones that didn’t work, but you like) in new contexts.
- So much is wrapped up in delivery. Joke epigram changes when delivered by different comedians.
- Timing is knowing when to pause, when to talk, and when to do nothing to increase the laugh.
- Speak with your body. Express a thought or idea in the tiniest, smallest way.
- Think of your act as a unified whole, not from joke to joke or bit to bit.
- Give your act meaning. Audiences want it to be about something.
Key Questions:
- What does society need right now? What needs to be discussed?
- What is the state of the nation and what could I do that is slightly unique?
- What is my cultural perspective and how can I perfect it?
- When I tell a joke I am defining my taste, what is it?
- What comes out naturally in me on stage?
- What do I want the audiences response to be?
- What can I parody?
- What am I absolutely not?
- What are most comedians doing today?
Verdict:
I would recommend this course for anyone interested in stand up comedy. I have found the Steve Martin Comedy Masterclass online course to be very useful and good value for $90. It won’t turn you into a stand up comedian, but you will know something about it.
Overall, I am looking for the best format to express my humour and joke writing and I feel this course has taken me a step closer.