Can’t tell you how excited I was to have a conversation with Brett Gelman this day. Oh, It’s always great to talk with Chris Gore as well. You may know Brett and that-guy-from-that-thing. Those “things” include Love, Camping, Stranger Things, Twin Peaks. Chris and I spoke to Brett about his role in Room for Rent, an indie comedy I saw at the 2017 San Diego International Film Festival.
We talked about social outrage, Brett’s comedy career, and Room for Rent. I also asked him about his time at UCB (Upright Citizens Brigade) and he gave some advice for people in the UCB system.
While you at it, can you take a moment and subscribe to the Film Threat Podcast and YouTube Channel. Your support helps me put an end to my Uber career.
Thanks to my friend, Gordon Fitzgerald, I have new headshots for the lobby and website of the National Comedy Theatre in San Diego. Love the update, but I have really small eyes.
As you know, I’m currently producing a sketch comedy show for local television called The Real Rejects of Orange County. Here’s a valuable lesson I learned about the editing process. If you want to have your video edited cheap, do it yourself. If you want to have it done fast, pay someone to do it.
I’m currently in the process of learning Premiere Pro. I’ve dabbled with it for a few year, but this is the first time I am learning it with the intent of producing something professional. Editing requires patience, endurance and the ability to fight the urge to end a project before it is done, only because you’ve seen the same thing a hundred time.
As noted in the last post, I’m producing a comedy sketch show. My writing partner and I are looking for someone who wants to sharpen his/her (preferably her) comedy writing skills and experience the fun of collaborative comedy writing.
Unfortunately I have no budget for this show. We’re shooting this like independent filmmakers. While there is no pay, writers will get valuable experience, see something you wrote produced and possible IMDB credits.
I’m looking for someone who lives in the OC, can attend weekly writers meetings and devote a few hours each week to write. There’s also potential to be on camera as well. Here’s the formal job listing:
SKETCH COMEDY WRITER NEEDED!
Comedy writers needed for a new low budget Orange County-based sketch comedy television show. There is no pay. It is a great opportunity for a budding candidate to gain writing experience in a collaborative writing environment. Candidates must be available to attend weekly writers meeting for the next 8 weeks in Orange County and devote a few hours writing outside of the meeting.
The show is a 30-minute sketch comedy show broadcasting throughout Southern California. It is also low budget and shot using guerilla filmmaking techniques. Writers from all backgrounds welcome to apply. We are looking especially for female writers and writers who speak both English and Spanish. To apply, follow the link below and complete the form. Then send your resume and script samples or links to comedy videos you wrote.
In 2015, I was privileged to act as producer for a staged game show called “The Best 3 Questions Ever.” The idea came from my producing partner, Loren Kling. The premise is can you create a game show based on the popular card game, “Cards Against Humanity.” Not having the rights to the game and thinking that no upcoming celebrity will play the game, the idea evolved into this fun game.
The concept is simple. Can three comedians figure out how a complete stranger will answer the 3 Best Questions Ever?
The game show is played on the lived stage. We performed at The Virgil in Los Angeles, Stages in Fullerton and the fanaticSalon in Culver City.
Before the show, we selected two audience members and I asked them to answer 10 simple questions, like “what did your mother do for a living?”
At the start of the show Loren and I would banter a little and then we introduce our three comedians. Next the first audience volunteer enters and Loren interviews them for about 5 minutes. After the interview, we ask the comedians and the audience to secretly write down on a piece of paper what they think the volunteer’s answer is. As an added bonus, we asked the audience to tweet us what they think the answer is and I included it in the responses.
While I’m preparing the responses, Loren asks our comedians how they would answer the question. Then I reveal the answers on a whiteboard and the comedians and audiences guesses the right answer. if any of the comedians get it right, they get a 5-second plug. We repeat the game for the next guest.
The game appeared to be successful for our actual audiences. Our main problem was finding an audience. We had some fantastic venues that allowed us to test the show, but it just never took off. For Loren and I, it was our first shot at producing the show and we took the knowledge from this experience and applying it to our new podcast, The Five Most Important Things.
I saw this piece on SNL last week with guest host, Elizabeth Banks. Kyle Mooney is brilliant as Brace Chandling, aspiring comedian. What makes this piece brilliant is the performance. Mooney’s character goes through some drastic emotional changes throughout the desk piece and Mooney pulls it off brilliantly.
It does what I say great comedian must accomplish. Pull the audience in emotionally and screw with them. Then finally give them a clever ending. Watch this now and let me know if you agree.
Without repeating myself, I’m working at becoming a writer. At my age, the road is not going to be easy, nor fast. I was told in order to write one good script, you have to write 100 bad ones.
The 100 Script Challenge is to write 100 bad scripts. I have ideas and now I just need to get it in script form. Here’s the first entry. I actually wrote this a year ago, but I’m calling attention to it now.
Sports Rituals is an exercise in comedic escalation. A young couple attends a football party and are caught up in the strange and somewhat erotic rituals involved in rooting for one’s favorite team. Things are great until the new couple costs the home team a victory.
Managing Editor of Film Threat. Writer, Professional Comedian and Producer
