Hello again, Brenan's the ceo series started off as a character study in the straight man. And I think all of them have this kind of slow burn to insanity as the game. My question is when writing the straightman how do you gauge how to ratchet up those reactions to give you somewhere left to go afterward? And do you essentially write the straight man after your game to pace yourself?
Mine's in a similar vein so I'll piggyback on yours: When's the right time to make the straight man break? Or how do you know whether to make them break at all?
Hi Brennan, huge fan of your whole deal. For the CEO sketch series, how aligned do you see your character with the general audience? With the moviepass sketch for instance, the audience feels badly but doesn't necessarily relate to him on an intellectual level. Could the formula work with a ceo wholly hostile/oppositional to the audience?
Hi Brennan and Mike! Do you have any tips for finding the joy in your sketches and/or improv? I often have a game I find funny or a pattern I'm drawn to but have trouble staying with it and "just having fun", and instead get way too cerebral about the structure of the whole thing. Just putting in reps has helped me a lot, but are there any mental motions or framings you can recommend? Theres a particular dissatisfaction in not being able to have fun myself while trying to create comedy. Thanks for all your work, it brings me so much joy :)
I would love to have a list of some of the better implemented straight men in sketches - at least those that you two appreciate the most - and what makes them work / makes them needed in a sketch.
When writing a monologue, how do y’all feel about making the audience the straight man. The character responding to the viewer as though they have an issue with the “funny” thing. A quick example could be: a person who has dramatic external monologues when ever they write a sticky note, and responding to a fictional response that viewer had.
Second, I have to ask if the ceo sketches would be the opposite of this, where the ceo is the straight man responding to the game. Example: being fully aware that not only should the Tampax push-cicles not be flavored, but they are both the coldest thing he’s ever touched and fully poisonous
Hi Brennan, I was curious about how you develop and utilize a straight man (or any character really) in a short form sketch vs something longer like an NPC in a dnd campaign. Thanks, and I love your stuff!
Hi Brennan and Mike, there is a sketch from a while ago where Brennan mocks 3 others for not knowing what they want off of a Chinese menu. For those who may not recall the game builds with the mocking until finally the others acuiess to brennans reality and order without looking at the menu. My question is in this situation the other characters in this sketch act almost as 3 straight men who then break right, what do you call that breaking? And Brennans character acts almost as an anti straight man, when is this kind of character useful?
Hi Brennan and Mike! "The Problem with Jeggings" College Humor video series was one of the first I saw sketch wise from youtube back in 2012. I love that at the end its sort of a reversal of the straight man, with the teacher wearing the "Nirt". What are your thoughts on the dynamic of the straight man twist of sort of being the same/worse than the others the whole time? Is it as effective as there being another character who comes in and sort of relives the straight man (validates their exasperation) and then turns out to be wild in another flavor? Or is there value in the straight man staying grounded and true to self the whole time? I am personally a fan of some sort of twist of perspective, as I find it a great way for there to be a punchy conclusion, but would be interested in advice on how to otherwise heighten/explore a straight man character and find a conclusion without some sort of shift of fate. I have a lot of long-form improv under my belt and often find that searching for a satisfying ending on the spot is always the trickiest but one of the most impactful choices, as it is in sketches as well. So any discussion on character pathways for the straight man would be great.
A little deviation from that, I would love to have you guys discuss some of the differences that gender roles can play in the straight man character. In my long form performances, I actually often played the role of the straight man, but I find people have wildly different reactions to anytime a woman is played as the "sane" one or as if they're played as the "wacky" one. Clearly it should work just the same, as a character is a character, but I think stereotypes and gender experiences definitely can color what people see as "sane" vs "wacky".
Also, do you think there is interesting comedy fodder in the straight man being the one with the weird beliefs/hot takes and everyone around them having a more grounded point of view, since that is the opposite dynamic that often pushes the comedy through? Are we at a point that going back to the real situation, which the straight man set-up is mocking, can also be funny because it is refreshingly unexpected to have the straight man be unrelatable? Or does that completely destroy the point, and no humor arises anymore from that specific conflict and might have to be found in other places?
Any conversation about long-form straight man vs. sketch straight man would also be really fun to hear, so I would love thoughts on that as well. Or, as I also play DnD, any sort of straight man character analysis there and how it transfers over to sketch as well would be fascinating. I know to me DnD just is often just like REALLY long form improv with some stats and dice.
Love both of your work and hope there are some interesting talking points within here!
If you guys don't get to delve into the more complex topic of gendering/straight man/ audience perception, I would love to see that discussed with someone in the future. I used to co-teach a workshop called FemProv every year and actually have a lot of knowledge on the subject and would love to share in that realm (if you ever need someone!), but don't have as much knowledge on its application to the sketch world. I assume most issues/struggles are the same in both, and think it is really important to have a POV from those who work in writers rooms/act/ perform with women and how you see their ideas/choices handled/received/executed and how the results are received by an audience.
I'll often think of something that initially I think is pretty funny, I like the idea and decide to run with it. Upon sitting down to write the thing/pacing around trying to improv the idea out, it will often just fizzle out or I'll overthink it to the point where I no longer think it is funny.
Questions:
If this happens to you, do you still run with that initial idea that you found funny (and if so, ditch it for something else?
We can't always expect every sketch to be the greatest sketch of all time. How do you know when a sketch has reached a level of quality that is "good enough. Not amazing, but you won't be embarrassed releasing it into the world"?
Hi Brennan and Mike -- first time commenting here! How do you edit for the "truest" response from the straight man/person? Secondly, any advice on how to build at the right pace for the straight man to react to? Lastly, does the straight man always have to be in disagreement or fighting his surroundings? Thanks so much in advance!
The Straight Man is usually an obvious character in in comedy duos, but how do you identify them in comedy trios? Is Elmer Fudd the straight man around Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck? Does Elmer Fudd pass the mantle of straight man to Bugs Bunny when Bugs talks to Daffy? Are Elmer Fudd and Daffy Duck both straight men to Bugs' tomfoolery, but dealing with it in different ways?
Hi Brennan, what sketch of yours is your personal favorite? What sketch are you most proud of? Also, could you tell your mom she's the coolest person on earth?
Hey Mike and Brennan! Very excited for this discussion because I'm so fascinated with the concept of the straight man. I'd love to hear you guys talk about how to give a straight man character funny lines while still keeping them the straight man, and not just making the character someone who acts confused or annoyed while weird things happen to them.
Also, on the actor's side of things, I've learned in the past few years that it often takes more comedic skill to pull off a straight man role than the other roles, because I've found that line delivery often tends to be much more integral to the comedy of that character. This isn't really directly related to writing, but I'd be interested to hear your thoughts about that it comes up. Looking forward to it!
Hi! So excited for this conversation, between two huge inspirations for me. My question for Brennan would be, do you think your particular style of straight man is more nuanced/complex than typical portrayals, and if so, where does that come from? Notable examples I can think of are the CEO sketches, or the “eat that second deviled egg” Devil over Zac’s shoulder in Game Changer. I feel like both of these characters are really funny, and unique, but still feel like characters whose observations, not jokes/absurdity, are funny, and I wonder how Brennan approaches that.
Hey Mike, hey Brennan, good morning. I feel like in a lot of sketches I see, the straight-man is usually the part that drags or becomes predictable -- and that could also just be my own comedy brainrot or a problem with the individual sketches, but I was curious if you both have your own process or internal checklist for making sure your straight-man remains surprising and doesn't detract from heightening the scene.
If this question ends up being dumb this comment is also redeemable as a coupon to beat me up in the street if you see me. Thanks for your time.
Hello again, Brenan's the ceo series started off as a character study in the straight man. And I think all of them have this kind of slow burn to insanity as the game. My question is when writing the straightman how do you gauge how to ratchet up those reactions to give you somewhere left to go afterward? And do you essentially write the straight man after your game to pace yourself?
Mine's in a similar vein so I'll piggyback on yours: When's the right time to make the straight man break? Or how do you know whether to make them break at all?
Hi Brennan, huge fan of your whole deal. For the CEO sketch series, how aligned do you see your character with the general audience? With the moviepass sketch for instance, the audience feels badly but doesn't necessarily relate to him on an intellectual level. Could the formula work with a ceo wholly hostile/oppositional to the audience?
Hi Brennan and Mike! Do you have any tips for finding the joy in your sketches and/or improv? I often have a game I find funny or a pattern I'm drawn to but have trouble staying with it and "just having fun", and instead get way too cerebral about the structure of the whole thing. Just putting in reps has helped me a lot, but are there any mental motions or framings you can recommend? Theres a particular dissatisfaction in not being able to have fun myself while trying to create comedy. Thanks for all your work, it brings me so much joy :)
I would love to have a list of some of the better implemented straight men in sketches - at least those that you two appreciate the most - and what makes them work / makes them needed in a sketch.
Two questions.
When writing a monologue, how do y’all feel about making the audience the straight man. The character responding to the viewer as though they have an issue with the “funny” thing. A quick example could be: a person who has dramatic external monologues when ever they write a sticky note, and responding to a fictional response that viewer had.
Second, I have to ask if the ceo sketches would be the opposite of this, where the ceo is the straight man responding to the game. Example: being fully aware that not only should the Tampax push-cicles not be flavored, but they are both the coldest thing he’s ever touched and fully poisonous
Hi Brennan, I was curious about how you develop and utilize a straight man (or any character really) in a short form sketch vs something longer like an NPC in a dnd campaign. Thanks, and I love your stuff!
Hi Brennan and Mike, there is a sketch from a while ago where Brennan mocks 3 others for not knowing what they want off of a Chinese menu. For those who may not recall the game builds with the mocking until finally the others acuiess to brennans reality and order without looking at the menu. My question is in this situation the other characters in this sketch act almost as 3 straight men who then break right, what do you call that breaking? And Brennans character acts almost as an anti straight man, when is this kind of character useful?
Hi Brennan and Mike! "The Problem with Jeggings" College Humor video series was one of the first I saw sketch wise from youtube back in 2012. I love that at the end its sort of a reversal of the straight man, with the teacher wearing the "Nirt". What are your thoughts on the dynamic of the straight man twist of sort of being the same/worse than the others the whole time? Is it as effective as there being another character who comes in and sort of relives the straight man (validates their exasperation) and then turns out to be wild in another flavor? Or is there value in the straight man staying grounded and true to self the whole time? I am personally a fan of some sort of twist of perspective, as I find it a great way for there to be a punchy conclusion, but would be interested in advice on how to otherwise heighten/explore a straight man character and find a conclusion without some sort of shift of fate. I have a lot of long-form improv under my belt and often find that searching for a satisfying ending on the spot is always the trickiest but one of the most impactful choices, as it is in sketches as well. So any discussion on character pathways for the straight man would be great.
A little deviation from that, I would love to have you guys discuss some of the differences that gender roles can play in the straight man character. In my long form performances, I actually often played the role of the straight man, but I find people have wildly different reactions to anytime a woman is played as the "sane" one or as if they're played as the "wacky" one. Clearly it should work just the same, as a character is a character, but I think stereotypes and gender experiences definitely can color what people see as "sane" vs "wacky".
Also, do you think there is interesting comedy fodder in the straight man being the one with the weird beliefs/hot takes and everyone around them having a more grounded point of view, since that is the opposite dynamic that often pushes the comedy through? Are we at a point that going back to the real situation, which the straight man set-up is mocking, can also be funny because it is refreshingly unexpected to have the straight man be unrelatable? Or does that completely destroy the point, and no humor arises anymore from that specific conflict and might have to be found in other places?
Any conversation about long-form straight man vs. sketch straight man would also be really fun to hear, so I would love thoughts on that as well. Or, as I also play DnD, any sort of straight man character analysis there and how it transfers over to sketch as well would be fascinating. I know to me DnD just is often just like REALLY long form improv with some stats and dice.
Love both of your work and hope there are some interesting talking points within here!
If you guys don't get to delve into the more complex topic of gendering/straight man/ audience perception, I would love to see that discussed with someone in the future. I used to co-teach a workshop called FemProv every year and actually have a lot of knowledge on the subject and would love to share in that realm (if you ever need someone!), but don't have as much knowledge on its application to the sketch world. I assume most issues/struggles are the same in both, and think it is really important to have a POV from those who work in writers rooms/act/ perform with women and how you see their ideas/choices handled/received/executed and how the results are received by an audience.
I'll often think of something that initially I think is pretty funny, I like the idea and decide to run with it. Upon sitting down to write the thing/pacing around trying to improv the idea out, it will often just fizzle out or I'll overthink it to the point where I no longer think it is funny.
Questions:
If this happens to you, do you still run with that initial idea that you found funny (and if so, ditch it for something else?
We can't always expect every sketch to be the greatest sketch of all time. How do you know when a sketch has reached a level of quality that is "good enough. Not amazing, but you won't be embarrassed releasing it into the world"?
Many thanks!
Hoot growl!
Hi Brennan and Mike -- first time commenting here! How do you edit for the "truest" response from the straight man/person? Secondly, any advice on how to build at the right pace for the straight man to react to? Lastly, does the straight man always have to be in disagreement or fighting his surroundings? Thanks so much in advance!
The Straight Man is usually an obvious character in in comedy duos, but how do you identify them in comedy trios? Is Elmer Fudd the straight man around Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck? Does Elmer Fudd pass the mantle of straight man to Bugs Bunny when Bugs talks to Daffy? Are Elmer Fudd and Daffy Duck both straight men to Bugs' tomfoolery, but dealing with it in different ways?
Hi Brennan, what sketch of yours is your personal favorite? What sketch are you most proud of? Also, could you tell your mom she's the coolest person on earth?
Hi Brennan ! How the fuck are you so funny ? Also please have my children.
Hey Mike and Brennan! Very excited for this discussion because I'm so fascinated with the concept of the straight man. I'd love to hear you guys talk about how to give a straight man character funny lines while still keeping them the straight man, and not just making the character someone who acts confused or annoyed while weird things happen to them.
Also, on the actor's side of things, I've learned in the past few years that it often takes more comedic skill to pull off a straight man role than the other roles, because I've found that line delivery often tends to be much more integral to the comedy of that character. This isn't really directly related to writing, but I'd be interested to hear your thoughts about that it comes up. Looking forward to it!
Hi! So excited for this conversation, between two huge inspirations for me. My question for Brennan would be, do you think your particular style of straight man is more nuanced/complex than typical portrayals, and if so, where does that come from? Notable examples I can think of are the CEO sketches, or the “eat that second deviled egg” Devil over Zac’s shoulder in Game Changer. I feel like both of these characters are really funny, and unique, but still feel like characters whose observations, not jokes/absurdity, are funny, and I wonder how Brennan approaches that.
Hey Mike, hey Brennan, good morning. I feel like in a lot of sketches I see, the straight-man is usually the part that drags or becomes predictable -- and that could also just be my own comedy brainrot or a problem with the individual sketches, but I was curious if you both have your own process or internal checklist for making sure your straight-man remains surprising and doesn't detract from heightening the scene.
If this question ends up being dumb this comment is also redeemable as a coupon to beat me up in the street if you see me. Thanks for your time.