Start looking for contrasts in your scenes
Sometimes all you need to do is play the opposite emotion that's expected for it to work
There are many ways to make a scene interesting and funny for an audience, and a straightforward one is to create a contrast or juxtaposition.
Contrasts are a basic way of creating comedic or dramatic effects in a scene or show. Whether it’s the actions that are different to what’s being said or choosing an emotion that doesn’t match the scenario we’re witnessing, they can be a way to go down a less travelled route.
The caveat to this is that most of the examples below need you to go a little deeper and explain why you’re acting that way, but it does allow you to stretch your imagination and explore new avenues.
Below are some quick examples of how you can do this.
Physical contrast
This is a pretty easy one to do. Doing an action while talking about something else is a quick and easy way to create an interesting stage picture. If you’re repairing a clock, you talk about your football match. If you’re fighting zombies, talk about what your dinner plans are.
It’s why the advice of ‘don’t talk about what you’re doing’ is oft repeated as we learn more about characters when they talk about something else.
The talking heads scene crops up in many improv scenes. Two people are standing or sitting, just talking. They’re the usual scenes beginners fall into as they’re looking for a foothold on the scene, and there’s already a lot going on in their heads. Eventually, you will want to develop this skill, as talking heads can quickly become boring.
Emotional contrast
This is a little more advanced, but having the opposite emotion to the expected norm is a good way to play with expectations. If you’re in a happy situation, like winning the lotto, why not be annoyed about it?
The key to this is explaining why that is the case. This can be done by using the same reason you’re happy as the reason you’re annoyed (Imagine the line ‘Now I can give up my job’ delivered happily, and then sadly to get the idea).
Social/professional contrasts
A father grounding their son/daughter is expected, but what if it’s the other way around? A normal scene would be a new employee trying to impress a boss, but what if you flip that?
Think about all the cliched dynamics you see in life and invert them. You’ll find some fun avenues to go down once you do this.
Contrasts can be a tricky one to implement when you’re not used to it, but dedicate some practice time to it and eventually you’ll find the potential for scene ideas expanding.
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