Improv comedy will change the world | Jennifer Hunter | TEDxLSSU
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- Опубликовано: 29 мар 2015
- Jennifer Hunter, a faculty member of Lake Superior State University, explores how we can use improvisational comedy everyday to achieve a greater sense of self.
Jenn Hunter is a director, teacher, actor and improviser from Portland, Oregon. She is currently teaching and directing at Lake Superior State University.
She graduated with an MFA in Directing from University of Portland. Jenn has a degree in Fine Arts, a Masters in Education and has studied the Meisner Approach to Acting at The Neighborhood Playhouse in New York. Her performance credits include ComedySportz, Curious Productions, Brody Theater, and Anonymous Theater, and she was a proud company member of Theater Vertigo before her move to Michigan.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx
1:57 1) Make a connection
3:00 2) Listen
4:18 3) say, "yes, and.."
ago
5:52 4) Be flexible
6:34 5) Be in the moment
7:04 6) There are no bad ideas
7:06 7) Avoid preconceived ideas
7:11 8) respect the other choices
7:43 9) Listen to your inner voice follow your intuition
8:45 10) Respect others' choice
8:46 11) Follow your intuition
Thank you, you gave me the answers for my drama class
@@mrnightfury1786same
@@angins_HEYYYYY Baba grill
@@oml.khiii
I immediately thought that of course the guy who surfed was playing wii. Then her calling for him from the kitchen made totally sense... But then Jennifer said that they didn't cooperate.
probably because this improv presentation was not improved. if it were, she wouldn't have had a point to make....
Jennifer also said, "stay flexible." The beauty of improv is that a scene can go in ANY direction. So while individually each person is going in their own direction, the improvisors get to take us somewhere we didn't (or did) think we'd end up... and we all get there together!
Nilamalin91 I thought the same. I feel we more followed stay flexible: he could have responded right away that he’d put down his game and given the plot a different twist.
I just love you. You are in my head!
Well, yes, all of you have very important points to make. But I didn't see a single person comment about the fact that she isn't really talking about improv at all. She is talking about applying improv skills / premises to real life.
Kristina Speakes Exactly. she wasn't wven talking about comedy anymore but she switched it to applying improv skills to help you in your daily lives. This video is more informative than is supposed to induce laughter or cause euphoria.
@@jamilove4138 Agreed to both.
I did improv for 6 terms and I learned all of this lessons that she talked about
1)make a connection
2)listen
3)say, "yes, and.."
4)
5)
4) be flexible
5) respect others' choice
6) follow your intuition
Lol?
I thought it was 4) Be in the moment and be flexible 5) Respond positively and respect others' choices and 6) Listen to your inner voice and follow your intuition
Jonathan Kaczor 4)Fuck it
5)Do it yourself
6) You're made for greatness.
GaganDev J
Way to improvise
She is my theater arts teacher and she never talks about doing a Ted talk and now I can see why...
Perfect
Lmao yes. I'm sorry but this was all super cringey.
lol 😂😂😂😂😂😂
oof
so they are just handing out ted talks now?
A good lesson on communication skills in general and relating to people throughout life.
Wow she’s very good at making improv a life lesson
She improvised this based off what the other people improvised
In the case of the split scene, I would of totally just rolled with the mistake by hopping off my surfboard & stating "man, that surfing simulation video game's graphics are so good, I thought it was real!" I've had accidents like this when roleplaying so I'm use to covering up accidents. When you make enough of them, it's easier to learn how to adjust.
This was GREAT!!! I watched it over and over again!!! "Thank YOU!"
4:40, the example of what Jennifer said was not funny was the only part I found funny in this
Joseph Stevens exactly my reaction ahah
Can't wait to try this. Not only because it looks fun.. but it can have an impact in real life too I imagine.
This TED talk reminds me of the SNL sketch..
We love how Improv can actually improve your life. Great talk!!
Fantastic!!!
Holy Cow... It has be "6" Years since I saw this video last...
Great as always...
“At the beginning of this talk I said ‘hi I’m Jen and I’m an improviser’”
*um... no you didn’t*
@@bigduckhaver8248 if it wasn't edited after the claps then that would be hilarious
Amazing!
Thank you!
This was very helpful!
This is a "perfect world" view of improv. With the improv I've seen and/or heard (i.e Comedy Bang Bang, Whose Line, Assssscats, Spontaneanation) at least, they seem to throw each other under a bus a lot and see if the other one can come up with something funny, clever, what have you. And maybe this form of "test improv" isn't for beginners, but it sure gets laughs. And I believe that people who do this kind of improv look younger longer.
BNL07604: Exactly. How do some people think creatives improve? If you can't find a funny and creative way to escape the bus you've just been thrown under, then you're not good enough to do it at a professional level. It's as simple as that. This is like children's improv for newbies. Even the presentation style looks like a school theatre lesson.
The first example (unconnected actors) is used in a game I play at a drama group called 'Duel Realities'
Can you explain how the game works? Are there rules?
Nice work Jenn Hunter!
I think that I'm somehow less funny than before
Yes and your face also looks kinda less funny
Harsh Gupta agreed
Thicc
i wasn't even funny to loose any,looks like this took that 0 and bought it down to -100or-1000
I had her as a teacher. The theater teacher before her was miles better.
Great video!!
Well done.
6:49 i love how the Eve picking apples joke went way over her head
8:23 Stuart Smalley reference?
Awesome!
I remember watching this a long time ago and found it very helpful. Watching it again and it’s great.
I feel like the negative comments must be personal haters like the one who said she was her student lol and other people who just tend to default to agree with popular opinion.
Amazing talk 👊🏼👊🏼👊🏼
That blue shirt is louder than Wendy Williams YAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSS!!!!!
"Would you like to eat something else?"
"I can't, I'm on di... *oh damn, I gotta agree to let vitality of life flow* nevermind, I take that cake!"
it's like watching white guys doing hip hop
Ido Wald the video is a more educational tone but I know what you mean. Educational concepts are fun in real life but boring on paper.
You literally just won this thread.
Word
I connected with this spirtually
Darn it, Cody. Why did you have to say no? You could have had an awesome dragon slaying scene. I love that he was bringing his magical elf in the second improv scene! Great tips for doing an improv scene!
The Rejection in 4:32 was actually funny; his body language wasn't. Listen to the audio alone.
But it ruined the scene
It's not just about "being funny"
If one person "ruins" the scene, then the other could go along with them to save it
The scene doesnt just end if he says no. The scene continues with him like trying to find the keys for the castle before he leaves and having the other guy who didnt want to go help him and then that springs a new idea and so on
Blake Anderson .. the other person could say anything.
Such as:
"Than, I will slay you."
"If you did not come with me, I will return without you"
...
Just anything
my intuition Isn´t working!!!
can you Fix it??
See That??
I Improvised!!
"Improvisation will change the world. Now here's what you should say"
Why aren't there subtitles on a TED video????
It's a channel for learning, and subtitles improve learning by 17%
Also, those who are death probably like to learn too.
Damn!!! This talk got me fired up. I've always been told that I am funny and should be a comedian. But I generally ignore shit like that because it seems like people say that to be nice. But it sounds like it would be fun to at least try. And I still have some time to try out new things. Might be fun! XD
It will, everyone will die of cringe and those few that survive will create cringe lords who will rule the world.
Anybody want to do this with me?
Some good concepts
If the world was full of people that said yes, just go around asking people for money
where do people dress like this ?
Lol true it's like an 8 yrs olds" Sunday best"
She's so positive, I love her.
She's my theatre teacher...
You can tell the instructor has a strong background in public speaking
She looks like Funny Valentine from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Nothing says embracing the essence of improv like a bored hyper-corporate audience, totally scripted presentation, and calling character choices wrong. Part of the "Yes and..." mentality is that everything can be worked with. Not that a yes is always the best option, but to run with the punches and the unexpected. While you shouldn't make a trend of it, rejection isn't an objective no-no in a scene. Maybe the other person sees something you don't? You can never know. That's what makes the "yes and..." mindset unpredictable. And work in the first place. Also, it doesn't just apply to questions in the scene. It would have been wrong if the person had rejected the concept of there being a dragon in the first place. But just rejecting the question as the character you are only opens doors, not closes them.
This is a nice video but that's not what the "Yes and ... " rule means.
go on...
Rundown at 8:30
"Who's at the starbucks?"
"Bill Cosby!"
Charisma On Command brought me here. Wtf? I hope this lovely woman isn't infecting some fresh students with her delusions.
Ted brought me here
Imagine a world of Yes Men in full compliance with their Benevolent Overlords. A world in complete agreement, because all those who dissent have been ground into hamburger.
0:41 That certainly wasn't improv
This is the whitest thing I’ve ever seen lmao
Satan hard bro 😂
Yes And isn’t literal
SHE'S MY THEATER TEACHER OMG
OMG SAME!!!!!!
But she never talks about this ted talk though
MOONIE I wonder why that is
I wish people said yes when I asked them to give me a tv for free.
Now that was proper improv
Was she not talking about something being acceptable and then she said it was a bad pun? Could she have not thought of something and made it funny? Maybe she is not a good improviser. I think she is just making it harder to improve by just being there. I would be like. " There are not rules as long as you guys make it work. She is making it hard to be funny. I think. If I was that girl I would like "I would like to see you improv you fuckin bitch!.... and then I will make you the magical elf... (This comment took some thought and re-writing)
great stuff!
Millions of years of evolution led to this.
Lol, this some bullshit. Comedy isn't about prolonging scenes by being agreeable and coming to a positive resolution for all participants etc. In fact, when you actually take a look at jokes that are effective, you will find that they tend to involve insult at some level. Take monty python's ministry of silly walks as an example. Everyone is laughing AT John Cleese's character's funny walk. An abrupt ending (like at 4:32) is funny because it catches you by surprise by changing the subject. Nobody should assume that there are limits to comedy, provide a framework for people to follow, and then label it "improv". It's not improvisation when you are following a method that someone on the internet told you. True improvisational comedy is easy to understand because it is only comprised of two words:
Improvisational: The act of creating something without guidelines. Spontaneity.
Comedy: Entertainment intended to make an audience laugh.
That's it. no more, no less.
But yes. Coming to a peaceful resolution is a positive thing that can change the world. But i don't know why you would attribute it to improv comedy. Improv comedy did not introduce the world to the concept of saying yes. Just saying yes to get a peaceful outcome undermines the concept of free will anyway. @ 6:37 If someone doesn't want to be forced into pretending to pick apples, they don't have to. They can always turn it back around on the person who had the misconception in the first place. eg. "This is a tennis ball, Steve... and it's my last one because you keep eating mine for breakfast." We don't have to just submit to anyone who makes an error, In fact, that's a dumb moral guideline.
Sometimes bickering is the funniest thing in the world and people shouldn't restrict themselves from gaining comedic success in the name of political correctness.
This video was not funny, it was not comedy at all actually, and it was not improvised.
I hope she isn't teaching these things to university students.
+Christ Yensen I agree with some of what you've said. I'm always getting into debates with my 2nd city improv friends.
There's a lot of good stuff that comes out of it, but my main point with this kind of improv is they've got all these rules to improv, which sometimes works, but many times get in the way.
It's impossible to be completely spontaneous when one is censoring themselves cuz it's against second city rules.
I started out doing comedy in theater. I've also done sketch comedy. I was in an improv troupe for two weeks,and didn't like it. It's limiting, and because of all the rules, it becomes a lot more cerebral humor.
To me , the main point of watching or doing comedy is to make the audience laugh, whatever it takes to do that.
Second city improv main purpose is to work as an ensemble.
I went to see a friend in an improv troupe, and waited for him after the show, while they were getting notes.
The director railed on my friend for doing something that was in denial, or ended the scene. It was the funniest scene in the whole evening.
Only time I spontaneously laughed.
Their big thing is 'offer and accept'. It's a nice concept, and many times forces one to be more creative, but as you said, sometimes not accepting is funny.
I love old comedies, like the Marx Bros. They denied all the time, and it was funny.
Del Close, one of the originals of 2nd city improv, wrote a book on improv.
He used as an example a scene he did with Joan Rivers, where he said what about our children, and she said 'what children'.
I laughed just reading it, and visualizing Rivers saying that.
But Close considered her not a team player, and that she ruined the scene
+martin woyzeck I've been trying to figure out how to respond to your comment, because I disagree/agree with you. When an improviser negates (or says "no"), it may or may not get a cheap laugh from the audience, like the Joan Rivers bit.
But improv has always been about making connections with the people you perform with on stage. I've done improv for the majority of my life, and I've never labeled myself an improv "comedian", because that implies that I'm trying to be funny. If an audience laughs at the improv we're doing, it's not because we were trying to be funny, they just found something funny in the scene.
It's obvious from your comment that you probably don't like improv all that much, and your preferences are more into stand-up or generally more scripted humor. THAT'S NOT A BAD THING. I'm a fan of Groucho Marx too, but he'd make a bad improviser, because his humor was all about putting down his partner and it was all about himself. That's what makes him funny, but it's not good improv.
I recently saw a scene where one girl, without any prompt, would insult her partner's character, simply because she didn't know how to properly improvise. Yeah, the audience laughed, because they found it funny, but I was getting furious at her for taking an easy way out.
Watching the knight and dragon scene, that's not a great example of what not to do, because at least the other person acknowledged that there was a castle, and that they were both knights. A good improviser could still work with that. It's when you completely reject the other person's reality that they have already built, such as the above commenter's apples and tennis balls example, that is an example of being a terrible improviser. It gets a cheap laugh at the expense of your scene partner.
When you say "offer and accept" isn't always the best thing to do, I can just tell right away that you either weren't cut out for improv, or don't understand it. And like I said, that's fine. It's not for everyone. But keep in mind that disliking something doesn't mean it's wrong.
TL;DR: Improv isn't about making jokes, it's about being a team. Don't knock improv if your comedy tastes are different.
Yes but she's talking about improv. Silly Walks is a scripted sketch. Bickering CAN be funny, but it can also be tiresome. If the two performers aren't on the same page, how can you make sure that it's the former? A scripted routine is funny with a singular voice, because it's all heading towards a joke or punchline or abrupt ending or whatever. But if it's improvisational, none of the performers know what it's ending towards. If each of them comes up with their own funny punchline and tug the sketch towards that, it's going to be shit. Improv is about taking the comedic ideas of your partner and supporting them. Your partner entered the scene with a funny idea. Saying NO to them might get an instant laugh, but it destroys all momentum that the scene had. It also destroys whatever comedic idea they had for a cheap laugh. Improv by definition can't be the same kind of funny as a sketch/standup routine, because it's not being written by one person.
I don't think she used a good example at all for 4:32 because he can say no to going and a scene can still be built from that, so that was an extremely poor example.
But, if you say "I want a divorce," and someone replies with, "We're not married anyways!" yes, it's funny, but the scene is now dead.
"Saying yes" in improv is more of a metaphorical, symbolic thing. It's agreement with the world, the reality. You can say the word "no" while symbolically still saying "yes." I agree with the above comment that maybe the dragon example wasn't the best, but "Yes And" IS a fundamental of improv. It makes it more fun for the audience and the players.
Don't always say yes literally
I hope these people ain’t getting paid for this mess
Oops I fell asleep 💤
This is the worst thing I have ever seen.
I was literally about to type the same thing, word for word
comedy should me funny
The only "funny" thing about this Improv Comedy is the fact that people actually find it funny.
This is an awful example of good improv comedy, go look up "who's line is it anyway?"
I got upset when I saw Hanna throwing her baby in the air that way.
She started with "e". He ended with "m".
Cringe.
For a speech about improve this is the most scripted and stiff performance and talk. You will get no points for this. We are all slightly dumber for having heard this.
See what I did there, improv! ☝🏽
i need a puke bucket
Must I dress like that to be taken seriously for improv?
Reads title of video
that's a lie
Jenny if I run into you. Thanks for your tips, But I disagree with you on what is funny.
She seems to have trouble breathing just from yalking
so how does this teach you how to be funny?
Kirsi Laholer, I missed that being the title of this talk. Oh wait! It's called "Improv comedy will change the world."
No
No it won't
Improv comedy is not funny, it’s obnoxious
The cringe is inevitable
Improv will change the world ? Does cringe change the world
How embarrassing
how is this comedy
and it did not :D