How Can I Be Funny?

Question

I have a drama class in school that I am going to be in when school starts. How can I be funny in my acting? Depending on the genre of the scene(s). Also, how can i improve my improv? Thanks.

Answer 1

being funny comes from many things.  The funniest people speak the truth with a degree of ruthlessness that most of us are too embarrassed to speak ourselves.  Being oneself and allowing humanness to be seen without embarrassment is usually funny.  People laugh at you, then when you are not embarrassed they laugh with you.

Answer 2

Improv is easy, you do it everyday, just think of what you would say if you were actually in that situation.

Being funny comes naturally, give different tones to your voice, and express yourself through you hands and such...

Hope that helped,

Sammie Lemon.

Answer 3

Answer # 2 offers some vaild suggestions.

   Part of "being funny" is the natural method of the delivery, timing, and/or the spontenaity of what you deliver.

   I'll assume you've seen stand up, and much of it directed intentionally at Politics, Ethnicities, Religion, etc. NOT always in a complimentary way, but often Truthful. The issue is that NOT everyone might find humor in what you deliver. Those who do, likely already know your BRAND of humor. More importantly a stand up might not even find humor in the topic themselves, but if it's timely, topical, delivered to the right audience, even satire bordering on slander, does often cause people to laugh. Our Current President is a great example of a TARGET.

   Obviously you suggest another valid point, Genre/scenes/ even allude to situations. Certainly even in the darkest drama there can be comedic moments, but that takes study, and knowing the exact moment when it's ok to lighten up. An abstract example of that might be Terminator,,, After killing dozens of people, "HE" says "I'll be back", One of the most used, off the cuff quotes in modern day film.

   Being a comedian, or being funny, might be as simple as pointing out publically, things that might not seem funny to one, until they hear it from another, in a different manner/ context, etc.

   OLD,OLD, stand up.

   "I went to the Doctor the other day, telling him I'd broken my arm in 3 places. He rubbed his chin, then said, "You better stay out of those places"    Badda Boom!

   Steven,,, um,,, Yikes the last name escapes,,, Very low key, subtle, usually a monotone voice, delivers silliness with a straight face, but the context is often valid.

   Then to be a consumate performer, even one thought to be comedic, one should also be able to make others think on some serious level, or even an emotional/tearful level. Jim Carey and Robin Williams, are two who have both managed that.

   Being funny can't strictly be "learned". One should already possess some WIT, great timing, be intelligent enough to keep up with standards and current events, etc. Believe this also, many comics DO NOT write their own material, and many are able to deliver something They might think will solicit a laugh. They also most enjoy an audience they can PLAY OFF OF AND WITH. That would be most true in stand up.

   Doing improv might mean working with a good sized cast of others, all involved, all getting a sense of the other, and being able to INSTANTLY react and respond, to keep up a flow. That was made most evident, before SNL, when Second City was the rage.

   Etc. Etc. Etc.