5 ways Hollywood does, how they work in the real world, and how you can use them in your public speaking.
I only have 45 minutes to post tonight, and if I don’t, I will be too busy to get it done, you all will unsubscribe, and I will lose my house & go back to telling jokes in Chinese restaurants on Rt. 1 in Saugus, Mass.
Stakes.
Failure is funny.
Or at least the possibility of failure.
And the easiest way to make your story funnier is to clearly articulate the consequences of failure to your audience.
Each obstacle a character faces is an opportunity to raise the stakes and create tension which you can release with a laugh.
Here are 5 different ways to raise comedic stakes in a story. Each one is accompanied by real-life scenarios and examples from Hollywood. (You're Welcome!)
#1 - Raise Stakes and create more obstacles by Condensing Time
Hollywood Example
Super-bad: Jonah Hill and Michael Cera try to lose their virginity at the final party at high school before graduation.
When there’s no time, every minor setback is important and comedic.
This story could be told over a longer period of time, but it wouldn’t be as funny.
When you condense time in your story, even smaller obstacles will seem like big roadblocks. People usually make bad decisions when they are under pressure. And bad decisions are funny.
Real World Scenario
Let’s say your boss gave you a difficult job to complete in one month. Cut it down to a week and your story about a difficult task becomes impossible. You can exaggerate the timeline and maintain your credibility and emotional truth. AND you’ll make your story funnier.
#2 - Raise Stakes and create discomfort by Compressing Space
Hollywood Example
Home Alone: Kevin is stuck in his house defending his home from burglars. The tight corridors, doorways, and windows create opportunities for physical comedy.
Real World Scenario
Let’s say you have a story about being on a long flight in the middle seat. That could be funny. It could be even funnier if the person next to you was 7 feet tall and hadn’t showered for three days.
#3 - Raise Stakes and create the opportunity for comedic decisions by Dwindling Resources
Hollywood Example
Trading places: Dan Ackroyd’s character is falsely accused of stealing some money and is stripped of his job, house and bank accounts. This lack of money puts him in a fish-out-of-water situation that leads to funny moments where he has to wear mismatched clothes & becomes a drunken maniac and crashes the Christmas party at his old job.
Real World Scenario
Have you ever had to deal with someone that’s driving you crazy? That person is draining your resources: your patience, goodwill, and politeness. People lacking the ability to be patient can find themselves in frustrating situations. They tend to snap at small things. (More opportunities for humor.)
#4 Raise stakes by misrepresenting yourself by Hiding a Secret
Hollywood Example
The best example of this is the movie, Tootsie. Much of the comedy In Tootsie is based on Dustin Hoffman having a secret, whether it’s furiously changing his clothes or having a widower propose to him. People who have a secret they don’t want to be discovered are always in a high-stakes situation when their secret is threatened. And they have to do crazy sh*t to keep it hidden.
Real World Scenario:
Have you ever lied on your resume? Have you ever had to hide a pet in a no-pet apartment? Have you ever been on a diet, put on gym clothes told your spouse you were going to work out and then went out and ate fast food? Secrets are high stakes and can be very funny.
#5 Raise stakes and create fish-out-of water scenarios by Depriving Technology
Hollywood Example
City Slickers: The whole premise of this movie is that three men from the city are stuck on a dude ranch and have lost access to modern conveniences.
Real World Scenarios:
Have you ever had a phone die at the worst possible moment? Has following GPS ever gotten you lost? Have you ever had to run a zoom meeting, but didn’t know how to use the software properly? All opportunities for humor.
I bet at least one of these stake-raise-helpers will help you with your stories. Let me know what you think in the comments!
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