How To Create A Stand-Up Comedy Documentary Everyone Will Watch
You may be planning on making a stand-up comedy documentary but are unsure about how to proceed. You want to make it interesting and informative, but you might want some humor and lightheartedness in there too. How do you create a documentary that will be interesting and that everyone will want to watch?
It's not an easy feat to create a documentary that will catch the interest of all people, but there are some things you can do that can increase your chances of getting a large audience. Here are some tips on creating a great stand-up documentary.
Observe Stand-Up Comedians First
You might already have an idea of the format you want to take with your stand-up comedy documentary, or you might have several ideas but need a way to narrow it down. Instead of going ahead and writing your film right away, head to a few comedy clubs and watch several comedians at work first-hand.
When you observe a few acts live and then watch some of the more well-known comedians on video, you can see how they put their acts together and how the audiences respond to them. It's a good idea to watch a few comedians before you begin writing your film because each of their stories is different and so is how they approach their act. If possible, watch several of their shows over the years. You can learn how their style evolved and even how the comedy industry has changed.
This will help you to craft a more centered piece that focuses on certain aspects of stand-up comedy instead of lumping the whole industry into one film. This could also make you decide to focus on one comedian's journey instead of the industry as a whole.
Do Research While You Are Writing
Once you have a good idea of what you want your stand-up documentary to focus on, you need to start writing the film. By now you should have some research done and have a plan for how to tackle the documentary, but it's also a good idea to continue to research while you are writing.
Break down each scene of your film and do your research for that portion of the documentary while you are writing it. This will keep you focused on that particular part instead of getting ahead of yourself and planning out the ending before it's time.
If you are working with a comedian and filming their journey, work with them during the writing and filming process so you get a clearer idea of what lead them to this moment, and where they want to go from here.