So you had a great set at the Improv, Comedy Store or Bubba’s Ha-Ha hut in Tuscaloosa. Not only that, you followed the advice of your horoscope to capture your memories to a more permanent medium, so you video taped. Now you actually have a video that can prove that you killed. Now what? Most of you will send that video out to as many bookers as you can, get it on YouTube and Facebook right away so you can show the world. This will definitely help you to get work right?
Well the answer to that is NO! Or should I say, not always. What most comics forget to do is to remind themselves that the competition is cut-throat out there. Your video not only has to have quality content, but it has to have some kind of quality production behind it. I don’t mean that you have to hire a crew at enormous expense and produce a 3-camera shoot. That wouldn’t hurt, but let’s get real, we’re comedians, most of us can’t afford that. So let’s start with the basics. Here are 5 of the deadliest mistakes most comedians when shooting, editing and promoting a video of their act. These mistakes can reduce your chances of getting it looked at, or worse, have the booker toss the DVD in the trash or hit the delete button. Lose these mistakes and you’ll improve your chances and your reputation as a professional:
- Sound & Lighting Quality – Let’s start with sound. Many complaints about videos that bookers have is that they can’t hear the comedian clearly. The problem with that is that most comedians don’t know that sound is a problem. They mount the camera in the back of the showroom, tape the show. Then they get that tape home view it on the camera or on the T.V. and they hear it okay. Well, your okay and the okay for a booker are two totally different things. You hear the ambient noise of the audience, an occasional comment or close up laughter of the person or persons close to the camera. Sometimes, you also think you can hear it because, after all you know what you said, because, well…you said it! When you listen to a phone message and the person leaving the message says their phone number. How many times do you have to rewind before you finally get the number clearly enough to write it down? Problem is, the booker doesn’t know what you said and if they can’t hear you clearly. There’s nothing more frustrating than not being able to clearly hear the sound a comedy video. If that happens, guess what? That video is done. The booker will stop watching, because there are a hundred more waiting to be viewed. You’ve killed your chance, before they even saw your act.
What can you do? Do your research before buying a video camera. Find one that has good audio capturing capabilities. Front mounted microphones are usually better at capturing sound of a subject who is in front of the camera. You might want to look into a camera that has two channel microphone inputs. XLR is the best, but that gets really expensive. If you can capture your sound from the sound board and capture the audience from the onboard mic, you can mix the sound levels later on I-movie or most other inexpensive movie editing programs. You can also make sure you have a lavalier or lapel mic on you, the performer, while the second channel on the camera picks up the sound of the audience. If you already bought a camera. Hope is not lost. Although we expect that the sound quality in a comedy room will be great, in a great many cases, it is not. Placement of your camera relative to the speakers can solve many sound dilemmas. A good and simple way to be sure of this is to bring a set of headphones with you and check the sound in your camera prior to recording. Make sure and do a real-world check, though. Meaning you should check the sound when there is an audience. Many cameras come with sound settings that you can choose for a variety of situations. Play around with the settings until you find the right one for your purposes. Bottom line is: Sound is of tantamount importance. Make sure yours is heard.
- Positioning & Framing: I know it’s not always possible, but if it is, try to get the camera dead center, that means get it in front of the stage. If you were to draw a straight line from the microphone stand straight to the back of the room, that’s where the camera should be, if at all possible. We often place our cameras off to the side so as not to interfere with the audience. Problem is, the comedian is playing to the audience in front of him. The viewer will miss facial expressions and other nuances. If the camera only sees half of you, the viewer of your video will only see half your act as well. Get that camera as close to dead center as possible. I can’t tell you how many videos I’ve watched where the comedian only fills a small portion of the frame. There’s a lot of comedy club stage, but the performer is tiny. Get tight! Want to get a good idea of how to frame yourself? Watch Comedy Central or better yet watch a video of a comedian on David Letterman. Late Night uses a single camera on the comedian. It’s dead center. It starts fairly wide, but still doesn’t capture the comedian’s feet then when the comedian reaches his mark it slowly zooms in and frames the comedian from the top of his head to just below his belt. You’ll find this with most comedians who don’t have a lot of physicality.
- Panning – You’ll also notice if you watched any of the comedians on Late Night with David Letterman that the camera operator always keeps the comedian in the center of the frame. It the comedian moves, the camera moves. You would need a second person to do this for you, but if you’re video looks like it was shot like a T.V. spot, then the viewer will perceive it that way. You will look better and the booker will be more predisposed to book you, because you are a pro.
- Format - DVD or Online? A lot of comedians ask me “what is the best format to send out so that bookers will watch it?” Do they want to see you online or do they want a DVD? The answer is, that depends. It depends on the booker. Your demo should be available online, but you should also email the booker or ask around to see what the booker prefers. Some prefer to look at your video online but some will only watch a DVD. Be sure you do your homework and find out what the booker you’re targeting, prefers.
NOTE: Don’t blow this off! If a booker doesn’t receive your video promo in the format they prefer, they WON’T REVIEW IT! - Length – Another crucial element. Bookers are swamped. They have a lot to do. The last thing they usually want to do is watch yet another comedian on a video. When you put your videos online. Include in the title the length of the video. IE: Jason Strong – Comedian (Teaser – 3 mins.) or Bill Blue – Comedian (6 mins. – T.V. Clean). When you are putting video online there are two things that you must do: 1. Be sure to develop a YouTube channel that is dedicated to you. That means you have to subscribe and build the channel. YouTube shows you how to do this. It’s very easy. 2. You MUST have a website that is totally yours. That means you must sign up for a website and buy your domain name. You can design your own site or pay someone. If I were you, I would pay someone. That way you can focus on what you do and that’s comedy. If you have your video on your own website, YOU are the focus of the video, the viewer won’t be distracted by other videos that appear on the page when they’re watching your video.
Keep your videos tight and short. If you are putting them online, keep them to 6 minutes max. The internet is short-attention-span-theatre. People don’t usually watch long videos. If you show yourself in short clips, you’ll have more hits. More hits equates to popularity. If a booker sees that you have a thousand hits on your video, they will invest more time into viewing it.
So that’s it. Follow this advice from professional comedian, writer and comedy Coach Jerry Corley and you will see your bookings double, triple or quadruple…depending of course, that your material is marketable. That we will address next time. Good luck and stay funny!
Jerry Corley is the Founder of the Stand Up Comedy Clinic, the best comedy training in Los Angeles, bar none.
