My Silly Little College Blog.

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Tag: Skits

Making a Skit From Home

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On February 28, 2021

In Acting

This week, it’s finally time to use what we learned, and make a skit! I know we all have funny ideas rattling around in our heads, but we need to filter things and plan them out before we turn the camera on. Let’s get into it!

I’m making a video today, and the first idea that comes to mind is to act out a funny story from where I work. We have to remember though, just because something is funny for us, doesn’t mean it will be for everyone else.

For example, during one of my last shifts, I told a customer his total came to $19.39. He responded by saying that 1939 was a great year. It took me a moment, but I realized that 1939 was the beginning of World War II. I became concerned, and later retold the story to my family. We found it funny in a dark humor way. However, acting out this scenario wouldn’t be universally funny, some people may still find it too dark.

This is what I mean by filtering and planning. We want to act out scenes and skits that are undeniably entertaining for everyone. I was once told in an acting class; “If you can be funny without cursing or being inappropriate, you are truly funny.”

I think about that a lot, and I want to make content that is universally funny. Jerry Seinfeld has spoken about this. He talks about it like it’s a challenge, and it definitely is. When your jokes aren’t getting anywhere, throwing something inappropriate in always manages a chuckle. It’s not necessary though. It’s best to work with the basics.

So, for example, a better work story to act out would be the time I went to help in the kitchen and couldn’t find any gloves. A coworker came up to me and said, “oh, here!” and pulled a giant wad of gloves out of his pocket (thanks, George). The kitchen had a good laugh.

This was a really easy skit to do at home. I made it for TikTok, and I distinguished different characters with masks, hairstyles, and a hat. Since everyone’s wearing masks anyway right now, putting aside a different mask for each character is perfect.

When you have a skit idea similar to this, there’s no need to add anything inappropriate. The key to the skit being funny and entertaining is the story itself and the comedic timing. Add funny pauses and moments of silence, make funny facial expressions! That’s what gets a laugh out of folks.

Anyway, aside from YouTube and TikTok, Twitter can also be a good source for more acting tips.

https://twitter.com/i/lists/1364669705135550470

There’s also a great voice acting community on Twitter, and voice acting is another good way to act at home during the pandemic. It’s also crucial to think about your voice and your tone in skits. Unless it’s the joke, having no emotion in your voice isn’t going to make your acting convincing.

I’m glad we still get to practice acting and make skits during all this, and I hope you get out there and make some. I’ll see you on the TikTok For You Page!

Acting on a New Platform

By

On February 21, 2021

In Acting

Since a community of actors, comedians, and other talented folks has formed on TikTok, it’s been a great place to upload all kinds of skits and silly videos. I’ve always wanted to post on the app myself, but I have an embarrassing confession to make.

I, a young college student on almost every social media platform, have no idea how to properly make and edit a TikTok. I know, I’m crazy.

This week I decided to dive in, join the rest of my generation, and finally learn the in’s and out’s of using TikTok. There’s a lot more to it than recording and uploading.

At this point, here’s what I know:

  • Be careful what you post! Although videos made by well-known accounts get more attention, random videos can go viral. Don’t post something without remembering that anyone can see it.
  • Not everyone is going to like your content, and they can be brutal about it. You need to prepare yourself for this. Make sure that you’re able to handle harsh criticism before you post something.
  • The recording process is much easier than you’d think. Opening it up may be intimidating, but don’t worry. The majority of users don’t even use all the bells and whistles, especially those making skits.

The app can be intimidating, but I’m here to help! Let’s get into character, shall we?

Now that we’re warmed up and ready to attempt a skit for the internet, let’s talk about being in character. The lines you say are important, but what makes them is the delivery. Before recording, really get into your character’s head and think about why they’re doing what they’re doing.

When I would act for the stage, a great way I would accomplish this was by reading through the script and going over all the lines. I’d get an understanding of the character’s personality and motives, and when reading the lines, I would imagine the character’s thought process and reactions to other character’s lines.

Let’s say you’re doing a skit where Character A is a child, and Character B is their sibling playing a prank on them. When acting as Character A, you want to be as innocent and oblivious as possible, and really think about their thought process when their sibling messes with them. Maybe they’ll be shocked, process the situation for a second, and then start crying. When acting as Character B, you want to be mischievous and clever. Maybe your character will laugh when they prank their sibling… and then go through a thought process and realize they need to stop their sibling from crying and alerting a parent.

Getting into character’s heads and becoming characters is a good way to improve our skills at home, and uploading videos online is a great way to get feedback, entertain others, and have fun with it! I’m honestly looking forward to posting some skits, but it can be hard to come up with ideas. So, I’m gonna go watch some TikToks for inspiration, which I’d always recommend, and make some videos myself! Happy uploading! : )

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