The Hidden Tools of Comedy: The Serious Business of Being Funny

I bought this book for myself (early birthday present!) because I am working at making the transition from amateur comedian to professional. I’ve spent the last year reading books to help me grow in my writing and performing. I’ve done stand up, improv, sketches, short films and tons of writing. I even sold a couple of short web episodes to a major cable network. Hands down, ‘The Hidden Tools of Comedy’ has done more to help me grow as a writer and performer than anything else I’ve read. My previous career had an emphasis on academic study and I can tell you that this book should be the primary text for anyone learning comedy. The book is well researched, extremely well written and structured to make the learning as easy as it is fun. Kaplan shows a tremendous respect for comedy and his knowledge and experience make this book a unique and essential offering for those who are serious about making people laugh. What makes this book so essential? First, I would say the experience. Kaplan has put in his 10,000 hours and it shows. This book contains years of experience in film, theater and T.V. and close intentional study of comedy condensed into eight easy to understand tools for making better comedy. You could spend your whole life studying comedy or you can take a massive short cut and read this book. The tools found in the book apply to comedy writers, performers, directors and producers in theater, T.V. and film. Second, the tools are easy to use. Kaplan makes the eight tools easy to apply to what you are working on right now. I took his straight/line wavy line tool and applied it to a skit I was working about a snake bit cowboy. The skit went from getting chuckles at rehearsal to the actors laughing so hard they couldn’t get through the skit. On a sitcom pilot I’m working on I got stuck at the start of act three. I used the positive action to get my protagonist moving and the rest of the episode pretty much wrote itself. The tools come from experience and they just plain work. Third, the focus is on the true nature of comedy. What’s the difference between funny and comedic? Why does it matter to those who want to make people laugh? What are the myths of comedy and why are they myths? How is comedy different from drama? Why does it matter? Kaplan asks questions I didn’t even know I should be asking. He shows the importance of comedy in telling the human story and shows the beauty of telling the truth. This book isn’t about tricks to get laughs. It’s about celebrating the artistry comedy and becoming better artists. If you are building a comedy library to further yourself as an artist, or if you just want to get better at getting people to laugh, I would build it in this order to form the foundation. The Hidden Tools of Comedy - Steve Kaplan (Comedy) Improvisation for Theater - Viola Spin (Writing, Acting) Step by Step - Greg Dean (Stand Up, Jokes) Days and Nights at The Second City - Bernard Sahlins (Review Theater, Irony) Growth takes both theory and practice. Great musicians continue to practice their scales, they don’t just show up and play symphonies on the weekend. Do your work. Learn your theory and and perform! Learning the theory has helped me grow tremendously as an artist. And I get lots more laughs too. Don’t make this the only book you read on comedy but certainly make it the first.

If your comedic skill isn't broken, you don't need a tool to fix it. But nobody reading these reviews is a laugh-genius, so the tools listed here will come in handy for 99% of those who are pursuing careers in comedic writing, acting, or directing. First, these tools have all been used to make you laugh before - hundreds of times. For the most of you, the chapters will be littered with "Aha!" moments and the sort of "the scales have fallen from my eyes" game changers that can really up your skill when it comes to creating realistic and effective scenes. Notable examples are: a paradigm shift away from Straight Man/Funny Man to He Who Sees/He Who Doesn't See, the idea of the truly funny characters being realistic people who just lack skills, and the use of overlying metaphors to help further illustrate and give added effectiveness to character relationships (like two roommates acting as a married couple, etc.). Second, Steve Kaplan goes out of his way to emphasize that these are just tools. You shouldn't use this excellent book to build your house upon. You should use its advice when things go wrong, and while it seems like a footnote I think this is the most important part of the mix. You're given excellent advice on every page along with scenes and clips that illustrate the advice, but you're never told, "You must do this or your comedy will crash and burn." These are simply good ideas that have been proven in the past and while you might be able to get around using them in certain situations, if something doesn't get a laugh (or as good a laugh as you want), you can probably find an example in this book that will tell you why. Third, Steve goes out of his way early on to debunk the notion that comedy is entirely dependent upon talent and that somehow comedians don't work to hone their skills like everyone else. So a solid part of the book acts as motivation to those who might think, "I'm just not funny enough and I never will be." Steve emphasizes the simple truth (that I and most comedians have found at one point or another, but maybe didn't put into words as well as Mr. Kaplan has): If you can react realistically to an absurd situation, you can get a laugh. Overall I think this "do the work - here are some good tools" approach to comedy is the most refreshing and eye-opening one anybody can ask for. There are absolutely zero gimmick tools, no appeals to blue or shock humor, and all the recommendations are backed up with loads of thoroughly explained examples. If you want to get more laughs and better laughs, read this book.

Lots of great tools and ideas that can be extrapolated to all types of writing. Easy to read...funny and very enjoyable. I would recommend this to anyone that seeks to find the funny in truth and use it to improve their writing.

One of the best books not only on comedy screenwriting but on screenwriting in general. Highly recommended!

Un livre clair, efficace… et drôle. L'ouvrage dévoile les arcanes technique du rire au cinéma. Essentiel pour les auteurs intéressés par le ce genre.

Not a step by step "how to", but an entertaining and insightful exploration of foundational concepts. A great starting point for those new to comedy writing, or those who'd like a refresher on some of the fundamentals. The ideas are presented clearly and concisely. Steve Kaplan is an excellent communicator. Highly recommended.

The Hidden Tools of Comedy shows writers how to write from the viewpoints of authentic characters in ordinary conflict situations that amuse and embarrass viewers and other characters watching them. Good scriptwriting books always try to include all the pivotal factors for creating highly watchable comedy and drama. By showing us what isn’t comedy, Steve also teaches drama as it is often seen as the similar but opposite side of the comedic coin. Steve uses real scripts from funny and not so funny movies - ie drama and also reveals a little of what goes on in his comedy classes. Steve Kaplan places a great emphasis on how all the characters including secondary characters must be believable when responding to real situations. He shows how authenticity is what adds real value to comedy. The scenes from these authentic films are the ones that endure and we talk about. The book is suitable for actors, writers and directors and this is what makes it worth reading. Hidden Tools of Comedy is a practical book that debunks the myths, suggests other useful books. This book is a must for aspiring writers of comedy. Aspiring comedic writers are urged to study the comedic scripts, watch the films mentioned and undertake a few exercises. If this work is done, there is every chance that these writers will be on their way to writing funny in a way that is personal and real for them as well as other people. Don’t just believe me, there are a lot of funny writers/performers/animators, yes animators who have benefitted from the comedy insights of Steve Kaplan. He has worked with David Crane, Ellen Sandler, David Fury, Disney, the list goes on...and on...and on...

Lo compre por curiosidad para saber lo que envuelve una buena película de comedía y si pudiera utilizar algo como creatividad en la vida para expresarme. Ya que últimamente parece que esta censurado o hay escasez de algo tan vital para la vida que es reír. Me estoy llevando la sorpresa de encontrar algo como una especie de filosofía ya que puedo ver no solo las películas si no la vida desde una forma mas humana. Solo dire que creo es muy útil para la gente en esta profesión. Voy a la mitad del libro en 2 dias