Comedy Masterclass – Details, episodes & analysis

Well hello there, Danielle here. Venturing back out of the depths of the writing cave. What’s new? This is a quick update about 3 things, including where you can sign up to my Seriously Ridiculous monthly letter—for fellow word-nerds, story fiends and the comedy curious. Craft, inspiration, prompts. To keep you company on your writing journey. 

You can subscribe here: https://www.daniellekrage.com/subscribe

Or from socials:  https://twitter.com/daniellekrage (newsletter page) https://www.instagram.com/dekrage (Seriously Ridiculous link in bio)

And thanks to the fabulous Joanna Penn for the prompt to create a newsletter-y way of connecting with you. We talked about it in her episode of Comedy Masterclass. 

https://comedymasterclass.com/podcast/49-joanna-penn-writing-the-shadow

Thanks for listening. And if you subscribe, you’re always welcome to hit reply and say hi!

Hello, how goes it? Here's how my 52 day challenge went...(Plus the sweetest, funniest film I have seen in ages.) 

Danielle Krage interviews Neil Martin, Honorary Professor of Psychology at Regent's University London. Neil is the author of The Psychology of Comedy, and in this conversation he introduces and dissects some of the key research and theories in the field of laughter, humour and comedy.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Neil's Background in Comedy

03:24 The Neglect of Comedy in Psychological Research

06:44 Gallows Humour as a Coping Mechanism

08:31 Exploring the Humour Styles Questionnaire

23:11 The Timelessness of Comedy

24:27 The Influence of Laughter on Enjoyment

28:18 Humour in Learning

29:16 Sex Differences in Comedy

34:36 Comedy and Mental Well-being

41:18 Exploring Different Mediums of Comedy

44:01 The Influence of Sensory Experiences on Comedy

You can find Neil (including his contact email) here:

https://twitter.com/ThatNeilMartin

Neil's Deadpan piece: https://www.the-fence.com/well-theyre-not-laughing-now

You can find the transcript at:

https://comedymasterclass.com

And Danielle’s socials here:

https://twitter.com/daniellekrage

https://www.instagram.com/dekrage

Danielle Krage interviews writer Lana Schwartz, whose interactive book ‘Build Your Own Romantic Comedy: Pick Your Plot, Meet Your Man and Direct Your Happily Ever After’ was named one of Vulture’s Best Comedy Books of the Year.

Lana has also written for The New Yorker, and is a contributor to The Onion. In this interview she shares her obsession for romcoms and the craft of comedy.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

08:57 Favourite romcoms. Beats and tropes.

23:37 Building a Career in Comedy Writing

33:28 Crafting Humour: Specificity, Heightening, and Economy of Words

37:51 Upcoming Romcom Book and where to find Lana

You can find Lana Schwartz here:

https://www.instagram.com/characteractresslanaschwartz

https://twitter.com/_lanabelle

https://www.lanalikebanana.com

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Build-Your-Own-Romantic-Comedy/Lana-Schwartz/Gifts-for-Movie-TV-Lovers/9781646040056

You can find the transcript at:

https://comedymasterclass.com

And Danielle’s socials here:

https://twitter.com/daniellekrage

https://www.instagram.com/dekrage

Danielle Krage interviews Suchandrika Chakrabarti and Nerine Skinner.

Suchandrika is a stand-up, who runs the monthly night Good News / Bad News in north London and writes for BBC One's Have I Got News For You. She is taking her second solo show Doomscrolling to Edinburgh Fringe this summer.

Nerine is an actress, comedian, improviser and deviser whose parodies of Liz Truss have gone viral. She was a finalist in the Funny Women Awards for Content Creator and reached the semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent with comedy cabaret trio, The Dots. She’s currently creating her debut show for the Edinburgh Festival.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

03:07 The Joint Project: Liz Truss’ The Traitors

06:20 Balancing Structure and Improvisation

09:21 Finding Inspiration in the News

13:42 Character Comedy: Tips and Experiences

19:59 The Joy of Character Comedy

21:01 Collaboration and Selecting Guests for a Comedy Show

24:38 Navigating Boundaries in Topical Comedy

33:22 Preparing for the Edinburgh Festival

36:27 Creating a Supportive and Inclusive Comedy Environment

You can find Suchandrika and Nerine here:

Their joint show - Liz Truss’ The Traitors

https://www.acesandeightssaloonbar.com/events/liz-trusss-the-traitors/

Suchandrika:

https://twitter.com/SuchandrikaC

https://www.instagram.com/suchandrika

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/suchandrika-chakrabarti-doomscrolling

Nerine:

https://twitter.com/nerineskinner

https://www.instagram.com/nerineskinner

https://www.youtube.com/@nerineskinner

You can find the Lynne Parker Funny Women episode here:

https://youtu.be/q4vB86BGCZY

You can find the transcript at:

https://comedymasterclass.com

And Danielle’s socials here:

https://twitter.com/daniellekrage

https://www.instagram.com/dekrage

Back with you on May 15th. 

Danielle Krage interviews writer, creator, and brand builder John Derevlany. John is an award-winning writer, animator, and showrunner who has written or produced hundreds of hours of TV (including for the Jim Henson Company and LEGO). John has also been a game designer, street artist, investigative journalist and played Crackers the Corporate Crime Fighting Chicken for Michael Moore’s TV Nation!

In this episode John shares learnings from his creative career, and how he now thinks about Super Narrative – his approach to planning a story across multiple media platforms.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

02:05 Founding a Comedy Newspaper

03:09 Using Comedy as a Defense Mechanism

04:12 Transition to TV Comedy

05:40 Working with National Lampoon

07:25 Creating Crackers, the Corporate Crime Fighting Chicken

08:47 The Power of Reaction Shots in Comedy

09:56 Transition to Animation and Children's Shows

10:38 The Concept of Super Narrative

15:08 Understanding Super Narrative

16:00 Differentiating Super Narrative from Transmedia

24:02 The Need for Innovation in Hollywood

24:49 Adapting and Pivoting in Creative Projects

25:15 Navigating Humour and Broad Appeal

26:04 Considerations for International Audiences

26:34 Keeping Content Broad and Timeless

27:02 Challenges with Technological Advancements

27:49 Creating Characters and Expanding Worlds

28:18 Using AI for Idea Generation

28:57 Simplifying Stories and Layering Content

29:25 Creating a Multitude of Characters

29:58 The Challenges of Naming Characters

30:25 The Role of AI in Joke Generation

31:26 Using AI as a Tool for Creativity

32:09 The Increasing Speed of Content Production

33:21 The Importance of Trying New Things

34:19 The Uncertainty of the Entertainment Industry

35:28 Take Risks and Embrace Ignorance

36:36 Being Playful and Creative in All Aspects

37:35 Finding Inspiration in Comedy and Entertainment

38:16 John's Website and Projects

40:01 The Resurrection of 'Squish'

41:21 Dealing with Fan Obsession

You can find more about John’s work here:

https://johnderevlany.com/

Videos - https://johnderevlany.com/video-trailers-episodes/

(Including Squish, Legends of Chima, Crackers the Corporate Crime Fighting Chicken, Uke Til U Puke.)

The "Give me a job LEGO” animation

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZznS4Y06_Cc

The big, outdoor board game:  https://culverland.johnderevlany.com/

You can find the transcript at:

https://comedymasterclass.com

And Danielle’s socials here:

https://twitter.com/daniellekrage

https://www.instagram.com/dekrage

Danielle Krage interviews Ken Pisani. Ken is a screenwriter, TV writer and producer, playwright, comic book author, former cartoonist, and novelist. His novel, AMP’D, was a Thurber prize finalist, and in this episode he takes us behind the scenes of creating this comic work.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

01:18 The Concept of AMP’D

05:01 Choosing the Novel Format

06:09 Challenges of Writing Prose

07:36 Writing Without an Outline

08:06 Balancing Comedy and Drama

09:00 Reversing Expectations

11:20 Writing Situational and Visual Comedy

12:09 Emotional Impact of the Novel

13:30 Finding the Balance of Comedy and Drama

19:02 Creating Beleaguered Characters

20:08 The Play and Game of Comedy

21:41 Publishing and Marketing Challenges

22:03 The Challenges of Funny Novels

25:02 Dealing with Failure and Persistence

29:01 The Appeal of Muppets

33:20 The Humour in Comic Books

38:18 Recommendations

You can find out more about Ken’s work here:

https://www.kenpisani.com

https://twitter.com/kpsmartypants

You can find the transcript at:

https://comedymasterclass.com

And Danielle’s socials here:

https://twitter.com/daniellekrage

https://www.instagram.com/dekrage

https://bsky.app/profile/daniellekrage.bsky.social

Danielle Krage interviews Caleb Warren, Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Arizona. Caleb researches and writes about what makes things funny, what makes things cool, and what helps people reach their goals. In this conversation, Caleb shares some of his key findings about humour and how it works.

00:00 Introduction to Consumer Psychology and Humour

01:20 How Caleb Got into the Study of Humour

04:01 Physical Comedy and Empathy

06:00 Psychological Distance and Humour

07:27 The Role of Absurdity in Comedy

08:21 Psychological Distance and Animation

09:08 The Difference Between Comedy and Serious Settings

09:39 The Flawed Theory of Surprise in Humour

10:40 The Relationship Between Surprise and Humour

11:36 The Benign Violation Experiment

13:19 The Difference Between Humour and Coolness

14:18 Coolness as a Positive Deviation from the Norm

15:10 How Coolness and Humour Overlap

16:00 The Importance of Autonomy and Enjoyment in Goal Pursuit

18:27 The Importance of Product in Marketing

19:54 The Role of Humour in Marketing

20:20 The Benefits of Humour in Enjoyment and Happiness

21:46 How Humour Translates and Changes with Distance

22:44 How Sense of Humour Changes with Age

23:46 The Evolution of Humour and Cultural Norms

26:56 Research on Coolness Across Different Cultures

28:57 The Personality Traits of Cool People

30:06 The Role of Effort in Coolness and Status

32:27 The Tension Between Marketing and Coolness

35:23 The Importance of Being Good vs. Being Cool

36:54 Caleb's Band and Songwriting

You can find Caleb here:

Research website: https://www.calebwarrenresearch.com/ TedX talks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jxh-ispLUmA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z7hkfkCEno Band website: https://bandoftownies.com/

You can find the transcript at:

https://comedymasterclass.com

And Danielle’s socials here:

https://twitter.com/daniellekrage

https://www.instagram.com/dekrage

https://bsky.app/profile/daniellekrage.bsky.social

Danielle Krage interviews Dr Eric Maisel. Eric is the author of more than 50 books - many focused on creativity and the creative life - including Fearless Creating, Deep Writing, The Power of Daily Practice and The Magic of Sleep Thinking. He also writes the ‘Rethinking Mental Health’ blog for Psychology Today and is a regular contributor to Mad in America.

In this conversation, Eric shares insights and practical strategies for writers engaged in a creative process, that by its very nature is likely to include anxiety, doubt and uncertainty.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

00:55 The Role of Anxiety in the Creative Process

06:19 Using Breathing and Incantations to Center and Ground

07:36 Accessing Flow State in Small Increments of Time

09:58 The Importance of a Morning Writing Practice

11:54 Harnessing the Power of Sleep Thinking

13:50 Embracing Mistakes and the Doubt in the Creative Process

15:17 Existential Intelligence and the Search for Meaning

25:44 Pushing Back Against Authoritarianism and Mental Health Labels

30:38 Overcoming Self-Censorship and Negative Thoughts

35:56 Strategic Goal Setting and Productivity

38:05 Upcoming Books and Projects

Links

https://ericmaisel.com

You can find the transcript at:

https://comedymasterclass.com

And Danielle’s socials here:

https://twitter.com/daniellekrage

https://www.instagram.com/dekrage

https://bsky.app/profile/daniellekrage.bsky.social