actor and the actress.”the actress.”
—Judd Apatow
—Judd Apatow
CASE STUDIES:
CASE STUDIES:
IMPROVISATION
IMPROVISATION
A S S I G N M E N T S
A S S I G N M E N T S C O N TC O N T.. •
• helpful, helpful, or or if if you you have have a a willwilling ing friend, friend, interact interact with himwith him
or her as the character. Carry on a regula
or her as the character. Carry on a regular conversationr conversation
as the character. This practice will get you in the
as the character. This practice will get you in the
improvisatory spirit. Write down any material you
improvisatory spirit. Write down any material you
thought was successful or jokes t
thought was successful or jokes that made your friendhat made your friend
laugh in your comedy journal.
laugh in your comedy journal.
•
• For For the the screenwriter screenwriter and and writer-writer-director:director:
•
• Create Create a a document document that that you’you’ll use ll use to to capture capture all of all of thethe
material that comes out of improvisation in various
material that comes out of improvisation in various
table reads and roundtable sessions with
table reads and roundtable sessions with youryour
collaborators. This will be
collaborators. This will be your mega document, whichyour mega document, which
you’
you’ll ll maintain maintain throughout the throughout the developmendevelopment (andt (and
production
production) of ) of your script.your script.
•
• For For the the writer-direwriter-director:ctor:
•
• Using Using the sthe shooting hooting schedule schedule you you created created in Chain Chapter pter 23,23,
Directing: Production, identify a scene from your short
Directing: Production, identify a scene from your short
that wil
that will involve a lot of improvisation. Holl involve a lot of improvisation. Hold a rehearsald a rehearsal
in which you ask your actors to i
in which you ask your actors to improvisemprovise, maintain, maintaininging
the spirit and narrat
the spirit and narrative goal of the scene but changingive goal of the scene but changing
the dialogue, making it up or transforming it on the
the dialogue, making it up or transforming it on the
spot. Record the rehearsal, and then review the
spot. Record the rehearsal, and then review the videovideo
and transcribe t
and transcribe the improvised jokes and good dialoguehe improvised jokes and good dialogue
that are born from this rehearsal i
that are born from this rehearsal in your megan your mega
document.
document.
•
• It’It’s s time to time to shoot shoot your your short. The short. The night before night before you you shoot,shoot,
refresh your memory by looking t
refresh your memory by looking through your comedyhrough your comedy
jour
journalnal. Wh. What nat new ew jokejokes wers were ie improvmproviseised dud duriringng
rehearsal that you might like to tr
rehearsal that you might like to try out on set? Wheny out on set? When
you begin shooting, tell the actors to per
you begin shooting, tell the actors to perform the sceneform the scene
as scripted, then open it up to improvisation. Allow the
as scripted, then open it up to improvisation. Allow the
actors to play around. Try yell
actors to play around. Try yelling out lines to your actorsing out lines to your actors
if they come to you, and pull from your running list
if they come to you, and pull from your running list
of alternate jokes. After
of alternate jokes. After the shoot, you’the shoot, you’ll be ll be left with left with aa
wea
wealth lth of dof direirectorctorial ial optoptions ions and and varvariatiations ions ofof
performance, which will
performance, which will work in your favor in thework in your favor in the
editing room. editing room.
CASE STUDIES:
CASE STUDIES:
IMPROVISATION
IMPROVISATION
C H A P T E R R E V I E W
C H A P T E R R E V I E W Using the scene in
Using the scene inKnocked UpKnocked Up in in which Katheriwhich Katherine Heigl’ne Heigl’ss
character reveals to
character reveals to Seth Rogen’Seth Rogen’s character ts character that she is pregnahat she is pregnantnt
and that he is t
and that he is the fatherhe father, Judd explains how a scene tra, Judd explains how a scene transformsnsforms
from a draft i
from a draft into its final version. The draft nto its final version. The draft had the key momentshad the key moments
of the scene, and a combination of alternate lines and
of the scene, and a combination of alternate lines and
improvisation was used to achieve the fi
improvisation was used to achieve the final result. The actors knewnal result. The actors knew
what
what poipoints nts thethey ney needed eded to hto hit, bit, but weut were gre given iven the the spacspace toe to
experiment and work them out on t
experiment and work them out on their own. Heigl aheir own. Heigl and Rogennd Rogen
developed their own rhythm by l
developed their own rhythm by living the scene in the moment. Iniving the scene in the moment. In
real life, information is
real life, information is not delivered crisplynot delivered crisply. Babbling a. Babbling andnd
stammering natura
stammering naturally occur in lly occur in conversationconversation—especially in one of—especially in one of
this gr
this gravity—so Javity—so Judd used two cameras to capture that faudd used two cameras to capture that faltering.ltering.