How to make your writing funnier - Cheri Steinkellner

View full lesson: ed.ted.com/lessons/how-to-mak...
Did you ever notice how many jokes start with “Did you ever notice?” And what’s the deal with “What’s the deal?” There’s a lot of funny to be found simply by noticing the ordinary, everyday things you don’t ordinarily notice every day. Emmy Award-winning comedy writer Cheri Steinkellner offers a few tips and tricks for finding the funny in your writing.
Lesson by Cheri Steinkellner, animation by Anton Bogaty.

[@Ytremz]

90% of comedy is in the timing.

[@MrC0MPUT3R]

+Ytremz I think you're Pickle

[@krisztianszirtes5414]

+MrC0MPUT3R This is why I had to scroll down? :/

[@will8270]

Comedy is 90% timing, 10% wit, and 3% attention to detail.

[@titan5893]

+That One Guy i get it lol

[@GijsTheDog]

+MrC0MPUT3R Clever, very clever

[@krazykrissy4350]

if you replace the "w" in "what, where when", with a "t" you answer the questions

[@khadijamroom]

SMART!

[@Keyannakrazewolfie]

oh my god i sat here like an idiot trying to replace and sound out the words thinking "this makes no sense"...until it did.

[@krazykrissy4350]

XD

[@vidzanallthat]

That's not _quite_ the case with who, tho ...

[@lf8198]

KrazyKrissy Twhat?

[@InvaderZim897]

What about a scientist turning himself into a pickle? That sounds like the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.

[@RaviSingh-xx2wq]

Rick

[@moadaci3252]

Yes

[@thelifeofahuman942]

@X Æ A-12 r/woooosh

[@balaijana1244]

Rick did it

[@thejustinvarietyshow8687]

No

[@elvenalonly]

"Excuse me ma'am. Your son has been hit by a truck, he's dead!" **Comedy**

[@veridescent7392]

I laughed more at this than I did at the video lmao

[@georgewashington7871]

@@2yden2ivers3 Yeah thats not *funny* arthur

[@rushilpopat]

YOU SHOULD'VE USED "COCONUT"

[@vishalsyoutube]

@Pranav Mukkara Joker movie reference

[@seignee]

@@georgewashington7871 I-I'm sorry.. hah. It's just, It's *been a rough week* murray.

[@Galliut]

*I took your advice, now I am bullied in school.*

[@zoeb102]

Hesusio lmao

[@zaqareemalcolm]

well, you are a tumour

[@Audrey-nf8er]

zaqareemalcolm bruh

[@thestylishwizard2160]

Who said you had to laugh at it.

[@reecegallagher1822]

At least you got 303 likes outta it

[@economath8164]

Quoting Will Rogers reminded me of that quote by Mel Brooks: "Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die."

[@CadetGriffin]

Horror is when a shark eats your saxophone. (jk, supposed to be funny)

[@Vini2142BR]

+Jacob Griffin horror are your comments.

[@MCisra3l]

+Vinicius Ferreira horror IS* your comments.

[@CadetGriffin]

MCisra3l And IS is a terrible organization.

[@MyLittleMissAwesome]

+Jacob Griffin The line isn't funny because it's random. It's funny because you'd expect it to be "Tragedy is when I cut my finger, comedy is when *you* cut *your* finger", because that's a variation of something we have probably all heard in our lives, however has a twist ending which is not only funny, but also describes humour... And now I've explained the joke and it's no longer funny.

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

_"In the future, humor will be randomly generated..."_ *-- Larry The Cucumber (Veggie Tales)*

[@fishecake2794]

W̴̡̢̡̡̧̧̡̡̨̧̨̧̡̧̢̨̨̧̧̨̡̧̨̡̧̨̢̧̢̡̨̛̛̛̛͍̼͙̭̱̘̗̦̯̯̠̟̠̥͍̼̺͖͈̻̘̪̙̬͈̝̺͎͕̮̼̮͖͎͍̹̠̟͙̗̥̠̻̝̥̰̝̟̮͇͖̠͓̭̖̺̲̗͔̥̱̙̣̫̳͔̩̣̺̙̯̠͓̰̖̪͙̦̣̖̪͓̼̮̲͔̯͓̫̻̘͎͈̱̜͉̹͔̹̪͍͖̰̪͎̼̲̬͈̻̠̭͍̦̜͈͉̠̙̟̙͇̖̦̥͉͍͍̤̦̯̥͍̱͕͖͖̪̖̹͈̣̞̥̤̤̟̳̞̰̙̱͕͓̜͈̜͖̲͔̱̖͔̗̬͕̻̬̜̬͎̙͍͓̥̰̘̤̻̻̮̺͓̮̭͓̮͕͎̳͎̲̩̞̻̮̪̝̳̭̼͙̩͙̠͍͉̖͔̰̘̺͇̳̜̠̻̩͉̩̰̬͕̮̳̩͙̞̝̝̖͓͇͉͚̤̘̟̲̭̝̳̬̯̣͓͙̅̆̈́͊͌̅̾̆̓͒̉͋͛̈͐̐̍̂̓̏̋́͊͊̈́͌̈͐̽̔̊͒̈́̉̈́̍̂̅̈́̃́̓̌̊͂͗̏͋̄̄̂̀́̒́̓̈̈́̆̈́͆̒̈́̒͗͋̾̊̀̂̍̍̃̐̆͛̓͋͒͛͌̀̎͋̾̋̐̒͂̃́̎́̍̃͑̔̈́͂̃́͒͂̅̉̒̑͆̐̀̉̎̊́̿̇̂͒͛̽̽́̓̈͆̓̐̃̐̑̓̏̋̈́͂̈̑̈̂̓͋͐̀́̄̈́̈́̅̾̉̌̉͑̋̆̐͋̄̆̈́̓̄̐̌̇͐̈́̽̇̕̚̚̚͘̚̚̚͘͘̚͘̕͘̕͘̚͜͜͜͜͜͜͜͠͝͝͝͠͝͝͠͝͝͝͝͝͝͝͠͝ͅͅͅͅͅͅͅͅͅE̶̡̢̡̡̡̢̡̧̢̢̧̧̨̜̜̘̼̪͖̝̮̮̫̹̥̻̼̖̤̻͚͈̭̺̹̜͎̹̟̰͔̤̲̥̤̮̻͔͔̣͙̤̤̜͔̼͕̱͖̮̜̻̬͖̪̩̘̝̳̯̖̙̦͎͕̥̤̥̱̰̰̜̫̼͕̰͓̩̪͇̩̟̘̭̠̬̣̱̝̜̩̟̣͍̦̯̘̺̪̟̊̌̃͛̀̆̉͒̍̂̒͗̈̍͜͜͝ͅͅȨ̶̧̨̡̡̨̨̨̧̡̧̧̧̧̡̢̨̨̢̢̧̢̧̡̨̡̛̦͖̦̰͉̯͔̜͔̘͙̠̩̦̣̺̼̞̭͙͇̝͉̦̲̤̖̤̩̖̤̰̦͓̞͙̜̱͓̩̥̤͇̲̫̗̜͉̘̟̹̯̠̣̙͉̤̼͚͓͎͖͉̜̳͖̞̦̯̞̫̟̱̻̦̼̻̬̞͍͕̥̼̯̠̲̝͉̺̺̬̬͉̲̳͍͍̻͎̫̲̬͈̲̰̭̣̺̙̜̪͇̥̼͇̱̤̲̱̯̟̱̞̣̰̻͔͇͈̮̩̻͕̗̺̘͍̤͖̙̯̼̠͎̦͈̥̘̬͇͙͇͓̩͉͙̰̲̼̹̱̥̗͇̦̠̳͉̙͍̘̲͔̟͓̠̭̜͍͍̹͉͚͕̘̭̮͉͎̭͓̥̬̫͙̻̠̭͎̖̼̘̲̲̱͙͈̳̲̯̺͓̪̑̇͐̀̿̀͂̏̄̄͋̌̇̒̀͐͑̿͛́͒̐͌̓̑̓͋́̅͆̓̈́͒̿̀͛̈́̒͂̚̚̕̕͜͜͝͝͠͝ͅͅͅͅD̷̡̨̡̧̡̨̛̛̛̫͔̼͉̭͕͍͇̦̜̩̫̟̟̜̘̭̭͓͈̲̹̮̮̫͕̠͕̼̤̰̘̜̺͗̉͑̽̈́͋̎̊͋͛͆͋̿̄̉̆̄̋̉͂̈́͛́̅̀́̈̇̏̉̎̽̈̈͑̓̒̽͗́̉̄̃͊̓̎̚̕̕̚͜͝͠͠ ̷̨̧̡̨̨̢̢̧̡̢̨̧̧̡̧̛̛̛̛̛̛͍̬̠̳̪̟̳͈̙̩̥͉̮̫͇̪͇̺̖͚͎͈̹͙̺̗̰̤̠̥̹͕͙͇̤̗̠̙͕̥̪͉͖͖͙̬̝̪̺͍͇̙͇̗͖̜̣̟̥͕̬̞͈͍̱̙̥̖̯͕͚̠̠̲̖͉̥̗͎͕̪͓̜͉͖̥͈͚̘̗̭̥̗̦̤͚͕͕̙̞͇̘̮͉͕̗̟̟̤͕̼̭̥͈̱̪̲͉̟͔̖͔͖̼͍͔̺͉͇̥͍̜̼̟̩̞̯̳̠͔͇͖̠̩͍̟̝̲̜̫̪̬̥͓͉̖͎̥̭̝̪̜̰̠͉͚̼̭̱̔̋̍͐̊̏͗̄͂̿̈́̈̍̒̓͒̀̀̋́̄̾̂͑͂͆̍̆̄̓͂̎̀́̂͒̑̔͋̔́͌͂̍̒̄̂̈̆̀̋̒̇͒̈́̓̓̈́̂̏̀̏̅̒̒̈̆͂͐͒̏̎̉̊̆͐͑̆̒́͋̿̐̈͛̃͌̎̋̽̀́̈͌͂͋̇͐̈́̋̐͂͛͗̌̐̓̐̀̾̃̔͛̀̈́̊́̋̌̂̐̋̀̎͆̔̄͋̏̂͆̎͐̐̆̾̓̅͗͒̒̾̈́͛̂̀͂̎̑͒̾̎̊͆͒̀̃̐̓̐̐̇͌́̃͋̓̌̂̈̏̐̂̈́̇͊̋̀͊̽̑̇̈́̈́́̒̉̆͐̀̇͐̆̾̄̒̐̎̊̋͑̈́̌͒̏͌͐̃̏̄̐́̉̏̅̾͒͂̃̄̀̔̉̈̎̿̒̍̏̒̑̈́͗̈́̐̽̈́̇́̽́̾̓̾̐͒̿͊́̕͘̚͘͘̕̚̚̚̚͘͘͘̕̚̚͘̕̕̚̕͘̚̕̚͜͜͜͜͜͠͝͠͠͝͠͝͠͝͝͝͝͝͝͝͝͝͝͝ͅͅͅͅͅͅͅȨ̵̡̧̧̡̨̢̢̡̡̡̡̢̧̨̡̢̡̢̛̛̛̛̥̠̝̘̼̠̪̣̗̲͇͓̖͍̫͈͕̦͕̠̖̖͎͕̳̠̪͕̝̰̺͖͓̖͖̗͉͍͖̪̱̺̥̬̱̻̣̤͍͖̜̯̩̘̪̝̰̣̩̪͖̺͈͇͖̠̻̳͓̣̼̫̩̳͙̳̜̠̩̰̙̤̭̭͚̼̬͕͇̟͙̻̫͓͈͖͖̳̱̬͓͓̱̬̲͚̻̰̖͕̳̞͙̜̼̮͕̭̙̪̱͉̳̣̦̙̳̰̲͇̳̹̳̦̮̻͙̬̱̯͈̥̻̜̮͖̟̭͇̰̥̻̰̞̲̻͚̳͍̫̭̘̘͍̙̬͓͙̠͎̫̝͔̫̼̞̼̝̘̟̲̣̗̞͇̯͈̪͕̱̥͚̻̤̪͖̬̜͇̻͖̹̟̹̩̻̼͚͓̺̹̾́̃̅̈́̂͋̈́̓̋̒̓͗̀͑̐̊̄̌̃̿̅̍̄̓́̾̿̈̉̇̇͆̈́̈́́̈́̐̌͊̓̾́̏̒̈́͆̂͐̓͗̿̆̔̇̌́͂́̃̊̊͆̇̈́̾̒̍̈́̈́̋̃̅͋̽̃͂̑̉̌̌̽̀͑̀͂̌̂͊͆́̌̍̏̾̌̀̉͗̈́̈̽͆̓̐̒͐̏͑̈̅̓̾̿̽̽̆̆̊̋͊͐̈́̆̉̌̔̓͐͑̃̀̓͛̐̏̇̅͌͛͌̈́̀̏͊̀̏̊̎͛̑̔̊̏͆͌͋͛͊̈̿̔̏̅̓͒́͆̉́͐͊̕͘͘͘̕͘̚̚͘͜͜͜͜͜͠͠͝͠͝͠͝͠͝͝͠ͅͅͅͅͅͅͅÃ̵̧̡̨̧̡̨̨̧̧̡̨̡̡̨̧̨̨̡̢̨̡̞̫̤̘̙̲̲̖̲͇̻̼̺̲̙̥̭̺̫̞̼̣̞̝̘̗̼͓̬̭͙̼̹̬͓͔͉̟̺̲͓̻̯̬͕̜̯̗̻͈̱̰̭̲̞͙̞̘͖̲̞͔̞̥̘̩̳̺͈̜̻͔͓͔̯̪̗͇̼̯̹͇̱̰͚̣̺͉̪̫̮͔̹̱͍̥̺̱͈̟̺̥͓̫̗̤̼̬̜̠̼̦̼̭͇̱͖̬̦̬̺̜̻̺̟̝̫̲͙͙̩̻͉̞̼͙̭̟̘͉̰̘̖̘͓̝̦̳̱̣̳̬̘͍̳̥̞̮͕̭̰̻͖͖͚̫̘͖̫̯͔̪͉͔͙̰͈͙̬̲̭̗̗̙̣͚͎̳͙̯̠̰̗͈̲̠͙͙͈̫̘̗̓̏̂̀͂̈͋̅̿̆̈́̐͜͜͜͜͜͜ͅͅͅͅŢ̷̢̧̧̡̨̧̢̡̡̧̨̛̛̛̻̩̬͖͖̬͕̞͍̟͔̣̖͉̦͇͈̹̹͚̙̦͔̻̘̝̬͖̹͍̭͈̝̜̳̣͔̘̟̮̖̯͖̤̥͇͖̪̪̫͔̝̫̰͈̪̞̜̼͚̰̺͈̜͎̻̰͙͔̤̫̲͚̹̐͋̆̔͌̈̌̌̑̓̇̉̏̆́̀̒̂̄͌͑̆́̒̾̾͒͋̄͂͊̂̇̐͂̾́͒̍͌̏͐͋̓̃́̐̏̍̈́͂̅̄͂̈͂͌͛̒̉̊͒̑̔̓̄͒̃̀͒̓̔̕͘̕͘̚̚͝͝͝͠͝͝͝͝͠͝͝ͅͅȨ̶̧̧̡̛̛̛̦̠͕̻̘̮̼̝̠͙̫̱̘̩̯̤̘̹͇̟͎̠̌̒͒̓̀̎͑̿̒͗̒̿͒͗̀͒͌̌̔͑̽̀̈́̑͐̋͆͋͆̾͌̈́̈́̑̈́̒̀̓̐̾̑͗̂̑͌̒̏̈́͑̂́̾̂̈́͌̊̑̽̄̆̑́̍̃̐̈́͐͊͌̐̓̅͆̇͆̾̂̈́̑́̆̿͋̈̉̋̆́̐̃͐͆̍̉̑̇̑̈̅̂̀̽͆̆̔͒̈́̄̿̒̄͆̎͊͂̀̒̍̆̅̉̒̔̔̏̔̔̀͛̈́͗̋͐̔͑̈́̀̽̀̆̐̔͆̋͌́̽͊̉́͒́̈́͌̅̿̅̇̓̄̒̏͛͑͆̀̈́͌͌́̈̈́̊͛̀̈́̏̓͂̔̂̎͂̑͛̈́̈́̈́͐̐͐͊̃̀̅̓̈́̍͗̌̂̄̀͊͋͐̀̐͊̈̿̐̉̒̈́̋̇͘̚̕͘̕̚̕̕̚̚͘͘̚̚̕͘͘̚̚͝͝͝͝͝͝͝͝͠͠͝͝͝͝͠͝ͅͅͅͅȒ̵̨̢̧̢̨̧̨̨̢̡̧̢̧̨̢̨̧̛̛̛̛̛̳̪̝̦̞̮̖͍͎͎̹͈͉͍͓͇͓̼̻̞͉͈̯̮̝̜͙͎̲̭͖̗͎̤̘̦̪̭̲̰͚̘̙̮͎̮̪͇̠͙̟͉̮̩̫̞͇̣͙͍̥͓̻̞͖͓͚͓̼̪̩̮̭̼̻̗̗͈̻̺͎̯̱͕͕̠̣̯̮͓̻̫͙̳̞͇̬̞͈̗̱͇̼̫̰̖̯̰̖̫̮̝̼̜̘̖̺̫̗̪̰̟͈̳̦̫̥͈̱̣͍͖̮̻̣͎͈͎̺̻͔̱̙̘̺̥͍͙͔̙̗̰̫͍͔̥̟͎͔̞̹̤̻̠͙͖͙̬̫͖̖͇̞̮̦͙̗̦͙̬̰̗̺̜̟̻̬̝̰̩̹̰̦̜̖̝͈̞͔̻̮͓͚̘͙̝̈́̆̈́̅̈́̀̽͗̊̈́̈́̉̇͊͊̾͑͆̽̊͋̍͌̽̏̀́̉̇̉̋̅͑̏̀͋̾̂̈́́́̅̎͑͑̿͗͆͋̽̂́̀̈́͑̈́͂́̓̉́́͛̐̒͋́͒̿͆͋̒͆͌͆̍͛͒́̿̔͗̍̃͊͑̅̀̎̎͂̅̑͑̀̅̎̑͒̉͒͋̀̈́͐̆̈́̆͗̀̍̂͊̈́̋́̆͆̅̒̄͛̌̈̋́̓̏̂̉̿̅́̑̂̌̋̃̿͂̊̈́̏́̿͊̽͗̓̓̎̿̑͊̐̾́̈́̈́̑̏̇̀͂̓̈̐̚̚̚̕̚͘͘̚̚͘̚̚͜͜͜͜͜͜͜͜͠͝͝͝͝͝͠͝͠͝ͅͅͅͅ

[@thaias9654]

I love that this quote is real

[@tinalavender8158]

YAS VEGGIETALES

[@nallyaaaaaa]

still the best quote

[@TheirStoryVault]

yes!

[@kingkenno8803]

This video just confirms to me that comedy is a subject that we can all understand in our own way yet is incredibly difficult to teach another.

[@thatonevexation1201]

Preach it to the choir. I have no idea what I just watched or how it helped

[@myeahok]

Wow, even the comment section isn't funny.

[@Galliut]

+hadroncollidier Disco! HAHDUHEHAUHHEHAUHDHAUHEHUHDHUAHFHUAH!!!!!!!1111!!1!!!!

[@skilletlord3800]

What! Quick, someone quote an iconic vine!

[@lonestarr1490]

@@skilletlord3800 I like trains.

[@aRandomwacko]

@@skilletlord3800 bird up

[@carealoo744]

'Disco.'

[@daveteves]

The narrator kept pushing in the "disco" joke. It's just not working.

[@zoeb102]

Dave Teves true. The beginning was ok but it starts to get dry.

[@jaykay6249]

I laughed every time.

[@woodenwind9456]

Dave Teves I agree it would of been better if they kept the first few, then kept the last one and trashed the rest

[@miklosmedgyesi9867]

i think it was okay, and the last one was rly funny cuz i should have been propered for that, but i wasnt... surprise... dots.. connected.... laughter.... just as she said. :D

[@comforttwala20]

Dave Teves 😂😂😂😂

[@dizzyi6214]

So it's about this scientist named Rick And he turns himself into a pickle. He becomes Pickle Rick

[@treehousegames7903]

2:26

[@mightypurplelicious1625]

HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHAHAHHAAHAHAHHAAHHAHAAHAHHAHAHAHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHAHAHHAAHAHAHHAAHHAHAAHAHHAHAHAHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHAHAHHAAHAHAHHAAHHAHAAHAHHAHAHAHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHAHAHHAAHAHAHHAAHHAHAAHAHHAHAHAHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHAHAHHAAHAHAHHAAHHAHAAHAHHAHAHAHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

[@frogg1ofrog715]

Its the funniest thing I've ever seen

[@nrggvrn5576]

Is fany hahaha

[@dhruvpaniker9661]

I DONT UNDERSTAND Y IT GETS ME EVERY SINGLE TIME

[@nallyaaaaaa]

"we laugh at things that seem out of place or run up our expectations" ah, no wonder us gen z people laugh at the most random stuff

[@SharkSalesman90]

Shakimomo

[@DarkShadows713]

*Gun*

[@imselfaware419]

Wow, modern kids are so broken they see everything as a step up from what they know and deal with. That is top notch sad af.

[@cereal690]

E

[@panuru9175]

You made me laught pal dammit​@@SharkSalesman90

[@yeahh267]

random does not equal funny

[@LePezzy66]

Biches!

[@doctorxcraft630]

Bad day?

[@DynestiGTI]

poop

[@rghsrty4e]

+HCN 27.0253g/mol That's rude :(

[@legofan431]

Exactly

[@boy638]

Please do a video on what is humour and why we laugh. I wonder what's the evolution benefit of laughter for example...

[@Dickstick]

+boy638 The easiest answer would be "for socialising". No other mammal tells stories and that includes funny stories or jokes. Laughing comes from the ridiculously that occures in jokes when the answer or punch line is so suprisingly awkward *or* logical for the hearer that he/she's overwhelmed. Telling jokes *right* is the real challenge.

[@CadetGriffin]

And why/how the poop comes out when we laugh on the toilet.

[@stumbling]

+boy638 Laughter is a reaction to a sudden surprise followed by realisation that everything is okay. The first "joke" ever was probably a rustling bush that someone thought was a tiger but ended up being a small shrew or the wind blowing. Have you ever laughed after a dangerous near miss? I once surprised myself when I cracked up laughing after just making it off a collapsing, makeshift log bridge, I was in hysterics but also thinking "why am I laughing? That was really scary! I could have easily broken both my legs!" I think it is your body pumping you full of endorphins to counter-balance the stress of the situation you just escaped from. Comedy replicates the effect in our heads, we get really confused and worried as our brains get tricked but then we realise what happened and make sense of it and laugh. I think comedy is like mental magic (as in tricks, not "real" magic). A comedian uses words to achieve the same effect as a magician does with props. They are both testing our sense of logic, deceiving us and then leading us to a resolution.

[@minimooster7258]

search Zogg From Betelgeuse. Your welcome :(

[@minimooster7258]

+minimooster **:)

[@EricHeidenAuthor]

My favorite type of comedic "incongruity" is pairing an action with an unlikely reaction, like when a character UNDER-reacts to something major or serious. For example, take the "Fractured Fairy Tales" version of 'Androcles and the Lion.' When the title character learns that he's going to be thrown to the lions, his immediate reaction-rather than something a normal person would do, like weep in terror-is to simply get annoyed and say "well, this is sure going to ruin my summer."

[@pureawkwardness415]

"Why are there so many disco jokes here?" "That's *nun* of your business" I'm so sorry

[@erickmartinez5631]

I don't nun-derstand

[@gatsbymaguire]

This is funnier than the actual video.

[@nadiahapsari3359]

Get out

[@darla4528]

Omg hahahahaha

[@allieserencio]

it's the "im so sorry" for me

[@stynkanator]

I personally love the what ifs. They are fun because you imagination flows and it usually takes you to ridiculous places. Which are often funny because they are absurd.

[@liviamoreira8938]

What amazed me is that was also Neil Gaiman's number one tip for writing at all... (it's in the posface on "Sons of Anansi")

[@liviamoreira8938]

ops "Anansi Boys"

[@alphaamoeba]

And Disco

[@tolvfen]

Or cartoony goofy?

[@chronicgamesde]

Something I feel like this is really missing, is the Focus of comedy on true aspects of human nature. Take for example a epic drama scene in which the ceo makes a speech, but the cinematography, (lighting, camersa angles, etc) Highlights him dropping a pen a bunch of time because he is fidgeting with it, or it highlights his "uhms" instead of the actual content, all while still reinforcing the epicness with movie and hard lighting and so on. You can make a comedy out of almost everything simply by focusing on things that are usually ignored and how absurd we really are. A Action Hero can be awesome but what if he gets hurts in stupid ways a lot (Jackie Chan) or what if the detective is incredible Smart, but the cobclusion is always something simple or dna evidence solvds the case? In a way comedy is a Genre deconstruction of every other.

[@takudhewa5779]

thanks I've been looking into making a comedical short film but I never knew what to include or what to add since I'm not the funniest guy but a person who loves reading and watching comedies.

[@chronicgamesde]

I highly recommened the book the hidden tools of comedy. Most of what I wrote here I learned from this. It is far from perfect, but it really explains nicely what comedy is and how to do better comedy.

[@gr33n80]

Exaggeration in short

[@minhucnguyen5532]

T8g

[@minhucnguyen5532]

T8g

[@haringyna5591]

irony and satire are the main ingredient in comedy

[@CaramellDark]

2:27 “I choose pickle” My brain: PicKLe RICk!!

[@littleblueclovers]

Another thing that makes comedy is to return to jokes. If you watch a standup comedy special, chances are that they'll make 10 jokes and later on, reference the 1st one.

[@WhitneyHaverstock]

They call that a 'callback' in the biz. 😉

[@tolvfen]

It's about having funny commedy in a story

[@TheAnakinn]

In Germany we have a word for laughing at something bad happening to someone else: "Schadenfreude" (=damage/harm joy) And a proverb says that that's the best kind of joy :D

[@CadetGriffin]

Where? What proverb? What does the Bible verse say?

[@TheAnakinn]

Didn't say anything about a bible verse. It's just a german proverb

[@Vini2142BR]

German is not even a true language, its mostly a rip off of english and canadian. So gtfo.

[@TheAnakinn]

I hope you're trolling...

[@TheGuardian163]

+Vinicius Ferreira hahahahhahahahhahahahahahahahahaha

[@raptorthegamer5524]

Or you can do something that makes the reader think, like "What was the first person to milk a cow doing with the cow"

[@Quarkycheese]

go away the kids wont get it

[@PewPewFig]

"What do pickles make me think of?" Oh boy

[@erickmartinez5631]

Let's tickle the pickle

[@UrbanSipfly]

Ha ha ha!!

[@bundo2230]

"Ancient greek funny man". I wish I could achieve a title that glorious.

[@natanaga9892]

What's up with the Disco joke?

[@audreyyu5153]

NataNaga it isnt funny without a k

[@chaitea5821]

What the deal with Disco jokes, amiright amiright?

[@opossumontheinternet9864]

iTs FuNnY bEcAuSe ItS rAnDeM!11!11 XDXDXXD

[@A_very_good_cheese]

it follows every rule DISCO

[@pablochamber411]

@@audreyyu5153 disco joe then

[@howlite6220]

The animator/s probably had a blast illustrating and animating these scenes

[@studiocurtis]

I found this video to have an amazing amount of helpful info, especially considering it's only a five-minutes. I love the animated presentation. It's interesting to see that the classic comedic archetypes have remained relevant from the renaissance to now. There are a number of valuable tips here to get the writing process going in the right direction. Thank you.

[@draevonmay7704]

When she told me to remember a funny story or book, I thought of Monty Python. Then she brought up the coconuts. But my only problem is: where did she get the coconuts? I mean, African swallows are non migratory.

[@umnikos]

coconuts are transported by ships... or even mail

[@Shadowhunter82767]

+Alex Stefanov (umnikos) you do not get the joke, do you?

[@bbbeware]

Maybe she used a European swallow

[@draevonmay7704]

+bbbeware bb You know, I thought of that. But when you think about it, a five ounce bird could not carry a one pound coconut. It's really a simple matter of weight ratios.

[@Stupidindeed]

Maybe there was 2 swallows?

[@qwertyb18]

This made basic sense until you said "try using words with a "K" sound."

[@willmk4042]

Kkk

[@bakedice6767]

you know, maybe they were right

[@reanetsemoleleki8219]

I think the Ku Klux Klan is hilarious.

[@potatowarrior747]

o *K* Ay...

[@ultra-flamaxus]

*CA* K - CAre

[@greenleafyman1028]

Timing + Rhyme + Unpredictable + Facial Expression + Weird Voice = Burst laugh Best formula for telling a joke. You can only have 3 of this elements as long as timing would not be excluded.

[@KateHolloman]

Thanks for sharing, definitely useful :)

[@gatsbymaguire]

Was this sarcasm?

[@danny90099]

Either that or her humor are same level as amy schumer

[@chickennuggets1837]

AMOGUS SUS

[@karsim83]

monthy python

[@DynestiGTI]

Masters of comedy

[@hillhank3070]

+Karsim shrawasti Are you suggesting coconuts migrate?

[@draevonmay7704]

+Zenkichi Hitoyoshi Not at all! They could be carried.

[@GhastlyDerp]

+Draevon May But for them to be carried in time, we need to know what the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow is!

[@draevonmay7704]

+GhastlyDerp It's actually 10 m/s

[@JazzyWaffles]

It's sad that a video that can't even warrant a chuckle is trying to tell me how to do comedy.

[@AnshumanthRao]

if you'd watched, you'd know that humour is subjective

[@Lisferator]

+Rice Waffle was just a few simple examples, but is how them said, humor is relative.... everything is funny, and nothing is, all depends of the eye of who listen, or the ear of who see...

[@Jason608]

+Rice Waffle Yeah, this was mostly cringe-worthy, but I admit to laughing at the body builder rabbit.

[@loupax]

+Rice Waffle Meh. If that argument worked, you wouldn't need advice to write humor. Just binge watch funny videos on youtube and you'd eventually become a comedy genious.

[@JazzyWaffles]

+James D (I laughed at that comment way too much omg XD)

[@juanvaldivia8001]

he turned himself into a pickle, funniest thing i've ever seen

[@JoThNoMi]

normie has been found

[@JoThNoMi]

oh wait i'm a normie.

[@juanvaldivia8001]

@@JoThNoMi you're 1 year too late

[@JoThNoMi]

@@juanvaldivia8001 i'm replying for no reasons.

[@jauxro]

Sometimes defamiliarizing yourself with a concept can help make it funnier. Like, explaining something that makes sense in a way that makes it seem weird.

[@nekosquealer3423]

the reason why i am watching ted ed videos its bcs i spent my entire week binge watching netflix and youtubers that i couldn't study at all so i am trying to make my week useful by at least learning sth

[@Trollfagget]

I remember someone saying comedy is establishing a situation, where the end result is one of the most feasible options but not the one that was expected; while absurdity is a minute spice. For example (not a joke), I was telling my father a true story about a young boy, who had an unhealthy obsession with beans, so severe that it caused a financial crisis to the family as well as emotional strain, a permeating smell in the house caused by flatulence and a separation between the wife and husband. That's where the story ends; my father looks at me sort of disappointed and asks: `"So, what? Did they kill him?" His "final solution" was abrupt, blunt but realistic and it made me chuckle. Then he explained you need to end your story on something, otherwise there is no impact. I guess you had to be there.

[@pandabear1136]

Ted-ed: How to make your writing funnier Me: write about my life, it's a joke Edit 2023: OMFG how emo I was back then 💀💀💀

[@SharkSalesman90]

Oof

[@aashi_1657]

*cough* but jokes at least have meanings in them *cough*

[@durgeshojha5263]

@@aashi_1657 STAY AWAY FROM ME! AHHHH

[@jatinoham]

Send me your life story let's see it's funny or not.

[@Sketchy.editz123]

Same💀💀💀

[@GeekSchoolTutoring]

Always live what Ted produces and this is a perfect example of why! Well done. 🙌🏽

[@ShawnRavenfire]

Taking a page from the Friedberg & Seltzer school of comedy, if you can't think of a punch line, just have the characters start dancing.

[@nova-kiin]

Is it just me or does the nice intro (and outro) melody feel reaaaaaally good to the brain? It never fails to make me happy.

[@naveennandhanan547]

I actually laughed when the narrator said CriKets @4:19 😂😂😂😜😜😜

[@leonardowendhausen]

"Comedy is subjective, Muray..." 4:24

[@dontwatchtheworldburn3673]

I really liked the animation style.

[@imzabatch]

I think the 'secret to comedy is surprise' thing is true for my humor, I love when things just are unexpected and come out of no where

[@thomasedgerley7453]

2:35 PICKLE RICK!!

[@johnnybadboy3475]

People forget how good the sound editing is

[@intricatelie8156]

Now we know how Nigahiga makes his videos

[@E--Drop]

Jared Nguyen I'm sure he'd be disappointed in seeing this video.

[@rajattiwari6076]

he actually uses the zig zig zag pattern sometimes

[@argentumaurum9077]

KZbin ReRyan

[@bobjones5524]

Funny Bunny 2 wasn't as good as the first one

[@Kianleahy]

So true

[@PRGME7]

I like it

[@PRGME7]

I think they are making a third

[@jennifercramer2156]

PRGME7 I preferred the books.

[@PRGME7]

+Swamp Witch yea but the movies have a better story

[@nashvillejohnson355]

The more specific the details, the funnier the story. This is gold.

[@M60T]

2:25 funniest thing I've ever seen

[@seignee]

LMAO

[@seignee]

actual funny comment i died of a heart attack and several illnesses

[@M60T]

@@seignee F

[@onee]

Inherently funny words: It is part of the mythology of actors and writers that the consonant plosives (so called because they start suddenly or "explosively") p, b, t, d, k, and g are the funniest sounds in the English language.

[@Xx_BoogieBomber_xX]

particularly the plosives without voicing.

[@1nherit0r]

I loved Cheri's class back in college. Such a fun class!

[@Dev_599]

Very very well made video! Like, I genuinely feel this is one of Ted Ed's best works.

[@MarenWeiers]

Thank you for this video!! It’s amazing!

[@E--Drop]

This is why don't watch "how to be funny" videos.

[@ritik3359]

Why

[@digaddog6099]

I mean, casually explained had a funny video. I haven't used it, but it at least comes from a reliable source

[@themustardthe]

Digaddog the casually explained one was great

[@Recuvan]

This *Zig Zig Zag* thing reminded me of this girl drawing dragons using maths...

[@alohaparadisegirls1686]

There is nothing more contagious than laughter and good humor ....and chocolate

[@evac3820]

Pickle Rick, is that you? 2:40

[@FantasyAngel-zj7bw]

I laughed all the way through this video and now all I can think of is why no sentence ever seems to end the way I think it octopus.

[@RedAmalgam2000]

this put a smile on my face, thanks!

[@sapphiresushi3437]

Thank you! This was very helpful.

[@Loki-ir5py]

there's nothing more contagious than laughter

[@dillan3253]

"What do pickles make you think of?"

[@timondet-rex6379]

K... Heh Kk... Hehe kkk whahahaha.... Wait...

[@Northflowo]

I laughed at this comment.

[@GigaDarkness]

remember when the kkk enslaved and killed all those black people? that was funny because it happened to somebody else. because logic.

[@Ace_Angelo]

Ayyy KoolKidzKlub

[@idolmike6779]

@@GigaDarkness Not the facts, but maybe a lighthearted joke based on it.

[@hiddenmongoose7314]

dude, you're already a genius. why do you need this video???

[@MuditVerma]

Very helpful info, thank you!

[@owobabbleowo6859]

I just like the animation a lot!😂

[@vgenial]

i lost it here 2:04

[@zsupersaiyan]

I laughed at the last disco joke, that wasn't expected, well-played TedEd

[@YourAnimation]

This video is awesome. I created the my last animation using the tricks showed here. The feedbacks I got are unexpectedly positive, so I grateful that you shared it with us.

[@benjaminjohannessanchez3310]

Wonderful narration!

[@prashuanand]

Going to my favorite playlist.

[@rghsrty4e]

Okay.

[@HummusPvm]

It shouldn't, the tips you got here was absolute shit

[@andrewryan5162]

+iDropAll Pkers They gave a few decent tips but basing all of your jokes off of the example jokes given in a "comedy guide" is bound to fail. But thats not what they had in mind for this video. The most important tips they gave were the ones on how "comedy is subjective" and how to get in the work flow such as writing down jokes as they come to your head until you find something unique and funny. Other good tips they gave were drawing connections between things, and pointing out flaws and playing it up. You can see many popular comedies use these to their advantage.

[@HummusPvm]

+Andrew Ryan well in theory this sounds good but... Let's take a carrot for example. Carrots are orange, orange is the name of a fruit and a color. I like oranges. Oranges are used in certain foods. *cant think of anything more* Carrots are long. Carrots are hard. SO IS MY PENIS. Is it this you are talking about when it comes to the mind map thing? Like my "second example succeeded"? Coz I don't really get what is flawed that I'm supposed to fill in with a carrot and a mind map...

[@andrewryan5162]

iDropAll Pkers I think you misunderstood, the mind chart is just a tool to help you create jokes, not the joke itself. So if you don't put any creativity, effort, or timing into it of course the joke isn't going to work. All the tips they gave where meant to be used in conjunction with one another. Don't blame the video because you have a harder time at grasping the balance that you must have to actually amount to good comedy.

[@scottseptember1992]

Surprise is the key, which is why puns are hilarious. For example, I'm going to tell all of you a fruity joke...so prepear

[@CadetGriffin]

Orange you already grape at this?

[@dogiz6952]

Puns are the cheapest form of jokes. Their only redeeming value is their cringe factor.

[@scottseptember1992]

Ninjawa Ya..puns can be a trashy form of jokes..litter-ally. Ya that was a pun describing a pun, sorry it's...bin a while

[@lisazoria2709]

Well...Shakespeare was fond of them. :/

[@courtneyhorny261]

+scottseptember1992 hahahahahah

[@aidanwansbrough7495]

Thanks for the video!

[@TallGuyProds]

Thanks that got me started!

[@INDIOcomvoce1]

great material!

[@LawsCrown]

Shphynx Nah it's pretty CHEESY GET IT LIKE GRATE AND CHEESE and Shut up I'm funny

[@hunterglyon2586]

this was great! for more development of the comic mindset, be sure to read "Truth in Comedy" by the great improv maestro, Del Close.

[@rghsrty4e]

+Mask Phantasm Yes, that's a great song.

[@laughandblueb2201]

This is like class, I listen and try my best to understand but right after it ends I forget all of it.

[@nardo218]

Thank you!

[@hub3rty]

2:30 I'M PICKLE RICK!

[@DoctorOPlays]

4:36 Side Show Bob (The Simpsons)

[@Erikhengstrumcontent]

Fantastic. Thank You.

[@lukeymonat8411]

I've been thinking about becoming a comedian for a while now. Thank you for the tips :)

[@poolboyinla]

Kraft (K-word) is funny.

[@rghsrty4e]

Kraft is not a K-word.

[@spliter88]

+ziellone neither is coconut.

[@poolboyinla]

Spliter I am cooking in coconut oil right now.

[@rghsrty4e]

Travis Kraft Well, that's healthy

[@technologywontsaveus]

+Travis Kraft Kraft durch Freude?

[@ARTOFFICIVL]

Thank you for this guys

[@pokeball8979]

Very good visualisation and information

[@discotrader]

I love DISCO lol.

[@BrainBlatster]

"I chose pickle" my connection: "RIIIIIIIIIIIICK!!"

[@douglasfernandes6908]

Amazing video! Thankyou

[@Raymond_Cooper]

Very funny. You made me laugh. Extremely useful as well.

[@corphish129]

Oh, I get it! The expectation is that because the video is about humor, it will therefore be funny. However, the fact that the video was not in any way funny subverts our expectations of it, and therefore makes it funny again. Classic!

[@weirdverma]

I don't have any sense of humour but I've still written a few funny poems. The key for me to be as unreasonable as I could be in a realistic scenerio. It's all about timing, surprise and rewriting

[@lesqie]

Thank you Ted

[@chandrakalapambi3583]

I just LOVE this narrator's voice

[@kenbobca]

Another great video. Thanks, you made me laugh.

[@kuldeepravishankar4726]

thanks for it hope you lied

[@switjive17]

Even deeper comedy is when you expect something to happen, then it actually happens but it is still funny.

[@EyesLikeBlues1]

Some first-aid for my writer's block 😁. Thanks a bunch!

[@saro4562]

Whoo that's something I needed today

[@joaquinm9148]

Well said! Most people complain about flanderization, which is taking a character trait and making that trait their main personality. What people don’t realize is that this has been done since the Renaissance, like you guys said. If anything, flanderization allows for funnier moments according to this logic.

[@theradionicrevival8068]

The issue with is is that comedy can be/often has nuance Hitting the same well too many times can lead to diminishing returns If you tell the same joke in the exact same way with 0 changes, you're bound to get bored Most funny jokes are at their funniest the first time they're heard or understood, that third time will rarely hit the same as the first. So it's important to add distance spice it up etc in a way that still keeps you on your toes. Some people genuinely flanderize so much to the point where they have one joke that they just turn too predictable

[@joaquinm9148]

@@theradionicrevival8068 Oh yeah, predictability is also a problem. In economy I learned about this thing calles Marginal Benefit, which Is the benefit you get for each unit you consume of a certain product. For example, if you consume one bottle of soda, it has a great impact on you and you feel satisfied. By the fifth soda bottle you will not feel the same satisfaction you felt the first time, because marginal benefit decreases the more units you consume. The same thing happens here, like you said.