SYDNEY COMEDY MASTERCLASS « The Cheeky Monkey A practical understanding of comedy is vital for any writer. In this 2-day master class, one of Australia’s most successful comedians ‘unlocks the code’ to comedy writing. Tim Ferguson offers processes and insights necessary for professional screenwriters to expand their skills base into writing comedy for television and film. Despite what you might think, comedy is not a mysterious art. It is a craft based upon ancient principles. These principles are universally applied through all comedies. This revolutionary master class presents writers with practical processes to devise comic characters, conflict and stories. The course includes lectures, script analysis, workshopping and the viewing of excerpts from sitcoms and comedy films. Narrative comedy is the world’s most popular and lucrative form of screenwriting. You’ll be writing comedy before you know it. WHEN: 22 Sep 2012 – 23 Sep 2012 9:00AM – 5:00PM (first session) 2 sessions, 16 hours total For BOOKINGS, click HERE
How to Listen to Music: A Vintage Guide to the 7 Essential Skills by Maria Popova “Respond esthetically to all sounds, from the hum of the refrigerator motor or the paddling of oars on a lake, to the tones of a cello or muted trumpet.” Music has a powerful grip on our emotional brain. It can breathe new life into seemingly lifeless minds. From the wonderful vintage book Music: Ways of Listening, originally published in 1982, comes this outline of the seven essential skills of perceptive listening, which author and composer Elliott Schwartz argues have been “dulled by our built-in twentieth-century habit of tuning out” and thus need to be actively developed. Develop your sensitivity to music. Music: Ways of Listening is to listening what Mortimer Adler’s How to Read a Book is to reading — a timeless, yet remarkably timely meditation of a skill-intensive art we all too frequently mistake for a talent or, worse yet, a static pre-wired capacity. Donating = Loving Bringing you (ad-free) Brain Pickings takes hundreds of hours each month. Share on Tumblr
Nature Sounds How To Tell A Story--Right Now--From A Master Of Improv What we say matters a great deal, but so does what we don’t say. There are times when you just can’t afford to clam up when called upon to contribute. While it’s impractical to be forever armed with go-to stories on every conceivable topic—just in case your boss or a bridal party should parachute out of the sky, seeking your input—there are ways to prepare for off-the-cuff storytelling. If anyone knows the ins and outs of speaking extemporaneously, it’s Matt Besser. Along with Amy Poehler and Adam McKay, Besser is one of the original members of Upright Citizens Brigade, the improv and sketch troupe that eventually launched a show on Comedy Central, several theaters and schools, and also the careers of everyone from Ed Helms to Aziz Ansari and Donald Glover. Besser also directed a movie recently, and he hosts a weekly improv podcast, called, simply, Improv4Humans. One of the longest-running shows at the UCB theatre in New York and Los Angeles is called ASSSSCAT. Know When to Hold Back
5 Artists You Should Know In 2011 The hits just keep on coming — so much excellent music rolls out each week that it can be hard just to keep up. In 2011, Bon Iver, Wilco, Raphael Saadiq, The Decemberists, Gillian Welch, Tinariwen, Elbow, Tom Waits and Fleet Foxes all met high expectations. Shabazz Palaces, James Blake and Wild Flag dropped highly anticipated debuts that lived up to the advance buzz. Charles Bradley came out of nowhere, stripping his heart and soul bare on his debut album (No Time for Dreaming) at age 61. And legendary funk guitarist Dennis Coffey descended from cloud nine and a 20-year hiatus to lay down some wicked new original tracks. In 2011, even with more outlets than ever for discovering and sharing new music, it's nearly impossible for even the most dedicated music lover to keep up.
The Second City Way Of Better Brainstorming Have you ever called a brainstorming meeting, briefed your group on the topic, and given the greenlight for freeform discussion, only to be met by blank stares, tepid enthusiasm, and middle-of-the-road ideas? Thinking you've just lit the fuse for a thought explosion, this muted response can be a disappointment, to say the least. But it shouldn’t be. If your team isn't used to working without the safety net of careful preparation and scripted presentations, they have reason to be cautious. Second City Communications applies the wisdom gained through improv comedy to help companies be more innovative and creative with their thinking. Here are seven tactics to help spur uninhibited expression. 1. Practice is important, but so is a culture that encourages offbeat--even "wrong"--ideas. Relaxing decorum and the emphasis on being correct allows people to be wrong in good ways. 2. Above all, you must respect the process. Yorton says that these rules of engagement are often absent in business.
Master Class: How to Develop Bits Like a Late Night Talk Show Writer In the 1970s, if you wanted to have a laugh before drifting off to sleep, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson was the only game in town, more or less. With the advent of cable and DVR, and then Twitter and podcasts, modern audiences have since been inundated with options for their late-night fix of funny. As a result, those who currently work within the talk-show format are forced to find innovative ways to stay fresh and entice viewers back night after night, all while maintaining a consistent voice. It’s a difficult balancing act, but one pulled off with aplomb by comedians like Andres du Bouchet, who is a writer for TBS’s Conan. Du Bouchet started writing and performing comedy in New York in 1997, specializing in absurdist bits that succeeded on the strength of their own internal logic. His particular brand of alt-comedy eventually earned him a distinction as one of Time Out New York's Best Comedians of 2004. The Moment of Inspiration Thinking Ahead Is Part of Writing
Singing From the Inside Out – The Personal, the Public, The Private and The Penal: The Innovation Interview with Julian Arahanga, Rhuia Aperahama and Evan Rhys Davies Innovation and Inspiration can be sought, and found, in some of the most surprising places. Of course, it will come as no surprise to regular readers of the ‘Capital I’ Innovation Series, that I am a firm believe in the necessity of innovation in all things, be it in art, technology, science, education or social sciences. I shall be ever grateful to my Kiwi connection, Steve Gray, for introducing me to ‘Songs From the Inside,’ a music therapy programme in New Zealand, which brings established musicians into the Rimutaka and Arohata correction facilities to teach songwriting to prisoners. Though music therapy is used in correctional facilities worldwide, this is the first time established musicians have been brought in and the program recorded for public viewing. Songs From the Inside <p>JavaScript required to play <a hreflang="en" type="video/mp4" href=" From the Inside</a>. Congratulations on the project! And you did!
Arts and Crafts: Keys to Scientific Creativity Over the course of a career , what makes one scientist more successful than another? The Scientist Project, a longitudinal study of a diverse set of scientists, revealed an unsuspected secret: arts and crafts hobbies. In 1958, UCLA psychologist Bernice Eiduson recruited forty young scientists from the Los Angeles area, mainly at UCLA and CalTech, who agreed to undergo a battery of psychological and IQ tests every five years for an indefinite period. The scientists also agreed to interviews about their work habits, career aspirations, successes and failures, cultural activities, and so forth. Statistics on their publications and citations were gathered as well. Within twenty years it was clear that the Scientist Project might indeed reveal some secrets of great science. Extracting those clues from the data, however, proved difficult. • have one or more avocations (some as many as a dozen!) • cite ways in which their avocations promoted their scientific work; and