And here we go with the third part of this series on the topic "Guide to funny speech". Today I would like to deal briefly with the highest art of the Comedy and the funny speeches, the Gagschreiben. As described in the second part of this series, you can also make wonderfully funny speeches with jokes and anecdotes from a wide variety of sources. But if you really want to win and are willing to invest time, energy and creativity, you should try to come up with a few punchlines that have been thought up and formulated especially for this occasion. So now here’s a brief overview of gag writing and the link to my series of posts: guide to gag writing.
Anatomy of a gag or. Jokes
Anatomy of a gag? Yes, that’s a full-bodied headline and, of course, way over the top. There can be no such thing as the definitive anatomy of a gag or joke. There are so many different types of jokes that it’s impossible to come up with a foolproof formula. But, and this had to come now, there is a basic bone structure to build a gag. And this is the basic framework.
Prejudices are funny
Oh my god. Did he really write that now? Yes, I did, even though it sounds so terribly politically incorrect. prejudices are funny. We all have them, we more or less admit it, hopefully we don’t let them lead us to hate and evil deeds, but we can all laugh about them too. Correction, we all always laugh about it. The left about the prejudices against the right, the women about those against the men, the Austrians about those about the Germans, and so on. Why? Preconceptions are part of our life because they are just true. Fat people like to eat, old people get slow, men don’t think with their brains, Italians talk with their hands…. General prejudices can be assumed to be known by the audience, and that’s why you can use them so well for gags. This general foreknowledge allows for short punchlines, clear humor targets and a common understanding of comedy. Prejudices are a good and constant source of gags.
When Adam didn’t come home one night, Eve counted his ribs in the morning.
Exaggeration is funny
Comedy is very often the description of ridiculousness. And if we’re going to laugh at the comedian’s crazy words and actions, the awkward situations he gets into or accompanies, make sure they’re really crazy and awkward. The greater the exaggeration, the better for the punchline. Give up any restraint. Exaggerate with words and gestures. The humor lies in the absurdity of the performance. Great exaggerations bring great laughs.
My girlfriend’s handbag is not big, no, last time she got her own postal code for it from the city of Vienna.
Short gags are cool
Short gags with few words work best. Our world, consisting of Facebook, SMS, Twitter and others ensures that we have a shorter and shorter attention span. We have learned to analyze any message very quickly, reduce it to important info and process it quickly. The basic gag formula: Premise, setup, and punchline is all an audience needs and wants. Short gags and jokes are the ones we remember best and are most likely to tell again.
Behind every successful man is a surprised woman.
Irony is the trump card
The irony of many fates, life situations or life itself is a great building block for comedy. Irony is often just another tool to get a punchline. Punch line to bring. It also gives a little sense of superiority. A superiority that connects the comedian and the audience, because it is they who recognize and understand this irony together. They are the clever minds that correctly categorize the world around them.
Impotence? Just nature trying to tell us: "Life doesn’t always have to be hard."
Surprise
Surprise is the central key when it comes to comedy. The ability to lure the audience onto a false track and then to surprise them in the punchline in a completely unexpected but still logically comprehensible way is great art. The surprising twist is the DNA of every oneliner, sketch comedy and comedy in general. The greater the surprise of the audience, the greater the laughs.
Why is it so hard for men to keep eye contact?? Breasts have no eyes.
The punch line has the last word
The gag is over with the punchline. If you have to explain something after the punch line, then it’s over too. The punch line is the climax, the conclusion and the last word on the subject. The last word in the proverbial sense. Whenever possible, the word that gives away the punchline should come at the very end. In the German-speaking world not easy, sometimes even impossible, but whenever possible punch lines should be formulated this way. The more time you put into perfectly worded punchlines, the more successful your comedy material will be.
What did god say after he created man? "I can do better!"
Instructions for writing gags
These were just a few basic considerations and the fundamentals of a successful gag. As mentioned in the introduction to this post, if you really want to write great gags of your own, stick to my gag writing guide. Take your time and work through it.