First, let’s get the technical aspects of this out of the way. The DVD is well produced and easy to navigate. Now for the meat! The core of this DVD seems to come from a lecture that Jay Sankey gave at a club or convention. It is fun and compelling to watch. Now, what are we learning?
What I found gratifying was that at no time in the DVD did Jay claim to make you a comedian. He does give a very interesting lecture on the aspects of comedy and I’ll cover some of the points that I enjoyed.
He explains the dichotomy between making unreal statements of comedy, those ones that make you laugh, and the concept of making your magic look real, to create a moment of astonishment. He delves into the mistake of delivering the moment of astonishment and the punch line of a joke simultaneously. This is good stuff.
He addresses the idea that some people will use comedy to trivialize magic and how to avoid that trap.
Jay is talking fast during this lecture. Some thoughts are well laid out; some thoughts are short fleeting moments that are thrown out like litter just before he drives on to the next concept. If you are familiar with Jay Sankey, you will know this is how Jay thinks. If you are unfamiliar with him, you might find this lecture a little manic.
Jay freely admits he was not the class clown and that he studied and learned to become a comedian. (I’m not sure I totally agree with this statement) He talks briefly on the idea that he searched for some rules of comedy. Although he never really lists them, he does take you through his philosophy of using comedy. Again . . . good stuff.
He touches on making the funny moments organic to what is happening. He goes through a card to pocket routine to search for the moments in the routine that one can inject natural humor. He shows the many moments within the routine that can be used for a moment of levity.
He explains that if you are going to be successful in comedy, you have to take chances and in taking chances, you will fail. Comedy is about opening up not only your mind but also your emotional state. If you are fearful of bombing, comedy might not be where you want to explore.
There is talk of joke structure throughout the DVD. A little here, a little there, you better have your notebook out. There is quite a bit of talk on call-backs. This could be very interesting for those wanting to have more understanding of this quirky joke ability.
Jay makes a strong statement on the difference between making fun of someone and having fun with them. Jay makes a point of saying that volunteers should be treated with respect.
My final comments are:
This is a good DVD, not a great DVD. It is worth watching and you will mine a few nuggets of information out it. Jay’s frenzied style interfered somewhat with the relaying of solid, comprehensible information; however, he is passionate about what he is saying and you will be entertained.
I liked that he made no promises that you will learn all the secrets of comedy or that you will even become a good comedian by watching this DVD. You will enjoy learning some philosophy and techniques of comedy, that I believe even a non-funny person will be able to utilize in their show.
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