How much of your improv is pre-planned?

[BlackDog]

10%? 30%?

Do you ever watch a tv show, catch a line, say to yourself "that one's money" and then store it to be used in a show later?

What about your toilet time? You gotta be hashing out scenes while youre on the terrlit. Right?

What about the sexiest improvisers? You cant believe Timmy Mayse is the sexiest? Who are the sexiest improvisers?

Come on. Its safe here. Fess up to everything.

By the way, best of luck Barry Hite.

[jrrtubbs]

I wouldn't say this is pre-planning. I sometimes have initiation lines that I've used more than once. I wouldn't even say these initiation lines are "killers" or "guaranteed laughs", they are just some that I have remembered. I like to use them to see different places that the same line can take a scene in different situations and with different people. My favorite being "Well, I'm not Dr. but I'm afraid it's (random disease)" This scene has gone from being a guy who is diagnosing robot diseases all the way to being a guy who won "Dr. for a day" at a charity auction.

I don't know if this is what you're talking about or not, but that's what it made me think of.

[robbersean]

Each and every Mike Helicopter show is planned at least a week in advance. After an all night writing session on Wednesday or Friday, everyone memorizes their lines, and blocking by Monday. We run through the show two or three times during the week before our show sometime between Thursday and Sunday. Meanwhile, we send a mass e-mail to all of our friends to see if anyone can come to the show in order to give us our "Random Suggestion" which of course, we give to that person just prior to their arrival at iO.

Also, most of our show's are loosely based on old episodes of "Bonanza".

[BlackDog]

This thread is getting awesome.

Chip, sticky this fucker.

[Leslieface]

oh I always go "ooo that would be a good thing to say to someone" or hear sentences and want to say them, but honestly my attention span is so short that I forget all of that stuff by the time I have a show or get on stage.
Or if I have a thought like "it would be fun if we were in space", then that is almost a guarantee that I'll forget about it.

I used to try and come up with names I'd use for the show that is coming up, but I think that was because I couldn't EVER think of names, now I'm much better at it. Do I name people in scenes because I'm better? no. I forget. But sometimes I'm good and I remember.

The most planning I do, i guess, would be if I had an idea for a scene, and I try and come up with a way of getting that idea across (that is, if I'm the one that speaks first) right before the scene. And that gets me in the shitter because then I'm too busy thinking and crap and then SOMEONE else edits and does a scene and I'm stuck on the sidelines.
Thinking isn't good. is what I'm trying to say. :-)

[jimfath]

Energy can be pre-planed. Like deciding that before a show you are going to focus on characters or energy variance. Maybe even working out a template or form like "let's do a scene one room", "Onion peels" etc, But pre-planning whole dialog and plots tends to come off stale and odd. Just like repeating lines, Characters, and bits from a previous show. Usually never works twice. Improv is always in a vacuum.

I'm not counting pre-planning as thinking of ideas on the back wall and jumping into the next scene with them. That's different and totally necessary.

The sidelines tend to be where a lot of writing takes place as elements, characters, and plots take shape on stage.

If you're sitting back there and not engaging the scene; thinking about where it can go, where it can end, what it might need, and what it might not need, then you aren't pay attention.

Generating ideas on the back wall is not a conceit of "true improv" unless you don't surrender those ideas to the scene. Then it's a huge conceit. IE you don't drop your shit when the scene has evolved beyond it's relevance or need. Some people get mired in ideas and as the train leaves the station they don't pull the trigger and they are left on the sidelines constantly trying to play catch up.

Sometimes you have no choice. Sometimes you get labeled and you just have to roll with it. Sometimes you can keep your ideas intact. Sometimes you have to bail on them all together. It all depends on what the scene needs and your reaction to it. Sometimes marrying both your idea and what the scene is evolving into is the most fun.

It's a slippery slope. Your idea might not fit or work. And it's painful and obvious as hell when that happens. I know I've done it a bunch of times and felt "Ooh... man that was a reach" Being flexible and engaged is one thing. Preplanning whole moments is another.

Your mind should be in every scene even if you're body isn't.

[benjohnson]

I pre-plan at least the first three beats of every scene. Sometimes it gets frustrating when my teammates don't know what I'm trying to do, but I find it's worth it not to ever feel like I don't know what I'm doing on stage. Usually all it takes to get things back on track is a little bit more forcefulness on my behalf. If that doesn't work, I guess it's ok if somebody edits the scene, since it's not going anywhere anyway and I can always call it back again later.

I also have a character called "Dr. Cum" that I do. Hardly anybody I play with ever asks Dr. Cum what his name is anymore. Which is infuriating because it always gets such a huge laugh.

[jimfath]

...Hardly anybody I play with ever asks Dr. Cum what his name is anymore. Which is infuriating because it always gets such a huge laugh.

To be fair, no one asks for Dr. Cum's name because the song you sing when saying his name takes about 8 minutes to get through.

[langen]

I am often hired to pre-plan other teams' shows. I charge $300 for a 23 minute Harold preplan. Check me out at...

www.improvthinktank.com

[BlackDog]

Being flexible and engaged is one thing. Preplanning whole moments is another.

Your mind should be in every scene even if you're body isn't.



Hippy talk.

"Jimfatch" I am currently concocting my next improv show in my brain. The next show I do is gonna be me as a Chicago cop beating up on some hippy named "Jimfatch".

That show is gonna kill.

[Derek]

I pre-plan at least the first three beats of every scene. Sometimes it gets frustrating when my teammates don't know what I'm trying to do, but I find it's worth it not to ever feel like I don't know what I'm doing on stage. Usually all it takes to get things back on track is a little bit more forcefulness on my behalf. If that doesn't work, I guess it's ok if somebody edits the scene, since it's not going anywhere anyway and I can always call it back again later.

I also have a character called "Dr. Cum" that I do. Hardly anybody I play with ever asks Dr. Cum what his name is anymore. Which is infuriating because it always gets such a huge laugh.

*thumbs up*

[jimfath]

...The next show I do is gonna be me as a Chicago cop beating up on some hippy named "Jimfatch".

That show is gonna kill.


NOOOO... Not Sgt Fartsome!!!

[BlackDog]

I am often hired to pre-plan other teams' shows. I charge $300 for a 23 minute Harold preplan. Check me out at...

www.improvthinktank.com (http://www.improvthinktank.com)





Full disclosure:

I clicked on Langen's link.

[Rich]

Fool disclosure:

I clicked on Langen's link.

Fixed your homophonic error

[moon_shoes]

Full disclosure:

I licked on Langen's dick.

Fixed your homophobic error

[BlackDog]

I cant wait for my next improv show. Rich and Moonboots, you guys are gonna get it. Im cracking up right now at your demise then.


Wheres that goddamm'd list of sexiest improvisers? Interns get into my office!

[nhoj]

Each and every Mike Helicopter show is planned at least a week in advance. After an all night writing session on Wednesday or Friday, everyone memorizes their lines, and blocking by Monday. We run through the show two or three times during the week before our show sometime between Thursday and Sunday.


I prefer to just plan the show out on my own, and not let the rest of the team know what I have in store. I can hit all my lines, deliver all my catch phrases, walk off the stage when my scene is over, and have a perturbed, judgmental look on my face when the rest of the team botches up my brilliant plans.

[Rich]

You made the list of Sexist Improvisors, Black Dog. It's almost as good...

[Forsythe]

I thought Blackdog was retired.

I've stopped doing improv back in 2005. All of my lines to my scenes since then are written by Bob McNichol.

[TobyKeith]

I thought Blackdog was retired.

I've stopped doing improv back in 2005. All of my lines to my scenes since then are written by Bob McNichol.

I know Bob McNichol. Sometimes he comments on my blog as erika may.