STOP PRESS: It's either funny or it's not...

INT. TALKING HEAD.

NEWSREADER:

It has been established conclusively today by a panel of experts from The British Sitcom Forum that both everything and nothing are funny, er is funny. If you think it's funny, it's funny. Nobody can tell you it's not funny because funny is subjective. Ergo they can't tell you it's funny either.

Also, if you think it's not funny then it's not funny. So your joke is probably funny unless it isn't. Although some people will swear blind that it's not funny, whilst laughing at it. It has also been suggested that others will tell you it's rip-roaringly funny with the straightest of faces when it plainly sucks. So there you have it.

Your joke is funny, maybe, unless it's not. Your best bet is to have two heads. Use one head to tell yourself a joke and then use the other head to rate it funny or not and you'll probably be right. Or left. Of course, they'll call you two-faced to your face (either or both) or behind your back, or both. But you can tell them that "Funny Stuff" is what Producers pay money for except that sometimes even that stuff is not funny, BUT that's the only time you can really laugh.

The word 'funny' looks really funny now.

That must be some of that 'constructive criticism' this site is famous for!

Over on 4laughs one poster said to me that what I wrote was pretty ropey looking and then added as an afterthought 'like the person who wrote it' which means I'm getting off lightly on here! <phew!>

Ouch.
We would never say anything like that.
We haven't seen a photo.

mmm I see...

Great idea.
I liked it Frankie. Especialy the "Use one head to tell yourself a joke and then use the other head to rate it funny or not and you'll probably be right".

Quote: zooo @ July 8, 2007, 12:23 PM

The word 'funny' looks really funny now.

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Don't you think that the word "Funnily" should mean funnel-like?

Quote: Wildjesusfishkid @ July 9, 2007, 3:30 PM

Don't you think that the word "Funnily" should mean funnel-like?

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Funnily enough, no ... I reckon that would be funnelly!

Trying to whip up some controversey hey Frankie. Well comedy is subjective and subjectively I didn't find this funny. I got the point behind it but its difficult to both preach and be funny aswell unless your Bill Hicks. Although it may annoy some that certain posters like myself are not more 'crtitical' of work I tend to take the carrot rather than the stick approach. Constructive criticism is more likely to be taken on board if its done in passive rather than aggressive manner. But feel free to critique my critique

Quote: ajp29 @ July 9, 2007, 4:30 PM

Trying to whip up some controversey hey Frankie. Well comedy is subjective and subjectively I didn't find this funny. I got the point behind it but its difficult to both preach and be funny aswell unless your Bill Hicks. Although it may annoy some that certain posters like myself are not more 'crtitical' of work I tend to take the carrot rather than the stick approach. Constructive criticism is more likely to be taken on board if its done in passive rather than aggressive manner. But feel free to critique my critique

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This piece was posted on 4laughs several months ago and didn't get much feedback there so I thought I'd try it out on here. I actually wrote it with Ronnie Barker in mind as the performer! Not much chance of him reading it now I guess! I didn't write it to preach it was more of an observation of this endless debate that clearly also exists on this site as to what is funny and what isn't and why, etc.

As for feedback, I can't tell at the moment about that on this site. Certainly some nice things get said but are people just looking for something/anything to be kind about which really isn't much practical use. And clearly there is some heated debate on here about what is not liked but some of that from certain posters does smack of comedy-geek "must-get-my-point-over-and-win-at-all-costs" points-scoring which isn't much use either!

Feedback from other writers, although fairly easy to come by, may not actually be much practical use at the end of the day and I'm leaning towards that view at the moment.

What do you think?

I'm rubbish at critiquing, so I hardly ever do it. I only say the nice things I thought of it, not the bad.
So yes, I for one am definitely no practical use.

Well OK, it's great to stand up and be counted... :-)

I think the good points being highlighted without highlighting any points for improvement isn't much use really, you really do need both...

Like if someone says they like it then that's fine, it's also fine if they say they don't like it but it's the 'why' that would help...

But hey ho, it's what a producer thinks that really counts, eh?

I try to be positive in my critique... I mainly ask questions where I'm puzzeled by the dialogue and so on. Gad knows if it's helpful though...

I've read quite a bit about obtaining critique and the opinion seems to be don't use forums such as these for it. I would say in this forum's defence however, that you'll get enough of a reaction good and bad (and indifferent) to make some great calls on what you do next with any submitted work. Which is far better than the clique-ridden love-fest available on other channels.

Anyway... as to your piece Frankie... the first thing that popped into my head was that it sounded like Ronnie Barker talking... so in that, at least, you succeeded...

I don't use this forum for critiquing anyway, just for talking about bollocks (literally in some cases). I've never put any of my work up.

I put up my fiction on specialist fiction critique sites though, and that's been very useful. So it can work.

Quote: Darren Goldsmith @ July 9, 2007, 5:49 PM

I try to be positive in my critique... I mainly ask questions where I'm puzzeled by the dialogue and so on. Gad knows if it's helpful though...

I've read quite a bit about obtaining critique and the opinion seems to be don't use forums such as these for it. I would say in this forum's defence however, that you'll get enough of a reaction good and bad (and indifferent) to make some great calls on what you do next with any submitted work. Which is far better than the clique-ridden love-fest available on other channels.

Anyway... as to your piece Frankie... the first thing that popped into my head was that it sounded like Ronnie Barker talking... so in that, at least, you succeeded...

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Yep, I can't get away from hearing Ronnie Barker reading it either!

I also think your other points pretty much hit the nail on the head as regards critiques by other writers in forums like these. It's pretty much the conclusion I was coming to over on 4laughs before I got here and it's pretty similar on here, actually, (the feedback from other writers) except that this site is far more active at the moment and perhaps the bone gets chewed over even more on here!!!