Comedy Sketch Challenge - Can you help?

As a result of one of those dinner party, "it can't be done" arguments I've (foolishly) accepted a new challenge. Unlike my other major adventures that started in a similar fashion and mostly involved travelling thousands of miles on a motorcycle for a couple of weeks, I haven't got a clue how I'm going to achieve this one.

Bloody Alan Sugar and his Apprentice program. Never devise Apprentice challenges over dinner with friends having quaffed more Merlot than is good for you. Why? Well you might take on a challenge to film 10 new and original comedy sketches that receive greater than 10,000 views on YouTube by Red Nose Day March 2013 and in the process raise £5,000 for charity. Like I did!

I've never done anything like this before so consequently I'm looking for all kinds of help. I've outlined what I think I need in this blog http://grahamlkemp.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/comedy-10-challenge.html

The reason for this post is to explore whether I could get any help with existing original comedy sketches or writing new sketches that could be filmed to get the ball rolling. I am looking for sketches that have a 2 to 3 minute duration and are suitable for a family audience.

Any help, any thoughts much appreciated.

Quote: Kempy @ April 10 2012, 3:42 AM BST

As a result of one of those dinner party, "it can't be done" arguments I've (foolishly) accepted a new challenge. Unlike my other major adventures that started in a similar fashion and mostly involved travelling thousands of miles on a motorcycle for a couple of weeks, I haven't got a clue how I'm going to achieve this one.

Bloody Alan Sugar and his Apprentice program. Never devise Apprentice challenges over dinner with friends having quaffed more Merlot than is good for you. Why? Well you might take on a challenge to film 10 new and original comedy sketches that receive greater than 10,000 views on YouTube by Red Nose Day March 2013 and in the process raise £5,000 for charity. Like I did!

I've never done anything like this before so consequently I'm looking for all kinds of help. I've outlined what I think I need in this blog http://grahamlkemp.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/comedy-10-challenge.html

The reason for this post is to explore whether I could get any help with existing original comedy sketches or writing new sketches that could be filmed to get the ball rolling. I am looking for sketches that have a 2 to 3 minute duration and are suitable for a family audience.

Any help, any thoughts much appreciated.

View original

Is that 10 sketches that get 10,000 views each?

10,000 views in total.

Sounds like a great idea, when do you need them by?

That shouldn't be much of a stretch. If you really want to drive your view count up I'd suggest the following:

1. Make it topical. If you can turn a sketch around quickly that's about the thing everyone's talking about (last week it would have been Samantha Brick) you can score thousands of hits very quickly. In one rare attempt at topical comedy I managed 10,000+ hits in a couple of days, and that's small fry in the grand scheme of things - a fellow BCG member recently managed 350,000+ hits riding the 'Benton' wave.

2. Make it universal, ie avoid regional or national humour. Make the humour play worldwide.

3. Get a good production team behind it and don't scrimp on sound. Competent actors are also a must. If you can get a "name" involved, all the better.

4. Take a look at who's popular in terms of comedy on YouTube and consider why they're so successful.

5. Other things it won't hurt to include:
Titillation
Cute animals
Nostalgia
Crudity

6. Make it funny!

Quote: Shandonbelle @ April 10 2012, 11:48 AM BST

Sounds like a great idea, when do you need them by?

View original

My outline plan is to start filming from the middle of May onwards.

[quote name="David Bussell" post="867711" date="April 10 2012, 11:50 AM BST"]That shouldn't be much of a stretch. If you really want to drive your view count up I'd suggest the following:

1. Make it topical. If you can turn a sketch around quickly that's about the thing everyone's talking about (last week it would have been Samantha Brick) you can score thousands of hits very quickly. In one rare attempt at topical comedy I managed 10,000+ hits in a couple of days, and that's small fry in the grand scheme of things - a fellow BCG member recently managed 350,000+ hits riding the 'Benton' wave.

2. Make it universal, ie avoid regional or national humour. Make the humour play worldwide.

3. Get a good production team behind it and don't scrimp on sound. Competent actors are also a must. If you can get a "name" involved, all the better.

4. Take a look at who's popular in terms of comedy on YouTube and consider why they're so successful.

5. Other things it won't hurt to include:
Titillation
Cute animals
Nostalgia
Crudity

6. Make it funny!
[/quote

Thanks for taking the time to post the advice. Thankfully some of the offers of help I have received already will enable some of the points you have raised to be realised.
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