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two improv diagrams

Discussion of the art and craft of improvisation.

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  • beardedlamb Offline
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two improv diagrams

Post by beardedlamb »

teaching workshops the past couple days has reawakened this beast in me. here are a couple diagrams that we used in class and sent to students tonight. questions should be directed to keith johnstone.

Image

Image
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O O B
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Post by Spots »

Related / Awesome:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP3c1h8v2ZQ[/youtube]
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Post by mpbrockman »

Could we possibly put Justin Bieber on the spaceship and fly him off the diagram as well as this out of this dimension?

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Post by Brad Hawkins »

I prefer to think of the circle of expectations as a donut. As you get nearer the center, you get things that are more likely to happen in a story, but in the VERY center are things that are almost certain to happen, and thus not really expected in a story.

Let's say you have a story about a cab ride. Near the middle of the circle is a conversation where the cabbie reveals something about the passenger that he never knew before. At the outer edge is the cabbie and the passenger fighting aliens.

But IN the center... in the missing part of the donut -- is: the passenger gets in, he tells the cabbie where he wants to go, they ride in silence for about ten minutes, the cab arrives at its destination, the passenger pays the cabbie and disembarks. I.E. pretty much every cab ride that occurs in the real world. And one that is very unlikely to occur in a story about a cab ride. As you go towards the center of the circle, you get a story that matches expectations more and more, until finally you pass through the expected into the quotidian.
The silver knives are flashing in the tired old cafe. A ghost climbs on the table in a bridal negligee. She says "My body is the life; my body is the way." I raise my arm against it all and I catch the bride's bouquet.

Post by Rev. Jordan T. Maxwell »

Brad Hawkins wrote:I prefer to think of the circle of expectations as a donut. As you get nearer the center, you get things that are more likely to happen in a story, but in the VERY center are things that are almost certain to happen, and thus not really expected in a story.

Let's say you have a story about a cab ride. Near the middle of the circle is a conversation where the cabbie reveals something about the passenger that he never knew before. At the outer edge is the cabbie and the passenger fighting aliens.

But IN the center... in the missing part of the donut -- is: the passenger gets in, he tells the cabbie where he wants to go, they ride in silence for about ten minutes, the cab arrives at its destination, the passenger pays the cabbie and disembarks. I.E. pretty much every cab ride that occurs in the real world. And one that is very unlikely to occur in a story about a cab ride. As you go towards the center of the circle, you get a story that matches expectations more and more, until finally you pass through the expected into the quotidian.
or possibly jelly...
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Post by jillybee72 »

I can't do narrative anymore, that arc looks too much like a shark.
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Post by jillybee72 »

Oh, and thank you for these wonderfully useful graphics!!

Post by Rev. Jordan T. Maxwell »

jillybee72 wrote:I can't do narrative anymore, that arc looks too much like a shark.
just when you thought it was safe to get back in the collective unconscious...
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Post by MitchellD »

Hey, Jordan, where does Batman fall under the Shakespeare circle of expectations?
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Post by arthursimone »

Image


Vonnegut would find some good stories in there ;)
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Post by Rev. Jordan T. Maxwell »

MitchellD wrote:Hey, Jordan, where does Batman fall under the Shakespeare circle of expectations?
he's the goddamn Batman. he goes where he damn well pleases in the circle of expectations.

::SMOKEBOMB!::
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Post by ratliff »

Brad Hawkins wrote:I prefer to think of the circle of expectations as a donut. As you get nearer the center, you get things that are more likely to happen in a story, but in the VERY center are things that are almost certain to happen, and thus not really expected in a story.

Let's say you have a story about a cab ride. Near the middle of the circle is a conversation where the cabbie reveals something about the passenger that he never knew before. At the outer edge is the cabbie and the passenger fighting aliens.

But IN the center... in the missing part of the donut -- is: the passenger gets in, he tells the cabbie where he wants to go, they ride in silence for about ten minutes, the cab arrives at its destination, the passenger pays the cabbie and disembarks. I.E. pretty much every cab ride that occurs in the real world. And one that is very unlikely to occur in a story about a cab ride. As you go towards the center of the circle, you get a story that matches expectations more and more, until finally you pass through the expected into the quotidian.
... except that those completely unremarkable moments could be just as important as any other, depending on how they affect other people. They could be the engine of the whole story.

To use the cab example, if two improvisers are playing a scene as a cabbie and fare, they are (we hope) looking for a connection between the characters. The fastest way to do that would be for the cabbie to hear the destination -- the first thing out of the fare's mouth -- and have it affect her personally. At which point it's not an everyday occurence at all. But you wouldn't have gotten that if you'd blown it off.

Or maybe I misunderstood you: Are you saying that typically the "boring" details get passed over, or are you saying they should be passed over?
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Post by Spots »

About the donut.

As long as the players reinvest into the game periodically, all the transaction elements of a cab ride will easily add credibility and charm to the scene. [see Ratliff]

In fact those items "in the donut hole" now serve a very crucial role. They become setup for the punchline. These mundane parts will be teeming with comedic tension I'd expect. Most importantly: I feel that all donut and no donut hole will set up the audience to see what's coming. Which leads me to think the trick is in the balance.


(thanks for that fun analogy, I loved referring to the donut hole)
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Post by valetoile »

When you go to Mrs. Johnson's donuts, and order a half-dozen donut holes, they'll give you about ten. And no matter what you order, they give you a free fresh glazed donut still hot from the fryer. Be Mrs. Johnson's. Give the audience more than they expect.
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Post by Spots »

That was some tasty product placement. I am literally salivating. :)
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