PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA, THE: INSIDE MEDIA: TELL YOUR FRIENDS! THE CONCERT FILM! {LONG VERSION ANAMORPHIC}
Summary
One in a series of evenings and special screenings presented as part of The Paley Center for Media's Inside Media events. Held at the Paley Center in New York, this evening celebrates “Tell Your Friends! The Concert Film!”, the documentary film exploring New York’s “alternative comedy” scene. Host Arthur Smith (curator, The Paley Center for Media) offers opening remarks and then introduces Alex Zalban (producer, SketchFest NYC), who then brings executive producers Liam McEneaney and Victor Varnado to the stage. They provide brief background on the film, which is then screened in its entirety. (For synopsis and credits, see ACCNUM 106422.) After the screening, McEneaney introduces the panelists: comedians Rob Pavaronian; Leo Allen; Christian Finnegan; Kurt Braunohler; Kristen Schaal and Varnado.
The conversation touches on such topics as: McEneaney’s distinct “look” in the film and in real life; whether “alternative comedy” is a legitimate category or merely sounds impressive to parents; the importance of engaging the audience in one’s original ideas rather than pandering to their preferences; Braunohler and Schaal’s successful experience trying out for a traditional comedy festival; Finnegan’s experience in the comedy troupe “The Non-Prophets” and a badly-received religious-themed sketch; the need to avoid a “please like me” mentality and pursue one’s own concepts; whether fame affects a comedian’s relationship with the audience and desire to appeal to them; Pavaronian’s preference for diverse comedy festivals that promote many styles; Allen’s early experience performing in rock clubs and unpleasant open mic nights; the audience’s varying expectations in different venues; and comedians’ wariness about free comedy shows and need to be paid for their work.
Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following topics: strategies for making a living in comedy, including writing gigs; “alternative comedy” as an effective route to television roles; the unpredictable “feast and famine” nature of the comedy world; Varnado’s use of others’ ideas in his directing choices; his careful editing of Braunohler and Schaal’s unusual performance; the “community” aspect displayed in the film and whether alternative comics will become mainstream because of their unity; the usefulness of not relying on a booking agent; the typical demand for “five laughs per minute” in mainstream comedy; McEneaney’s “broad goals” for the film and attempts to secure festival spots and a distributor; the “stigma” against prop comedians like Braunohler and Schaal; acknowledgement of others who worked on the film, present in the audience; the film’s use as an archive or proof of their “being there first” in alternative comedy; the film’s purpose in sharing alternative comedy with audiences unable to attend live shows; and the “anything-goes, Wild West” attitudes in alternative clubs.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: September 22, 2011 7:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:59:09
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 106318
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Arthur Smith … Host
- Liam McEneaney … Moderator
- Rob Pavaronian … Panelist
- Leo Allen … Panelist
- Christian Finnegan … Panelist
- Kurt Braunohler … Panelist
- Kristen Schaal … Panelist