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Tips On Making A Great Stand-Up Comedy Documentary

9 December 2020 by Eelis Niemi

You may have decided that you want to make a documentary on stand-up comedy. This can be a fun and interesting movie that could entertain and inform your moviegoers. You might be tempted to follow the tried and true formula surrounding documentaries and just go the informational route. This could potentially be a mistake. If you want something different and entertaining, then you should approach your documentary in a different way.

Here are some tips on making a great stand-up comedy documentary.

Don't Make It A Traditional Documentary

The first tip in making a great stand-up comedy documentary is don't make it like a traditional documentary. This means, don't just give out facts and follow one or two comedians around with no real context. You might lose your audience after a while.

Instead, make a documentary in the manner you would if you were filming a fictional movie. This means, pick subjects that would be interesting to an audience. Do they have a great backstory? Do they have an interesting personality? What brought them to stand-up comedy as a trade? There should be moments in your documentary that make the audience feel what the subject is going through, just like with a fictional movie.

When you make your documentary more like a traditional movie, your audience will not only learn something about your subject manner and star, but they can enjoy the ride too.

Give The Audience Behind The Scenes Information

Many people already know that stand-up comedy can be a difficult career choice, but it can be rewarding too. Instead of filming things most people already know about the industry, such as the touring and the stage work they do, make your stand-up comedy documentary about the whole package. Follow your star's life off-stage while visiting friends and to their regular job if possible.

Also, show what it's like to audition for comedy movies, to book gigs through an agent, or for your star to find an agent to represent them. People are interested in the behind the scenes aspects of the entertainment industry. Instead of showing them what they already know about comedy clubs and stand up, show them what they don't know.

Don't be afraid to show how the industry really works behind the scenes either. It's always a good idea for those potentially wanting to enter the field to know that it's not always the easiest profession to enter. If possible, in your stand-up comedy documentary show the industry from both sides, one from someone who is on the edge of great success or already successful and one who is struggling. It will balance out your documentary more.

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