In the Lord of the Rings fandom there’s a persistent debate whether balrogs, or Durin’s Bane specifically, have wings. The text in Fellowship is ambiguous whether what it is describing are literal wings or something else wing-like.

  • funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    11
    ·
    20 days ago

    Improv: should you lead with character relationships, game or platform? There are many vehement proponents of each, each claiming that their process leads to better improv.

    Character relationships are self explanatory, “game” is kinda like the core conceit of the sketch - i.e. in “who’s on first” the “game” is “names that sound like pronouns”, another common one is a pile on of identical characters (i.e. the SNL Jim Carrey family reunion where all his family have his mannerisms.

    And “platform” is where you build the world and the scenario (i.e. we’re Goombas that live in fear of mario; we’re merpeople with a foot fetish… or more seriously - the family that runs this farm, the employees that work at this hotel…)

    • baggachipz@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      edit-2
      19 days ago

      I mean it always starts with the game, right? That’s what we do. Then get platform or characters as gets. I didn’t realize it was possible not to start with game, as it lays the framework to create the scene.

      • funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        19 days ago

        There are a lot of other ways in - hence the disagreement.

        In my city in the Southern USA, “game” is rarely if ever taught (except in the context of short form) and formats like the Harold are almost non-existant.

        I have friends in the scene who tell me they’re happier without any game in their work at all.

        There is a large chunk of narrative or similarly structured (montages, Spokanes, la rondes…) work

        • baggachipz@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          19 days ago

          Yeah almost all we do is short form (I know, I know) so we do game after game. Sometimes we just start with one word and raw dog it, but that’s rare in a show.

          • funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            19 days ago

            personally I think there’s actually such a big difference in “game” between short and long form they should be called different things.

            Once I got the hang of game when i was on a house Harold team, things really took off for my long form ability.