MassMedia: Entertainment: How to Write a Joke (U7-P3) Fa14

“A good joke idea is raw potential and can be used in an almost unlimited number of contexts” (Sankey). Jokes can be used in stand-up comedy, commercials, cartoons, radio shows, a humor column in a newspaper/blog, TV sitcoms, etc. Jokes are the heart of comedy writing.

What is a joke?

• A funny story.
• Typically has two parts, the setup and then the punchline.
• May have an additional part, a tag, which is an additional funny line that follows the punchline.

The Setup:

• Sometimes called a premise.
• “A set-up is the information the comic gives to the crowd to establish an initial subject, context and perspective.”
• Compare this to the Setup in a 3 act film.
• Henny Youngman’s old joke
• The setup: “Women are crazy today.”

The Punchline:

• “the final information the comic gives to the crowd; it alters the meaning of already given information in a surprising fashion.”
• Compare punchlines to plot points.
• Henny Youngman’s old joke
• The punchline: “Take my wife………please”

Do you spot the setups and punchlines in the following Bud Light commercials? Spot the tags in some? Don't need to watch them all, just a few will do.  Watch responsibly.

Bud Light commercials deserve some ideological criticism?

Now, let's take a look at the joke structure in a situation comedy.  Just check out the first minute or so. How many jokes in the first minute?  Wonder how many jokes in a typical sitcom?  Could you write for a sitcom? Can you write a joke?

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InterculturalCom: Intercultural Romance: Activity: Loving v. Virginia (U7-P3) Fa14

How do the state laws like the ones in Virginia fit into the previous discussion of internal and external barrier?

If you are curious:

• Loving vs. Virginia (the case, the recent HBO documentary)
• The legacy of the interracial-marriage case looms large on the 46th anniversary of the landmark decision (July 2013, The Root)

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MediaTech: Cell Phones and the Consequences of Tech: More on Digital Divide (Rogers) (U7-P3) Fa14

Why is there a digital divide?  There are many answers to that, but one way to look at it is to see it in the context of the diffusion of innovations.

Put another way, 

• those with cash can afford to get the costly innovation.  Price usually higher at first.  
• Change agents (in this case: marketers, advertisers, sales people), focus on those people with the cash.  So, maybe only those with the cash, learn about the product.
• Those with cash, tell those with cash.
• If those with cash get adopt the innovation, then they benefit from it.  Imagine when cell phone just came out.  Those who could afford to buy the cell phone had advantages over those people who could not afford it.  Maybe those with cash can more easily get there business phone calls and then make even more money. Those who did not have the cell phone missed that important business call and lost the money.
• Imagine this process repeating again and again.  The gap between the two groups widens.  

How to fix this gap, this digital divide?

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GlobalMedia: Doing Some P.R. Work for the U.S. State Department (U7-P3) Sp13

Let's pretend that we are doing some public relations/advertising work for the U.S. State Department.  They want us to (1) promote a good image of the U.S. abroad and (2) promote tourism to the U.S.

What could we do?  How would we do that?

Where would we do that?  Let's say we focus on places where people first have contact with the U.S., in airports and in U.S embassies abroad.

As for the what, how about we put together a short video to be shown in the airports and embassies.

Think very carefully about what you would be in that video and why.

No, no.  Don't read on.  Seriously, think about what you'd put in the video and why.

O.K., now read on.
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This above scenario actually played out few years back.  It actually happened.  Let's see how your ideas match up with those actually carried out.  Let's look at a series of videos.

A CNN News Report



The Actual Video Shown in Airports and Embassies
(See at least the first minute and the last minute to get a good feel for the video.)


The Making of the Portraits of America Video


Do you think this "Portraits of America" video was effective, based upon what you've see above?
Would you have done anything differently?



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MediaTech: TV Tech: How TV Works (More Recent) (U7-P3) [VID] fa12

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MediaTech: TV Tech: How TV Works (More Recent) (U7-P3) [VID]

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