tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4665052536053897386.post4549931648964691678..comments2023-09-16T15:03:34.579+07:00Comments on Adam Heine: What Makes a Character Funny?Adam Heinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02225813532455467868noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4665052536053897386.post-74736838973526712512012-08-08T13:46:17.776+07:002012-08-08T13:46:17.776+07:00You've done a good job with Looney Tunes humor...You've done a good job with Looney Tunes humor i.e. humor from character interactions. But what about Classic Disney Cartoon humor i.e. situational comedy? Repetition of phrase or circumstance, physical comedy (e.g. Dick van Dyke), reversals, twists, etc.<br /><br />And you missed Butt-Monkey.<br /><br />Love these posts.Daniel Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12214334186482741716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4665052536053897386.post-43285760802115327012012-08-01T04:01:49.439+07:002012-08-01T04:01:49.439+07:00Really great interesting post. Full of great examp...Really great interesting post. Full of great examples. Bookmarking!VikLithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12675200811539358961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4665052536053897386.post-64446154466862162922012-07-31T01:28:03.417+07:002012-07-31T01:28:03.417+07:00I like funny characters, but I'm often worried...I like funny characters, but I'm often worried I make them too funny and then annoying. I like the examples you gave. One of my favourites is Sokka. He is funny, but not too annoying, he is still a great friend and brother and a war leader, so he is still likable. He was a very well done character I think.Jackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395502314886308773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4665052536053897386.post-61971812041648377272012-07-30T10:13:49.528+07:002012-07-30T10:13:49.528+07:00Oh, interesting! I think I tend to be more fond of...Oh, interesting! I think I tend to be more fond of cynical and eccentric types of humor myself. Not sure if this counts as a category, but I also appreciate reactionary humor -- where someone works off something another person says and changes the meaning or context, rather than offering one liners. But your categories seem to be based more on tone/attitude than the mechanics. So maybe I'd add innuendo as a type of humor -- where innocent situations or words are made to sound more suggestive than they actually are.lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16524291742541007382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4665052536053897386.post-88790370194962379852012-07-28T19:59:08.198+07:002012-07-28T19:59:08.198+07:00Ooh, I'm someone who has a hard time writing f...Ooh, I'm someone who has a hard time writing funny characters, so this is so helpful! Especially since you used characters I know and love. LOL Thanks again!Victoria Dixonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08978050059674596756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4665052536053897386.post-18057147656194509882012-07-28T03:08:08.692+07:002012-07-28T03:08:08.692+07:00You do all right with the funny. I remember enjoyi...You do all right with the funny. I remember enjoying that aspect of AZRAEL'S CURSE.<br /><br />But here are my random thoughts: <br /><br />I don't think you should try to make ALL of your characters funny. I mean, they can all have funny moments, but like Matt said, humor is about interaction. It's also about the unexpected.<br /><br />Arrogance can be funny, too, especially when it gets smacked down (Loki, Avengers). Bwahahahaha!<br /><br />Terry Pratchett for the win! :DMyrna Fosterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13534358757278599925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4665052536053897386.post-38092113562974621862012-07-27T20:39:44.264+07:002012-07-27T20:39:44.264+07:00Never thought of different types of humor, so this...Never thought of different types of humor, so this got me thinking.<br /><br />Another type of humor might simply be funny phrases, like when Hiccup calls his dragon a useless reptile.<br /><br />And then there's the way he says it, too. So many levels to humor.<br /><br />P.S. What Susan said of obsessions reminded me of something Jim Henson said, which is that with the Muppets he took one quality of each of them and made it stand out in the extreme, so it became humorous.Steve MChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15026970188928733645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4665052536053897386.post-5549244713657805452012-07-27T20:38:47.769+07:002012-07-27T20:38:47.769+07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Steve MChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15026970188928733645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4665052536053897386.post-167412318582632152012-07-27T20:19:20.412+07:002012-07-27T20:19:20.412+07:00What does it say about me that I like "Eccent...What does it say about me that I like "Eccentric" best?<br /><br />:)<br /><br />Love this post! I would have struggled to define these at all, much less as well as you have. I read somewhere that all humorous characters have an obsession that they can't see. That's what makes them funny, and I can kind of see that thread through the examples you have here. <br /><br />McKee in <i>Story</i> also said, "Comedy points out that in the best of circumstances human beings find some way to screw up."<br /><br />Which is funny right there. :)Susan Kaye Quinnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07348197999397141067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4665052536053897386.post-32513695956360505132012-07-27T19:49:11.337+07:002012-07-27T19:49:11.337+07:00Sokka and Bolin are both kind of combinations of I...Sokka and Bolin are both kind of combinations of Ignorant and Cynical to me. And they're both hilarious. And Bolin has a touch of Self-deprecating too, to me.<br /><br />Also, I think humor works best with a good foil. Sokka with Aang as a kind of foil (for his humor) was pretty good in season one, but nothing has ever been as funny (to me) as once Toph showed up, and her dry cynicism played so well against Sokka's ignorance, Aang's happy-go-lucky attitude, and Kitara's Extreme Optimism.<br /><br />I think the key to truly funny storytelling is the space between two (or more) characters. How they relate to other, and how they don't.<br /><br />Also, I wanted to say something about self-deprecation in general. I use a lot of self-deprecating humor IRL, because I think it makes for good laughs, and I pride myself on being humble. I don't think a person has to be full of self-doubt or to be cynical about their flaws to use self-deprecating humor. I think people can be perfectly confident in their abilities, and still make fun of themselves, simply because it's funny.<br /><br />I think this can be applied to characters too (and I'm not saying you disagreed with my point in this post, because you didn't say that they can't or anything).<br /><br />BTW - the term "the space between two characters," is something I've borrowed from Sarah Fine. I use it, because it's brilliant, but I have to give credit where it is due.Matthew MacNishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03264738483763244969noreply@blogger.com