Stand-up comedy has been booming, and the most common manifestation of
this boom is the rise of the stand-up special, the audiovisual recording
of a comic’s set. This was especially obvious during the Covid
pandemic, but even before there were signs that the cultural importance of specials has quite increased. Streaming services like Netflix or
HBO are releasing more and more specials, even smaller comedians try
their luck shooting DIY specials, comedy fans debate about their
favourite specials and exchange their favourite jokes with friends.
But what exactly is a stand-up special? It is not just a mere recording
of a set, it is more: comedians have found different ways to play not
only with the art form of stand-up, but also with the form of the
special and the cinematic means of the camera. What can they achieve by
this?
Today’s guest is Josh Kingsford, a Welsh comedian living in New Zealand. Josh is running the Youtube channel Comedy Without Errors
where he publishes in-depth-analyses about comedians, specials and
stand-up related phenomena. He argues that there are indefinite ways of
filming stand-up specials, and, by embracing cinematic means, comedians
can enhance their jokes and their comic persona. And he shows how, vice
versa, sticking to the prevalent notion of the special and doing the
recording in huge theatres or arenas can, after all, do harm to the
comedic act.
Specials we mention throughout the episode: Jerrod Carmichael: 8 (2017) | Bo Burnham: Inside (2021) | Norm MacDonald: Me Doing Stand-Up (2011) | Drew Michael: Drew Michael (2018) | Stewart Lee: Stand-Up Comedian (2005), 90s Comedian (2006) | Chelsea Peretti: One of the Greats (2014) | James Acaster: Repertoire (2018) | Maxi Gstettenbauer: Lieber Maxi als normal (Comedy Central filming 2020)
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Reference: Comedymagazin