If Louis C.K. can do it, why not local comedians?
Comics such as Andy King, Danny Polishchuk are using DIY video to further careers
In his keynote address at Just For Laughs a few years ago, American standup comic and actor Patton Oswalt held up his smartphone. Pausing, Oswalt, who’s part of JFL42’s upcoming lineup, proclaimed that he “had more filmmaking technology in (his) hand than Orson Welles had when he made Citizen Kane.”
Many standups would simply shrug at that revelation, then return to their couch and Call of Duty 3 while griping about their stalled showbiz careers.
Many other standups, however, are embracing this cheap, accessible and effective technology to take more charge of their careers and draw more eyes to their art. Louis C.K., for instance, personally edits his entire TV show, Louie, on a MacBook.
Toronto has its own comedian-scum-video creators: Helder Brum, Andy King and Danny Polishchuk, to name a few.
“The technology has changed (so) anyone can do it now,” says King. But, he points out, “You still have to be one of those people who gets out there and does it.”
Adds Polishchuk, “Everything is at your fingertips. You can edit some pretty incredible stuff on your (portable) device.”
What Polishchuk, 31, and King, 40, have created is a nicely acted, tightly scripted short film called Filth City: Drug Squad, which would not look out of place on any reputable cable network.
They figure their dark comedy, which has garnered more than 13,000 YouTube hits, cost about $500 to produce. “Because you always have to feed people,” explains King.
Like C.K., King and his brother edited Filth City on their laptops.
Editing tutorials are readily available online, notes King. “There is a learning curve,” adds Polishchuk. “But once you get past that, you’re good.”
The two comedians used a professional camera but, like personal devices, those too have come down in price, making them and their trained operators more accessible. For Filth City, it was free: the camera guy was looking to bolster his portfolio in his increasingly competitive marketplace.
King, a part-time comedian who’s worked in TV for more than 10 years, says it wasn’t that long ago when “the only way to get a high-end camera was through a private rental agency. Now, I know a couple of guys who own several of them.”
Brum, 34, only needed his iPhone, a tripod and some clumps of clay to create his videos: a series of one- to two-minute, stop-motion, charming animated works that he uses to promote his live standup show, Helder Brum and Friends, at Comedy Bar,
“I’ve never really been tech savvy,” says the affable Brum, whose claymation creations would impress Gumby impresario Art Clokey.
“I realized that it was fine that I sucked at it (in the early stages) because I was alone in a room and I was allowed to swear every time,” he admits with a laugh. “But no one was watching, so I could really screw up . . . then just start over again.”
Brum did, however, draw on his carpentry background and skills with building concrete forms.
“Claymation was the only type of animation that actually made sense to me,” he says. “It’s a 3D model in front of me. I move it a little, take a photo. Move it again, take another photo . . . and that gives me video.
“The more I do it, the better I’ve been getting with the characters and shooting style.”
Regardless of the autonomy that creating your own short film or video offers, the comics agree it can’t be a substitute for tried-and-true filmmaking practices. King and Polishchuk, who both starred in their film, say they rehearsed rigorously, ensuring they wouldn’t be left with hours of raw video to vet and edit.
Brum is emphatic about being open to professionals’ advice.
“For the most part, these people are in this industry for a reason,” says Brum. “They have more knowledge than me because I haven’t been doing that job for 15 years.”
Typically, the rewards are commensurate with the financial investment, which is to say the work is most often consumed free online. But the efforts can bear fruit. Polishchuk notes that Filth City recently helped him and King land a movie deal with Super Channel.
Brum, who co-hosts a show on the DIY Network, says his claymation videos have, indeed, drawn people to his live shows. But his biggest reward, he maintains, has nothing to do with money.
“With these videos, I’m just showing people more of my personality. There’s a reason I like making these silly things out of clay, because that’s kind of who I am. And at the deepest part of it, it’s just more of me.” Denis Grignon is a professional standup comic. He doesn’t play video games but admits to having a very comfy couch.