Getting Started

Getting Started

• The task: develop a prototype for a local news parody akin to the Daily Show or Colbert Report

1. Do some research2. Round up a group of comedians3. Come up with a witty and memorable

name

Early Research

We logged a lot of hours watching The Daily Show and The Colbert Report in attempts to learn from the best.

We talked to Jim Spencer from Newsy.com about the online video business and tried to pinpoint an appropriate length for our episodes.

We read “Philosophy of The Daily Show” and “Philosophy of The Colbert Report” to gain some insights on the inner genius of both shows.

But in the end we decided we would learn best by doing…

The Players

Host: Ryan Beck

Correspondent: Dan Friesen

Correspondent: Kyle Ayers

Correspondent: Virginia Collins

Producers: Kayla Bell, Tony Brown, Xenia Shih

Director: Travis McMillen

The Infinity Project

• The task: develop a prototype for a local news parody akin to the Daily Show or Colbert Report

• The process1. Scour the internet for potentially funny news2. (Attempt to) write jokes about news stories3. Write script4. Rehearse5. Film episode6. Edit, edit, edit

Lessons Learned, Part I

• We need to rehearse more before we film. As in a LOT more.

• We need to give Travis better camera cues.• We need to figure out that chroma key…• We could definitely improve our material.• Check the equipment. Double check.• We should avoid Kim Dude for the rest of the semester at

all costs.

With these lessons in mind, we proceeded onto our second episode…

…and came up with this

Lessons Learned, Part II

• A few extra run-throughs before we start filming makes a world of difference.

• We still need to figure out that chroma key…• We should focus more on character

development• The less time between punch lines, the better.

The Partnership of all Partnerships• The Infinity Project teamed up with IKnowComo.com

to give our episodes some more publicity• The IKnowComo team posted our second episode on

its website on November 30.

Our episode has been IKnowComo’s most-viewed post, with 58 views as of Dec. 2.

In fact, IKnowComo’s number of hits peaked immediately following the posting of our video on the website.

Philosophy of The Infinity Project

• Shoot first, ask later.• Learn just enough to know whether a local

news parody can be successful.• “Jokes aren’t the most important thing in a

comedy. Character is. Situation can be funnier than a line.” –Ricky Gervais, The Office

Challenges• Arranging studio time around 8 schedules• Making sure our material was still journalistically

fresh because writing jokes took far longer than we expected

• Limitations of the studio• Finding sources (who were game) to be

interviewed• Motivating our busy (and unpaid) comedians,

especially with the last episode• Staying on task—especially Monday night writers’

meetings

Lessons Learned, Final• We would need many more resources to

regularly produce a local news parody– An outlet for the final product– Talent: must be funny, able to write broadcast-

like scripts, and have good on-camera presence and interviewing skills

– Investment: funding (motivation for the talent)

Tips (for future IP-ers?)

• Find versatile talent. The people on screen can make or break an episode.

• When choosing stories to write about, look for trends.

• Avoid chroma-keying in post-production.• Have the people on screen memorize their

lines, or choose people who are really good at reading a teleprompter.

Got questions?