Improv Rules for Creating Award-Winning Content
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Transcript of Improv Rules for Creating Award-Winning Content
Improv Rules for Creating Award-Winning Content
Tim Washer@timwasher
#CMWorld
The main evolutionary significance of humor is that it gets us from the closed mode
to the open mode quicker than anything else.
John Cleese
@TimWasher • #CMWorld
Building a Creative Culture ① The Open Mode / Tortoise Mind② How Comedy Works③ 5 Quick Fixes
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1 The Open Mode
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When you're in the open mode, nothing will stop you so effectively as the fear of
making a mistake.John Cleese
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There are no mistakes, only gifts.
Improv Principle
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Reframe Mistakes ① Internal recognition for big risks that failed ② Email from the CMO ③ Improv class as corporate training ④ Cascade cases of Success through Failure
• PBS Digital Studios http://s.hbr.org/1EH0PUc • 3M Post-It http://n.pr/1phmnx6
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2 How Comedy Works
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Juxtaposition
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Suggestion 1 Suggestion 2
Attrib
utes
Circus Bacon
Creepy
Circus
Clowns
Shovel
Trapeze
Pigs
Bacon
Farm
Ham
Eggs
RoosterThe Shining
Confetti
Juxtaposition
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Clowns Farm
Attrib
utes
• Rainbow hair• Giant shoes • Makeup • Packed into car• Balloons
• Farmer• Livestock • Early risers• Rooster • Tractor
Food Temperature
Smarter Planet:Food safety
salmonella
Farm to Fork
On StarTrucks
Supply chain
chicken
Cooking class
https://youtu.be/1DAR5wW19Eg
https://youtu.be/1DAR5wW19Eg
6X capacity
ASR 9000
6.4 TB /second
Launch Date: Feb 9th
Price: $80k - $250k
Forrest Gump = 200 feature films/ second
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http://youtu.be/Z1xKpm0nURk
Mark Twain
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To get the right word in the right place
is a rare achievement.
Oh Caption, My Caption
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① Clarity ② Economy ③ Inspiration
A Picture’s Worth a Thousand Words
Rule of Threes
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The first two items in the series establish the pattern. Then the third item delivers the hard left turn punch.
x
y
Rule of Threes
INBOUND15
The BreakersNewport, R.I.
Cornelius Vanderbilt II’s
summer cottage boasts
138,000 sq ft, 70 rooms and
1½ baths.
Irony
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INBOUND15
Built in 1068 by William the Conqueror, who embroidered “Home is where the heart is” on his welcome mat
Clifford’s TowerYork, England
@timwasher
Contrast
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INBOUND15
What’s the club’s policy on roasting marshmallows?
Patterns
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INBOUND15
WARNING: Beware of bears making announcements
INBOUND15
Waited here for 10 minutes before I realized this wasn’t a Cinnabon
Rijksmuseum Schiphol Airport
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3 5 Quick Fixes
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Shrink the Committee ① Narrow scope of committee’s input ② Build relationships over coffee③ Ask: “How can I help my ‘partner’ be successful?④ Find the right champion ⑤ Play in the sandbox ⑥ Move messaging to the blog post, not the video
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Story, not Adjectives ① Find an anecdote that represents the attribute (e.g. Agile)② The specifics create a connection with the audience③ Make the case rather than making a claim
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Abandon the Studio
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Show, Don’t Tell① “before/after” case format with results ② Film sit-down interview first. Builds trust. ③ Shoot rich, visual B-Roll ④ “How it Works” animation creates a learning experience ⑤ Avoid conclusions and superlatives
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Publish Weekly
@TimWasher • #CMWorld
“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste.
But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is
why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went
through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a
volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than
anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”
Ira Glass
Tim Washer
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www.timwasher.com