Writing makes for better Improvisation.

It’s plain. It’s simple. Writing makes for better ad-lib on set.

Often when aspiring filmmakers set out to create a short film or video they start shooting with limited knowledge: only having about a quarter of the audible script in mind and not even necessarily on paper. Sure, they’ve got it in their head what most of the video is going to look like, but they think that because of shows like “The Office” and especially the once popular “Who’s Line Is It Anyway?” that improv-style comedy/acting is an effective way to fill your story. What they forget is that 1) “Who’s Line Is It Anyway?” has a buzzer to stop the actors when they stop being funny and 2) “The Office” has an incredible set of writers that make improvisation better (the point of this post), and there is actually not as much ad-libbing as people assume.

So what makes this claim true, Ted?

Well let me see…. I’ve been creating video for six and a half years, and I’m the classic example of, “hey, let’s go make a video and see how it turns out” only to have the video turn out to be interesting/funny to… well, no one.

Alright, so then why does it make it better?

Think of it this way: when you go out for a jog (if you are into that kind of thing), do you just go running along any which way? No. Instead, you go on a predetermined course, and then if you are still feeling good you “go the extra mile.” If you just went wherever your feet lead you, you would end up 5 miles away from where you started and wondering how you are going to get your exhausted (and probably dehydrated) self back to your place of origin.

This same concept can be applied to video making. When you set out to shoot your footage, you set your predetermined parameters, and then if you are still feeling good after you have gotten all of your shots, then you can expand and play with the actor becoming the character that was once only on paper.

People often say, “the book was better than the movie” and while I wholly despise this statement, there is some truth to the idea that text appeals to people because it allows their imaginations to be free. When an actor (or typically in my case someone I have conned into being an actor) has some guidelines and some text to associate with his/her character it provokes their imagination and helps shape the image they have of their new on-camera persona.

When all else fails, write. (you can quote me on that)

- Ted