Lead Blog Reponse: Deadpan and Breaking Character

In Ellen's blog post, she says that "Deadpan is ineffective when we neither find the content of the joke funny or the person delivering it." I had never thought about the components of deadpan humor before, but upon reading this statement it made sense. Deadpan is a type of humor that requires careful execution - it takes innate talent to make a deadpan statement on the spot and get laughs. I think successfully delivering deadpan comes down to two things: sensitivity and confidence. These may sound like contradictory ideas, polar opposites even - but they are both necessary for achieving the goal of laughter. 

Jokes should be jolting, provoking a strong opinion or emotional response. We already know that discomfort can create humor, but there is a line. The line varies depending on an endless amount of factors - including the people in your target audience, the mood of the current moment, and your capacity to deliver the joke. These are just a few things to consider when deciding if a joke is too harsh. But with this sensitivity to the environment, the joke must also be delivered with confidence. The audience will take cues from the attitude of the comic, so if deadpan humor is attempted timidly, the response won't translate. Deadpan is an art that not everyone can master, but breaking character most definitely is.

Ellen asked whether successful deadpan or breaking in the midst of attempting deadpan generates more laughter. I think the answer is easily the latter, but if the question was which generates more meaningful laughter, I would say the former. Deadpan requires a thought process, even if it is not consciously realized. Breaking is something that comes easily to everyone, therefore the response does not require any effort. I guess what I'm saying is, laughing at someone else's laughter is dumb humor. It never fails. This is why Jimmy Fallon has grown to rely on it. I think that his comedy does have more layers to it, but he has found through experience that when all else fails, his laughter causes others to laugh. But now people see that he tries to force this experience, which comes off as inauthentic. Authenticity is the key to any type of humor, whether it be deadpan, satire, parody, or even breaking. Laughter is ultimately a natural response to the unexpected, and the unexpected can never be planned.