i-am-comic-slamdance-controversyI already know that when the stand-up comedy documentary I Am Comic premieres at the Slamdance Film Festival (January 27, 2009)…

There will be some comedians who have some real issues with my Comedy Evaluator Pro software which is featured in the documentary. I know this because of the reported reactions already expressed by some comedians who reviewed the film at initial screenings.

I will be attending the premiere of I Am Comic at Slamdance and I am more than ready to swiftly defend my software and respond to any question without hesitation or reservation — regardless of how famous the comedian may be asking the questions.

That’s how I managed to get a role in I Am Comic in the first place. :-)

A part of the controversy surrounding my Comedy Evaluator Pro software will consist of some variation of this question:

How is it even possible to evaluate something as subjective as a stand-up comedy act with software?

That’s a very easy question for me to answer.

First of all, Comedy Evaluator Pro does NOT evaluate the content or any “subjective” aspect of a comedian’s act. The Comedy Evaluator Pro software is a tool to help accurately measure the duration and frequency of results (laughs, cheering, applause) generated by the comedian’s content or subject matter and to calculate a ratio of “laugh time” vs. “talk time”.

In other words…

My software measures results that have already occured for a particular performance (unless it is being used to evaluate a live stand-up comedy performance — even then it is still actual results that are being measured).

Below are a series of questions and answers to better help folks understand how my Comedy Evaluator Pro software works:

Can the length of time a comedian is performing on stage be measured in minutes?

Yes, it can be measured very easily using a watch or stopwatch. My software is not needed to figure this out.

Can the length of time an audience laughs at a joke or comedy bit be measured?

Yes, the duration of laughs (in seconds) generated by a comedian can be very easily measured with a stopwatch (or Comedy Evaluator Pro).

Note: One must be aware that the larger an audience is, the longer (and stronger) laughs can be for any given stand-up comedy material that works well (this is common knowledge for which a multi-million dollar government study is NOT required to substantiate).

Can the number of laughs a comedian generates during a show be determined on a minute-by-minute basis?

Yes, this can actually be accomplished using one’s fingers (and toes if necessary), but does require monitoring a timepiece to determine when each performance minute ends/begins to get an accurate count of how many laughs a comedian generates in any given minute (accomplished automatically using Comedy Evaluator Pro).

How many minutes can a comedian go without getting any laughs during a performance?

Unless a comedian is performing a specific comedy bit or routine that is not designed to get laughs during their show (i.e. dramatic segment in a one man show)…

A comedian cannot go “minutes” without getting laughs and retain credibility (or popularity) as a comedian. If any comedian goes “minutes” without a laugh when they are performing, they are bombing.

Headlining comedians, whether they are famous or not, have the skill to generate multiple laughs every minute they are on stage. Otherwise, they would not be headlining comedians.

Is it possible to determine if one comedian is funnier than another?

The answer to this question is YES, without a doubt, which will absolutely chap many comedians to the point of needing medication.

But let me ask you this simple question:

Given the same size audience to perform for…

Which comedian is funnier — one who can generate 10 seconds of laughter each minute (average) they perform or one who can generate 30 seconds of laughter each minute they perform?

You simply don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure that one out.

It is this application of time measurement and simple math ratio calcuations (“laugh time” vs. “talk time”) provided by the software that can easily be the foundation for the objective determination of “World Champion” comedians every year in a number of categories and forms the basis of my reality TV show concept called “Comedy Fight Night” (WGA Reg#1376283) .

Important: Virtually every single known stand-up comedy star has the ability to generate between 24 and 30 seconds of laughter (average) for each minute they are performing as evidenced by their comedy CD’s and videos — which have been available to the public for DECADES.

Needless to say, I am very much looking forward to fielding questions from comedians and media types alike about my software when I am at the world premiere of I Am Comic at the Slamdance Film Festival.

Cheers,
Steve Roye
The Professor of Funny for Money
Twitter: @SteveRoye

For more information about Steve Roye, author of this blog and the Killer Stand-up Online Course, click here.


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