This video is sponsored by Skillshare all according to plan!
The scene is tense.
Everyone is on edge.
The endless action and near brush with death has left us at the edge of our seat.
If this keeps up the entire story will flounder.
Quick.
I need something to lighten the tone.
Um.
A laugh track?
Nope.
That didn't work.
We need the big guns.
We need a comic relief character!
Comic relief is when a story uses comedy in order to relieve built up tension and to shift
the story’s tone.
Use of comedic elements can be a good way to stop a story from getting too brooding
or otherwise taking itself way too seriously.
And what better way to break the tension then by having a character dedicated to comic relief.
We need a character with a core driving motive, traits, and a character arc that will allow
them to grow and change and…*starts cracking up* Ha ha ha!
I’m just joking to relief the tension of the intro.
Nope.
We are going treat our character just like an inanimate tool that we can stuff back into
the toolbox once we are done.
All of our characters should be treated purely like shallow archetypes and comic relief characters
are no exception.
Prepare the laugh tracks and ready the zingers.
Because I just love comic relief characters so much.
It’s not like this character type can has a history of going horribly horribly wrong!
Now what is the first thing a writer should do with designing a comic relief character?
Create a character with traits that will contrast with the protagonist in order to act as a
foil to one another?
Give them a set of unique skills essential to aid the heroes of the story at a critical
juncture as well as justify their inclusion in the protagonist’s team?
Design their personality so that they can balance out and resolve conflict between their
fellow heroes through a combination of charisma and high spirits?
Nope.
Those are all waste of time.
Why spend precious effort making a character that fits within the story as well as within
the social structure of the protagonist’s team when what they really need is a catch
phrase!
Making a catch phrase is as easy as the love triangle!
Wait.
Let me try that again.
Making a catch phrase is as easy as just mashing a few words together.
Zappow!
A ringaling!
Wow-we!
For the cheap price of one crime against the English language any writer can cobble together
a string of letters that vaguely resemble a word and bazinga, you’ve gotta a catch
phrase!
For best results, repeat this catchphrase consonantly.
For extra effect, give them a funny and not at all annoying voice to go along with the
catchphrase.
I’m sure that will never get old.
How can a writer know if this catch phrase is any good?
Well if by the end of the story the audience wants to brutally murder anyone who utters
something slightly close to the comic relief’s catchphrase then the writer should rest easy
that they did a good job!
So we have our catchphrase.
What next?
How can a writer describe their comic relief character?
Our comic relief character can best be described as wacky, zany, and other words that make
me want to claw out my own eyes…
I mean that invoke fun and frivolity.
Best to have the other characters consonantly tell the audience that our comic relief character
is goofy and silly because, you know, they might miss it even those these elements are
on full blast 24/7.
There is no relief from comic relief.
What else does our comic relief character need?
A love triangle!
Nah.
I’m just joking again.
The comic relief character is too unattractive to be any real threat to the protagonist’s
romantic intentions.
Like for real unattractive not Hollywood unattractive.
Sorry, comic relief.
You don’t get a love interest.
Now that we have our comic relief character designed, how should a writer introduce them?
Easy.
By having them kick-start the plot by putting the entire universe in danger through their
bumbling antics.
That’s right.
Every awful thing that happens in the story is literally the comic relief character’s
fault.
In fact, almost every bad thing that happens in the plot is usually a result of the comic
relief’s clowning around.
Do any of the other characters bring this up?
Of course not.
Has our comic relief character ever contributed anything positive to the protagonist’s team
ever?
No, but his catchphrase should be enough distract anyone who raises such irrelevant questions.
“Why is this character here?” should always be answered with “because the writer says
so.”
I can’t get rid of the comic relief character because I don’t know how to fix the tone
any other way than by torpedoing it completely with a well placed lame joke.
I mean I could use the comic relief's early mistakes to fuel his ongoing character development
and use it as a source of conflict as he attempts to persuade the other characters to let him
fix his earlier mistakes.
But I’m not going to mess up by actually letting my characters develop over the course
of the plot.
The comic relief character’s only purpose is to fix the tone and nothing else.
He will fix the tone by acting foolish at every opportunity.
All somber moments should be interrupted by the comic relief’s zaniness.
Oh no!
The mentor just died!
This is a solemn moment so let us all take a moment of silence to fully appreciate the
comic relief's slapstick routine.
Speaking of comedy routine, what kind of humor should our comic relief character employ,
I mean other than slapstick?
Word play and ironic juxtaposition?
Too much setup is needed.
Hyperbole, a science joke, and meta commentary combined?
That would the most horrible combination since mixing matter and antimatter and I would never
in a million years make such a joke on this channel!
One would think that considering the age of the audience would be the wisest way to determine
which style of humor to employ as well as the level of sophistication of the jokes.
Which is why I’m going to hedge my bets by sticking to pop culture references and
toilet humor.
I’m sure those fart jokes will pull in that precious 5 year old reading demographic.
Now some might worry that the comic relief character is becoming a nuisance.
This is by design.
Oh.
You meant for the audience.
This is also by design.
Annoying people is funny especially when the audience is the butt of the joke!
I find it hilarious when I’m annoying other people and I'm sure it’s as fun for the
person on the receiving end!
In fact, let’s increase the screen time of our comic relief throughout the middle
of the story since I am sure everyone will just love this comic relief character as much
as I do.
This character is essential now.
There is no way I would ever deny this amazing character their screen-time and… oh it’s
the third act.
Well back into the toolbox you go comic relief.
Got to have all of the dramatic characters do their thing.
Has the comic relief character actually been funny?
Did the audience manage to get invested in the comic relief's character arc?
Well this is perfect time to fix that mistake by having them vanish from the story.
Now the story can indulge in its serious tone without limit and by indulge I mean wallow
excessively in its dark tone.
If you see any audience members flying past then don’t worry.
That’s just the mood whiplash launching them out of the story.
Now I just have to kill another important character to show how dangerous the situation
is.
Too bad I already killed the mentor off after he outlived his usefulness.
Wait.
I do have another character I have no further use for.
Oh no!
The comic relief character died!
How “tragic”.
Surely the audience will mourn his loss?
I’m sure those are not tears of utter joy.
So sad.
Oh.
He’s back.
I see the protagonist resurrected the comic relief character with his end of story power
upgrade.
Thank goodness.
And it couldn’t have happened to a better character.
The comic relief character deserves it for throwing the entire universe out of balance
and threatening all life in the galaxy thanks to their bumbling.
You know what, I’ll think I’ll even give them a last minute love interest as a reward
that they totally earned.
Congratulations, here is a free supermodel.
And here is a medal.
It reads ‘most annoying character’.
Oh.
I’m sorry.
I misread.
It reads ‘a true hero’ because that is what our comic relief is.
I mean how could anyone find my comic relief character annoying?
Just because he has an irritating voice, reuses the same lame gags over and over, wore out
that catchphrase a long time ago, refers to decades old unfunny jokes, and then has the
gall to end on a self deprecating punchline!
Wait a minute.
CULT LEADER: Excuse me, Mr. Ghost, do you have a moment to hear the good news about
Cthulhu?
CONSPIRATOR: For the last freaking time, I’m.
Not.
A. Ghost!
Ugh.
This is what I get for suppressing the invention of holograms.
CEO: Well, if it isn’t my favorite group of has-beens, the ancient conspiracy.
Shame I can’t turn fossils like you into fuel.
CONSPIRATOR: Don’t you sass me.
You know why I’m here, thief!
You Bilderberg Group snobs think you can just walk all over us you bunch of Johnny-come-latelies.
CEO: Aw.
Now you hurt my feelings.
I guess I’ll just have to comfort myself by buying another pacific island unlike you
guys who have to pawn off ancient relics just to keep in the black.
CONSPIRATOR: And I can’t stand that condescending attitude of yours!
Roll in here with a bunch of money and think you can just buy the world!
You don’t know anything about ruling from the shadows!
CEO: You’re just jealous I bought congress before you.
CONSPIRATOR: No.
I’m here because I demand to know what you did with this video’s sponsor, Skillshare.
CEO: Come again?
CONSPIRATOR: You know.
Skillshare.
An online learning service with over 20,000 classes in writing, design, business, technology
and like a lot of other subjects.
The one that has a premium membership that can unlock unlimited access to high quality
classes?
CEO: Sounds kind of familiar.
CONSPIRATOR: Kurzgesagt did an animation class on it?
CEO: Oh right.
That was the thing DL was after.
That the one where the first 500 TWA fans can go to skl.sh/twa10 to get two months of
Skillshare for free?
CONSPIRATOR: Yeah.
That’s it!
There was a link in the description below for it and everything.
So where did you hide it?
CEO: Hide it.
No.
I liquidated that one faster than you can say “free renewable energy”.
Pretty sure that one is lost forever.
Especially since the hacker I hired to steal it from you said that he most definitely did
not copy it in order to advance his own agenda.
*awkward pause*
CONSPIRATOR: I’ve gotta go.
CEO: Huh.
On second thought.
Maybe I should’ve tied up that loose end faster.
Just like Gran-pappy always said ‘double check before you double cross’.
Oh well.
I got my PMC on speed dial.
Better gather the troops.
We'll head em off at the pass.
CULT LEADER: Can we go too?
CEO: Depends.
How much money does this Cthulhu fella have?