With my recent post and intention of bridging the gap between my written work and videos closer (especially with my love for comedy writing & acting), it’s a perfect time to show some of the comedic videos I’ve enjoyed creating. From coming up with the ideas, to writing them, performing, and even editing, I’ll go into the thought process behind what went into making them, and even go into where the ideas came from as I provide commentary.
Let’s go for it!
“Barbenheimer” Stupidity
I based this one on a random moment from work when me and a friend were talking about movies. He asked if I was gonna watch Barbie, and I actually did confuse Greta Gerwig with Greta Thunberg (because I’m human and am blaming the heat). And because it was still trending at the time, I had to add a quick reference to the Oppenheimer craze. Having the first roomie cartoonishly pop into the bedroom at the last second while saying “Nolan is overrated!” was a quick way to do that. As I played with the idea and developed the “stupid roomie” further, I decided to reference the apparently (and sadly) common confusion where some people actually mistake Anne Frank for Helen Keller and vice versa. This confusion was notably acknowledged in Clerks 2, so I figured I’d imply it and give my own twist.
All in all, this is definitely the first skit I wrote that I’m really proud of in terms of writing, editing, and also the way I played these two roomies. Doing the dialogue was a lot of fun, and it gave me a perfect way to use a trending sound that heightens the reactions. For an extra touch, the final moment of the first roomie’s shock & bewilderment is inspired by the end of this scene in Good Burger.
The “Offspring”
This one came to me one day when I was thinking about Alien Romulus (for whatever reason), and I thought about that weird offspring creature from the film’s final act. It’s a fairly creepy design (although I find the offspring from Alien Resurrection to be a little creepier), but as I thought about it… I noticed how oddly white it looks. So what does a 90’s kid like me realize as I make the connection between a “white guy” and the offspring?
I knew there was a joke here and quickly told myself, “Screw it, I need to make this joke right here, right now, and fast before someone else makes it.” It was too perfect of an opportunity, so how could I resist?
I also really liked adding generic sci-fi sounds and funny stock screams to add to the overall absurdity. Why? Because stock sounds can be hilarious when used right or used at all. It’s like they make a film/TV show/etc. feel like a variation in an offshoot world adjacent to ours. And the more recognizable they are (Wilhelm scream, anyone?), the quirkier it is. I can’t be alone in thinking this right?
Remember Malcolm in the Middle?
I hope you do! But do others? Asking this question immediately made me think of the only right & logical response, resulting in this quick video.
What can I say? It’s so simple, but I really liked doing it. And for a quick fun fact, I was originally gonna say all the responses in a simple conversational delivery, but then felt it’d be funnier to work in the pitch & singing of the theme song (originally performed by They Might Be Giants).
I didn’t want to overdue that idea and potentially make the joke too obvious, though, especially since the punchline itself is more unexpected. Ultimately, I figured less is more. It was a better idea to only (and subtly) lean into it with my delivery of, “Maybe” and, “I don’t know,” before delivering the final part my own intentionally-stilted way just to make this more absurd. It’s all the more peculiar because who responds like that? Adding the short reaction before the explosion is an extra detail that I wasn’t sure would fit at first, given the short length of this video. But I’m glad it works. It’s as if the first guy realizes something deadly is about to happen, and has a slight expression change right before the whole room explodes.
I find that editing this and other videos where dialogue & jokes need sharp-tight timing (especially when combined with an unexpected punchline) is always tricky, but very satisfying. Every frame really matters, so it’s a good idea to act & film myself just a little longer to give myself more room and footage to work with when editing. I eventually reposted this on my Instagram, and I’ll likely share it again when the new four-episode revival of Malcolm in the Middle releases on Disney+.
REALLY Deep Questions (Or Are They?)
This was one of my favourite trends at the time of making this video. Others have done their take of it where they lip-sync to audio of someone asking strange “rabbit hole”-type thought/questions that make their friend wonder what is happening. I really enjoyed watching others’ renditions of this, but I thought it’d be fun to write my own original thoughts inspired by the same overall idea, and then come up with my own little witty (and equally absurd in their own way) responses, slight 4th-wall breaks for comedic effect, and acknowledging pop culture references.
And speaking of pop culture references, I also really wanted to bring up an equally bizarre (but nonetheless, long-confusing plothole) that people STILL to this day probe from Jurassic Park: The Lost World. This is actually something that others have endlessly made video after video about, even discussing on forums and reddit posts as they debate whether or not the novel explains it, and whether or not that even matters because the movie has many differences.
And yet, despite referencing that mindboggling aspect from the film, I thought it’d be funny to have the other on-screen me simply brush it off by responding, “Nobody cares, even Spielberg doesn’t care,” as if I’m poking a knife into the “plothole conspiracy” with a blunt response. It’s like I’m trying to avoid saying, “Yes, that is weird,” so we can just move along. All in all, I’m oddly proud to have referenced this random-but-distracting plothole discussion.
Detail-oriented movie nerd. What can ya do?
Thanks for Watching!
So those are just some of my favourite Tiktoks I’ve written & created! There’s definitely more I’ll touch on in another entry, and I’m especially excited to make more in the coming weeks too. I hope you liked watching these and enjoyed my behind-the-scenes commentary. To anyone who might also be a creator, I hope this gave you some ideas on how to approach making your own comedic videos. In the meantime, follow me on Tiktok and watch more videos (which include trends, more skits, and even a hybrid narrative series) as I continue breathing more life here, there, and everywhere.
See you next time!
Kasey Lewis - Actor, Writer, Creator 