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Delusions of Grandeur: A Collection of Emotionally Revealing and Probably Not Funny Comedy Vignettes
Description
This creative project, titled What Did You Expect?, is five comedy plays all written and edited by me (with the help of my director Jason Scott), to ideally be performed all in a single night of entertainment. All five plays are united with an overarching theme, which sits somewhere on the borders of subverting expectations and the fortitude of human emotion. I have a long history writing sketch comedy (for a college student), but each of these plays were all written with the specific intention to divert from the style of short-form comedy to longer stories with dynamic characters and plot movement, rather than circling around one singular joke. Each play tells a story placed in a setting with specific expectations, then follows an absurd character as she or he subverts each and every one of those expectations. There are five plays. The first and fifth play comprise the two parts of the story of Leonardo Da Vinci and Mona Lisa, their secret love affair, and it discusses, through a series of misunderstandings and insults, broad realizations about love and art. The second is the story of a therapy session between a seasoned professional and a nightmare patient, and it follows the therapist's absurd descent into (brief) madness, as well as the patient's ascent into (brief) catharsis. The third play serves as a transition; a short monologue by a 13-year old boy delivering a science fair presentation about a hermit crab \u2014 only to realize that he and the crab have more in common than he would like to think. Finally, the fourth play is called Space Cowboy, and to discuss it any further would take all the fun out of reading it. Overall, the project was about self-discovery through a new form of comedy writing, and hopefully it's funny enough for someone to read. Hell, I'd even take a skim. If someone skimmed the plays, I'd consider this creative project a success. You've already read the abstract though, so we're off to a good start! If it's not up to your standards, all I have to say is...what did you expect?
ContributorsMahai, Cameron Jahon (Author) / Scott, Jason (Thesis director) / Maday, Gregory (Committee member) / Electrical Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
While studying in Japan, I became fascinated by the variety shows my roommates would watch. These shows featured a flexible format with comedians and other entertainers participating in a wide variety of activities. For my senior creative project, I decided to determine what features were essential to Japanese variety shows, and to then use these features to create my own program.
In order to determine the essential features of Japanese variety television, I watched a total of 22 episodes of three popular Japanese variety shows: Gaki no tsukai ya arahende (ダウンタウンのガキの使いやあらへんで! Usually abbreviated as ガキの使い), London Hearts (ロンドンハーツ), and Utaban (うたばん). I chose these three shows because of their differing styles, popular comedic hosts, and impressive longevity, with a combined 58 years of runtime. Through my research, I was able to assemble the analyses of basic and technical features found in the next section of this document in addition to several pages of my own notes used to design my original program.
My own program, American Joke (アメリカンジョーク), is meant to be filmed in America featuring an entirely Japanese cast. The main idea of the show is to capitalize on the comedic potential of cultural differences by having Japanese comedians interact with American people and traditions.
In order to showcase the show, I filmed a short “sizzle reel” video featuring Japanese exchange students as the cast. Segments filmed included our “comedians” learning the high jump from ASU track athletes, bringing Japanese fermented soybeans to campus for American students to taste, and participating in an American-themed quiz show.
In order to determine the essential features of Japanese variety television, I watched a total of 22 episodes of three popular Japanese variety shows: Gaki no tsukai ya arahende (ダウンタウンのガキの使いやあらへんで! Usually abbreviated as ガキの使い), London Hearts (ロンドンハーツ), and Utaban (うたばん). I chose these three shows because of their differing styles, popular comedic hosts, and impressive longevity, with a combined 58 years of runtime. Through my research, I was able to assemble the analyses of basic and technical features found in the next section of this document in addition to several pages of my own notes used to design my original program.
My own program, American Joke (アメリカンジョーク), is meant to be filmed in America featuring an entirely Japanese cast. The main idea of the show is to capitalize on the comedic potential of cultural differences by having Japanese comedians interact with American people and traditions.
In order to showcase the show, I filmed a short “sizzle reel” video featuring Japanese exchange students as the cast. Segments filmed included our “comedians” learning the high jump from ASU track athletes, bringing Japanese fermented soybeans to campus for American students to taste, and participating in an American-themed quiz show.
ContributorsAmkraut, Elliott R. (Author) / Chambers, Anthony (Thesis director) / Wilson, Bradley (Committee member) / Maday, Gregory (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
“The Evil Box spilled, and someone has to clean it up. That someone rolls into a nothing town in search of an Evil driving possessed Mortals to violence. In saving the target of the attack, she finds a team of wannabe do-gooders intent on saving the world – or, at least, keeping it from becoming worse. Armed with apparent eons of experience, cynicism, and a not insignificant amount of Divine Intervention, they set out to contain the mythological Evils and their detriment to the world.”
In a world not unlike our own, Pandora opened the world to malicious Evils. With the world, as it is, the last thing it needs is additional evil. Enter: a group of people who are not responsible for the situation. Their only stake in the game is that it affects the world in which they live, and they’d really like to save it.
Following in the tradition of great female-led television dramas and rife with questions about the difference between culpability and responsibility, this modern continuation of the myth of Pandora –an attempt at a generational allegory - finds its form in a 60-minute single camera drama.
This Barrett, The Honors College Creative Thesis Project, consists of the first draft of a pilot screenplay, a corresponding “bible” (a compilation of information regarding the concept, story, and characters so as to facilitate its writing), and a reflection on the process undergone.
In a world not unlike our own, Pandora opened the world to malicious Evils. With the world, as it is, the last thing it needs is additional evil. Enter: a group of people who are not responsible for the situation. Their only stake in the game is that it affects the world in which they live, and they’d really like to save it.
Following in the tradition of great female-led television dramas and rife with questions about the difference between culpability and responsibility, this modern continuation of the myth of Pandora –an attempt at a generational allegory - finds its form in a 60-minute single camera drama.
This Barrett, The Honors College Creative Thesis Project, consists of the first draft of a pilot screenplay, a corresponding “bible” (a compilation of information regarding the concept, story, and characters so as to facilitate its writing), and a reflection on the process undergone.
ContributorsGeelhood, Tessa Renee (Author) / Maday, Gregory (Thesis director) / Bernstein, Gregory (Committee member) / School of Film, Dance and Theatre (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
For the creative project portion of the Barrett Honors Thesis Requirement, “The Author’s Daughter: A Series Concept and Pilot Pitch” was developed to further explore a television series idea based upon a senior capstone film. The story follows a young Author who, in a future where fictional content is censored and illegal, has the power to create and bring stories to life in another realm, known as the Narrative. What’s more, she can bring these characters and stories to life in Reality, though many dangerous consequences face her because of it.
The creative project explores the concept much more in depth than its capstone counterpart; where as the capstone film serves as a concept, prequel film to the series, for the creative project the pilot script was developed, spanning over twice the length of the first script. What’s more, along with the pilot a pitch bible was developed, outlining series and franchise potential as well as an in-depth look at characters, rules of the world, and formatting styles. Finally along with the written portion came the pitch, where the series was presented to a “buyer” in this case the jury of the defense, and paired with marketing and distribution strategies to help simulate an industry style pitch and packaging demonstration.
The purpose of the honors creative project was to explore the conceptual challenges of world and series creation, as well as the execution of the serialized narrative. What’s more the project’s purpose was to research the execution of selling an idea and the business side of television, specifically in terms of the sales, marketing, and distribution of a series idea.
The creative project explores the concept much more in depth than its capstone counterpart; where as the capstone film serves as a concept, prequel film to the series, for the creative project the pilot script was developed, spanning over twice the length of the first script. What’s more, along with the pilot a pitch bible was developed, outlining series and franchise potential as well as an in-depth look at characters, rules of the world, and formatting styles. Finally along with the written portion came the pitch, where the series was presented to a “buyer” in this case the jury of the defense, and paired with marketing and distribution strategies to help simulate an industry style pitch and packaging demonstration.
The purpose of the honors creative project was to explore the conceptual challenges of world and series creation, as well as the execution of the serialized narrative. What’s more the project’s purpose was to research the execution of selling an idea and the business side of television, specifically in terms of the sales, marketing, and distribution of a series idea.
ContributorsOwens, Krystina Diane (Author) / Maday, Gregory (Thesis director) / Scott, Jason (Committee member) / School of Film, Dance and Theatre (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
This director’s book is the culmination of my Barrett thesis project, which was originally intended to be a fully filmed and edited short film called The Mime. While ultimately my film has gone unfinished due to circumstances I will detail later, I have done my best in this document to create an accurate picture of what it would have looked like had everything gone according to plan. Along with the complete shooting script of The Mime, this director’s book contains breakdowns of the scenes and the shots that comprise them, notes on the characters and locations used in the short, a detailed shoot schedule, and lists of all the shots and equipment required. I have also included a reflection paper at the end to explain my process, the problems I faced along the way, and what I have learned from the experience.
ContributorsCampbell, Connor (Author) / Maday, Gregory (Thesis director) / Mack, Robert (Committee member) / School of Film, Dance and Theatre (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
TIME CLASH
by
Sam Gerkin
A Serialized Single-Camera Comedy for Streaming
For my Thesis, I wrote an original TV Pilot Script and a Series “bible”. In lieu of a defense, I wrote a paper about the process of writing the Pilot.
Defining Principle:
Though different people often have very different beliefs, we all must fight for the beliefs that hold a society together.
Logline:
Extremely different individuals from the past, present, and future must find a way to work together to save the universe from evil creatures in present-day Phoenix, Arizona.
by
Sam Gerkin
A Serialized Single-Camera Comedy for Streaming
For my Thesis, I wrote an original TV Pilot Script and a Series “bible”. In lieu of a defense, I wrote a paper about the process of writing the Pilot.
Defining Principle:
Though different people often have very different beliefs, we all must fight for the beliefs that hold a society together.
Logline:
Extremely different individuals from the past, present, and future must find a way to work together to save the universe from evil creatures in present-day Phoenix, Arizona.
ContributorsGerkin, Samuel (Co-author) / Gerkin, Sam (Co-author) / Maday, Gregory (Thesis director) / Bernstein, Gregory (Committee member) / School of Film, Dance and Theatre (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
The goal of this project was to increase my understanding and familiarity with cinema and art by analyzing and reviewing various films. Due to the events surrounding COVID-19 I had to change the initial direction of my project which was to originally apply the experience I gained to go to a film festival and review their movies. As movie theaters and festivals were shut down I changed the project to be more focused on studying a variety of films from throughout film history and of a variety of genres. I picked a wide selection of films that I felt I could review and analyze in a meaningful way. By using different angles of approaching the films I was able to analyze each film in a way that would provide the most the depth in understanding.
ContributorsTaylor, Sean (Author) / Maday, Gregory (Thesis director) / Klucsarits, Philip (Committee member) / School of Film, Dance and Theatre (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
This creative piece aims to blend theatre writing with my father’s career of professional golf. Research was conducted through interviews, scholarly articles, and conversations between my thesis director and second reader. In the search for information and answers, I found the connection between my written style and personal experiences. This is important to me as a writer and any other aspiring writer, because it helps analyze strengths and create a more impactful story.
This entire creative piece is a testament to pursue writing in the film and theatre industry, and acts as a student’s own personal take on how creative writing can be developed, analyzed, and improved. The scope of this project was to better understand modern writing and playwrights by creating my own piece. The general findings in this project demonstrated the high difficulty that storytelling demands. Specifically, linking dialogue in plays to meaningful character development.
As such, a major conclusion indicates that masterful script writing falls on each character being fully developed so that they may move through scenes and the plot with the proper emotional stakes.
This entire creative piece is a testament to pursue writing in the film and theatre industry, and acts as a student’s own personal take on how creative writing can be developed, analyzed, and improved. The scope of this project was to better understand modern writing and playwrights by creating my own piece. The general findings in this project demonstrated the high difficulty that storytelling demands. Specifically, linking dialogue in plays to meaningful character development.
As such, a major conclusion indicates that masterful script writing falls on each character being fully developed so that they may move through scenes and the plot with the proper emotional stakes.
ContributorsCarter, Race (Author) / Maday, Gregory (Thesis director) / Messersmith, Randy (Committee member) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
BETTA, a narrative music video short film was produced by Kaitlyn Baucke and directed by June Hucko, and written by both filmmakers. By employing the knowledge and experiences gained in their academic careers, they were able to create a compelling yet experimental film that challenges the idea of whether or not people are simply compilations of their memories, and experiences. Sparked by an interest in music media, this project is in the visual style of a music video, but with a 10-minute narrative. This film lightheartedly tells the story of a young woman whose most cherished memories are always accompanied by a meal of tacos. Each memory is memorialized through the collection and personalization of receipts from the taco shop. After collecting hundreds and hundreds of these receipts, she reaches a turning point in her life where she finds herself overrun by her past memories, both positive and negative. She is faced with a decision in which she must choose to dwell in her past, or leave behind memories in order to move forward. The film is scored entirely by original songs of local, ASU affiliated musicians and bands. Producing this film required an extensive pre-production phase of writing, revisions, casting, securing crew, locations, equipment, funding, scheduling, and more. Setting deadlines, sticking to budget, and ensuring smooth production was key to success. From inception, to pre-production, to reflection, this project has allowed the filmmakers to experience evolution, challenges, failures, and immense creative development.
ContributorsBaucke, Kaitlyn (Co-author) / Hucko, Jennifer (June) (Co-author) / Maday, Gregory (Thesis director) / Klucsarits, Philip (Committee member) / School of Film, Dance and Theatre (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-12
Description
This paper discusses the parameters of my creative project, which utilizes a staged reading of scenes from John Cariani’s Almost, Maine as a means of investigating the representation of queer individuals and relationships in theatre, film, and television. The first section provides background information on Almost, Maine itself, while the second section explains the details of the project and what to expect on the day of my defense. The next section explains my purpose in developing a project centralized around queer representation, and the last two sections are personal reflections of the both my growth throughout the creative process, and the final product: the performance and talkback.
ContributorsThompson, Savannah Blake (Author) / Maday, Gregory (Thesis director) / Rohd, Michael (Committee member) / Dean, Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts (Contributor) / School of Film, Dance and Theatre (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05