Recording Your Performances: I Killed One Day And Bombed The Next; Why?

Did you ever see that video of a group of friends screwing around and one of them falls flat on their face?  After the initial shock and laugh what's the first thing everyone asks?  They turn to the guy holding the camera and say: "Did you get that?" 

Why?

Partly to try to make it on America's Funniest Home Videos or (more recently) to become the next viral sensation.

But before the thought of becoming a $10,000 winner or celebrity enters their mind comes this thought: "That was really funny and I want to experience it again!"  

In the world of Stand-Up Comedy, recording your performances must be done for several reasons:

• As you advance in your career and perform longer sets, you can sell your recorded performances to your fans.
• A recording of your live performance serves as a demo tape to Comedy Club talent bookers.  These folks sift through countless tapes to find talent to bring to their stage.
• Most importantly, a recording of your performances serves as a tool for you to watch and discover where the laughter (or lack thereof) came in your set.

When you write MATERIAL, you think you know what type of laugh you will get (from groan to clap) and when the laugh will come.  But sometimes what you were planning is different than what actually happens.  And in those cases, you'll want to remember where those unexpected laughs are.

That's nearly impossible without a recording.

Of course, a video recording is better than just an audio recording.  If you can get a video recording (even if you have to pay for it), do it.  If not, bring a small audio recorder and make sure to hit record before you go on!

You may notice that the same JOKE you said one day gets a different LAUGH on another day. 

Is this because the crowd was better on one day rather than another?  Maybe.  Or maybe you did something different.  Maybe it was something simple like the inflection in your voice.  Maybe it was a look you gave.  Maybe it was an unintentional CALLBACK to another COMICS performance earlier in the night.  None of these variances will be discovered from looking at a notebook with your JOKE written on it.

The best way to fine tune your MATERIAL is to analyze every aspect of it in full detail.  What went right, and what went wrong.

But one piece of cautionary advice: If you are audio recording via a small device in your pocket, make sure to turn it off before heading to the bathroom!