Hey Fred Schneider, Why Are We Doing This?
- Thread starter John_Frusciante
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I first heard of it over the summer in London. It was used for a TheatreSports warm-up, but the improvisers doing it also did long-form improv.
When I heard it, I wasn't sure I knew exactly what I was hearing. Here I was, hearing Brits doing a game referencing an American "singer," talking vaguely in his way. I think I asked if they were referencing the B-52's singer, and I think I was told yes.
For some reason I connected with the IRC's spacemud, possibly because he mentioned it in a thread. Here is his reply to my query. In light of someone's having done it 6 years ago, I think this information may be a bit off, but the NPR piece should be fun:
When I heard it, I wasn't sure I knew exactly what I was hearing. Here I was, hearing Brits doing a game referencing an American "singer," talking vaguely in his way. I think I asked if they were referencing the B-52's singer, and I think I was told yes.
For some reason I connected with the IRC's spacemud, possibly because he mentioned it in a thread. Here is his reply to my query. In light of someone's having done it 6 years ago, I think this information may be a bit off, but the NPR piece should be fun:
P.S. As for warm-ups, they condition you for an immediate endeavor. At least in theory. You need x, y, or z capability during the forthcoming improv--a show, a class, what have you--and in theory the warm-up primes you for that.
Now, the question becomes whether it actually warms your group up. Since you're probably doing GROUP improv, it might not be most appropriate to ask if it warms YOU up, because it's not all about you. It's about the group. And if it warms up 7 of the 8 of you, just deal with the trauma.
But as for the question of whether it actually warms your group up, that's epistemological. How do we know that it does? Did we conduct a scientific study to determine the actual benefits of the warm-up? Did we just go on experiential knowledge or emotional knowledge? Did we go on blind faith that the warm-up helps, contrary to feedback?
I think in improv 8-9 times out of 10 we base our beliefs on experiential and emotional knowledge (rather than scientific knowledge or blind faith), so we say a warm-up helps based on own experiences of its efficacy. The remaining times I think we probably just go on blind faith that a warm-up helps in a particular way. As for scientific studies, anyone know anyone studying the correlation between a warm-up and achieving its goal?
Now, the question becomes whether it actually warms your group up. Since you're probably doing GROUP improv, it might not be most appropriate to ask if it warms YOU up, because it's not all about you. It's about the group. And if it warms up 7 of the 8 of you, just deal with the trauma.
But as for the question of whether it actually warms your group up, that's epistemological. How do we know that it does? Did we conduct a scientific study to determine the actual benefits of the warm-up? Did we just go on experiential knowledge or emotional knowledge? Did we go on blind faith that the warm-up helps, contrary to feedback?
I think in improv 8-9 times out of 10 we base our beliefs on experiential and emotional knowledge (rather than scientific knowledge or blind faith), so we say a warm-up helps based on own experiences of its efficacy. The remaining times I think we probably just go on blind faith that a warm-up helps in a particular way. As for scientific studies, anyone know anyone studying the correlation between a warm-up and achieving its goal?
Ehh, crazy eights doesn't get me out of my head or loosen me up. It kinda has no effect on me.
I like Hot Spot, kinda for the same reason as Shay Shay Coolay: it forces me to be retarded and silly, and feel kind of embarrassed, and commit to it and own it. Hot Spot makes me feel uncomfortable, but in the right kind of way, by challenging the obstacles that hold me back.
If we're gonna start getting into warmups we hate, I fucking HATE the one where you think of a person you know and walk around as them, do some tic they would do, say some thing they would say, etc. I just sort of don't observe people in that way, and never know what to do. I always end up either getting singled out for having a hard time with it, or just fictionalizing someone more than you're supposed to in that exercise, just to get through it and move on. I can base a character on a real person's traits that I've happened to notice, but getting that specific is just beyond me. Same reason I'm bad at doing impressions.
I think that's literally the only warmup that like, I'd actively want to avoid.
I like Hot Spot, kinda for the same reason as Shay Shay Coolay: it forces me to be retarded and silly, and feel kind of embarrassed, and commit to it and own it. Hot Spot makes me feel uncomfortable, but in the right kind of way, by challenging the obstacles that hold me back.
If we're gonna start getting into warmups we hate, I fucking HATE the one where you think of a person you know and walk around as them, do some tic they would do, say some thing they would say, etc. I just sort of don't observe people in that way, and never know what to do. I always end up either getting singled out for having a hard time with it, or just fictionalizing someone more than you're supposed to in that exercise, just to get through it and move on. I can base a character on a real person's traits that I've happened to notice, but getting that specific is just beyond me. Same reason I'm bad at doing impressions.
I think that's literally the only warmup that like, I'd actively want to avoid.
Yes, studies have been done that looked at the importance of warm ups in performance. Check out Richard Schechner's Ritual and Play essays in his Performance Studies text book, and some of Victor Turner's stuff. Does not mention improv by name but as improv is a type of performance it's still valid. Warm ups get us into a performance frame of mind. If you've just had a show prior to the one you are about to put on then you may already be at that state of mind. But if you're coming in straight from work having a warm up transfers your mind from work mode to play mode.
I hate a lot of warm-ups.
I feel like there are some that you need to do on certain days, to either get energy up or get the cobwebs out of your brain, but a lot of them are kind of boring or just get you thinking too much.
The best warm-ups, in my opinion, are the ones that get your funny muscle working, which is why I like games like "Fred Schnieder" or "7 Things". It gets the group laughing together, installing a sense of fun among the group that you can carry on stage. It's like a small reminder why you love your team and their style.
The best warm-up is running short scenes just to "clear the tap" as Dave Siegel likes to say.
I feel like there are some that you need to do on certain days, to either get energy up or get the cobwebs out of your brain, but a lot of them are kind of boring or just get you thinking too much.
The best warm-ups, in my opinion, are the ones that get your funny muscle working, which is why I like games like "Fred Schnieder" or "7 Things". It gets the group laughing together, installing a sense of fun among the group that you can carry on stage. It's like a small reminder why you love your team and their style.
The best warm-up is running short scenes just to "clear the tap" as Dave Siegel likes to say.
I like "Fred Schneider" but I agree with Amey that it's unnecessary to go around more than twice. It's a hard warm up to end though.
I'm all for the sillier high energy warm ups (enemy & protector, hotspot, beastie boys, etc.)
I don't think any group should stick to one set of warm ups. Mix 'em up. Keep things fresh. The worst feeling you can get from a warm up is feeling like it's a chore.
I'm all for the sillier high energy warm ups (enemy & protector, hotspot, beastie boys, etc.)
I don't think any group should stick to one set of warm ups. Mix 'em up. Keep things fresh. The worst feeling you can get from a warm up is feeling like it's a chore.
Yeah, definitely. And for a group that's been together a while and trusts each other, I like the idea of basically organic warmups, where you just kinda fuck around and stumble into a warmup together-- which is a great way to get the group mind flowing.
Sherpa has made up several very silly spontaneous pre-show warmups, most of which will probably never be repeated (and a couple that've ended up in rotation). I think that's how it should be. Better to collaborate than to go through the motions of a boring old warmup you do by rote.
Sherpa has made up several very silly spontaneous pre-show warmups, most of which will probably never be repeated (and a couple that've ended up in rotation). I think that's how it should be. Better to collaborate than to go through the motions of a boring old warmup you do by rote.
I hate Fred Scheider because I always end up thinking of my "activity" while the circle's going around and get pissed at myself for it. Also there are other warmups that energize/whatever FS is supposed to do a lot better. I always feel like we're wasting time when we do it.
My favorites are 7 Things and Ba-dada, really make you think on the spot and also get the giggles going. I also like Hot-Spot (never thought I'd say this- it used to TERRIFY me) because of the support/saving the person in the middle it encourages.
Also thanks John for posting this and everyone else writing in it, I wish there were more threads like this.
My favorites are 7 Things and Ba-dada, really make you think on the spot and also get the giggles going. I also like Hot-Spot (never thought I'd say this- it used to TERRIFY me) because of the support/saving the person in the middle it encourages.
Also thanks John for posting this and everyone else writing in it, I wish there were more threads like this.
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this thread took off. okay i guess i will post the response i was going to, then got lazy and ended retyping it as a tumblr reblog.
(this is in response to frusciante's initial post)
i almost replied in the thread, then my firefox flipped out a little and i didn’t feel like retyping my response; but the gist of it was that i think fred schneider is an excercise that limbers everyone up and ideally gets everyone on board with being committed to a character and also gets the team or group on board with just being together and laughing. personally, i’ve had enough of classes and teams where i am frustrated or pissed off, and often need the kick in the pants to loosen (WARM) up and have some fun with those people. i am a bitter and terrible and moody person though, so maybe most people don’t need that.
speaking to the other issue in your hatred of fred schneider rant, john, i think there is a danger in having openings where people are focused on only finding a one-up-manship of funny ideas, but that it’s okay, and even to be expected, in warm ups. i mean, a group of improvisers are pretty much always going to start doing that. and i haven’t played ‘hey fred schneider’ that much, but it seems like it tends to be more random phrases than pitching a funny premise one-up-manship.
a warm up can just warm up a team; it doesn’t NECESSARILY have to help contribute to the group mind of that team. of course, this depends on the groups and the individuals in a group, which is one reason i am a fan of a director or a coach directing warm ups.
(this is in response to frusciante's initial post)
i almost replied in the thread, then my firefox flipped out a little and i didn’t feel like retyping my response; but the gist of it was that i think fred schneider is an excercise that limbers everyone up and ideally gets everyone on board with being committed to a character and also gets the team or group on board with just being together and laughing. personally, i’ve had enough of classes and teams where i am frustrated or pissed off, and often need the kick in the pants to loosen (WARM) up and have some fun with those people. i am a bitter and terrible and moody person though, so maybe most people don’t need that.
speaking to the other issue in your hatred of fred schneider rant, john, i think there is a danger in having openings where people are focused on only finding a one-up-manship of funny ideas, but that it’s okay, and even to be expected, in warm ups. i mean, a group of improvisers are pretty much always going to start doing that. and i haven’t played ‘hey fred schneider’ that much, but it seems like it tends to be more random phrases than pitching a funny premise one-up-manship.
a warm up can just warm up a team; it doesn’t NECESSARILY have to help contribute to the group mind of that team. of course, this depends on the groups and the individuals in a group, which is one reason i am a fan of a director or a coach directing warm ups.
1) It's healthy and delicious when an improv group has a warm-up that is just for them and doesn't make sense to anyone outside of themselves. Fred Schnider smells of that sort of genesis, doesn't it?
2) If you "hate" any warm-up I begin to wonder what dried your soul into the joyless raisin we see today. A waste of time - where are you in a hurry to go? Stupid - as opposed to doing a show with no script? Doing it wrong - how is that possible? Just play. Stop being a judgemental coward. That is my opinion, though, take it with a grain of salt.
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2) If you "hate" any warm-up I begin to wonder what dried your soul into the joyless raisin we see today. A waste of time - where are you in a hurry to go? Stupid - as opposed to doing a show with no script? Doing it wrong - how is that possible? Just play. Stop being a judgemental coward. That is my opinion, though, take it with a grain of salt.
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