REAL ART VIDEO WEEK!
BUGS BUNNY

Back in 1994, I had the incredible fortune to attend a clowning workshop taught by legendary clown Steve Smith, who was at that time director of the Ringling Brothers Clown College--I love sentences that use the word "clown" three times. I learned a great deal about physical comedy that day, but probably the most important bit of knowledge I got was that old Warner Brothers cartoons veritably perfected the concept, and are worthy of intense study by anybody who's serious about comedy. Indeed, Smith worked for years with famed animator Chuck Jones, right up until he died a few years back.

For instance, pay close attention to the various characters' use of body isolation for comedic effect. That is, at any given moment, Bugs or Daffy or Yosemite are completely still, except for one or two isolated body parts, say, a finger and an elbow. This keeps the humor clean and clear: you know exactly what's going on, and viewers get the joke immediately. Along with timing, precision is key to comedy; clutter ruins the funny.

But really, if you're not interested in performing yourself, you shouldn't try to think about it too much. Just sit back and enjoy some timeless humor.

Captain Hareblower

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High Diving Hare

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The Abominable Snow Rabbit

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That's all folks!!!

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