That’s the Joke: MATES
Below is a very close to finalized draft of a concept for a web series that I came up with. It chronicles the interpersonal relationships of five young adults: Cam, Violet, Marshall, Elise, and Roman, as they find their place in the fast-changing world. Through its crass humor and mockumentary style of filming, “Mates” delivers a tale of the ultimate friendships, journeys of self-discovery, and a unique take on a reality for young adults.
This was my first creative project, my attempt to put together everything that I had learned from my father and all the other black men I had looked up to before me. After working on other student projects around campus, I really aspired to create my own, something that I would have previously been terrified to do. However, creating something that had no expectation or desire to be taken seriously was extremely freeing. It was another piece of me that I could share with the world. Each character that I designed was a composite piece of the elements of everyone that I loved and everyone that I didn’t like so much. The first character I thought of when creating the piece was Cam, a confused 20-something-year-old, who is essentially a big exaggeration of myself. Everything that I have always been afraid to do, say, and be Cam is. For me writing this short goofy project, was just another way in which I used comedy to express everything that I couldn’t do so seriously on my own.
I’ve often noticed when I use comedy to make commentary, it often is much better received than if I were to genuinely bring up the conversation. A group of young people who, at their core, are all extremely confused and trying to figure out who they are, and where they belong in the world is not an inherently funny concept. However, by telling that story in a humorous way, it is much more digestible; in other words, I am not forcing my views or opinions on anyone, but if they choose to take the comedy and look further into what I am saying they may find a more profound message than meets the eye.
The humor utilized in this rough project was rather surface-level, but I hope to continue delving further into the use of comedy to say something more. An additional aspect of creating this project was acting in it which I had previously never done. Although, I used the lines that I had previously written in order to make the concept of the script come to life, a large part of my portrayal of the character was just extending my own personality and by doing so I learned a lot about myself. Cam’s hopes and dreams are funny to the wider audience because they are based in delusion. For me, it adds to the comedy because I am the same way, but through this sketch, I was able to express those delusions and the fear that I would never reach them as a basis for this character. Similarly, the characters of Elise, Roman, Marshall, and Violet are all versions of people that I have been or known before, just in a different light. That is the thing I appreciate most about humor and comedy, I can look at everything and everyone from a different lens, things or people that scare me or give me anxiety are just characters in a story with funny motivations and actions to advance their plot.