Beats and Buttons

I was asked to have a look at finding the beats and how to button scenes. For those who use different terms or are not familiar with beats and buttons as I use them, I’ll explain what they are. A beat is when the tempo of a character or scene is altered and changed. Each character and scene will have a tempo you can follow and feel. Not only that, the audience will also have a tempo for each show. So when all of these tempos line up, you will find magic happening on stage. Be aware that there can be several beats in one scene, not just the ending. The best way to find a beat though is to be watching a scene and look and see if you feel when the scene is over and the lights should go down. One of the tricky parts of moving or reacting on a beat is actually anticipating and catching them. If you say to yourself, oh, there is the beat. You have already missed it. If you planned on entering or ending the scene on that beat it has passed in the time you thought about it. You basically have to be anticipating, feel the beat and already be moving to actually use it effectively.

We ran scene after scene to see when the group would decide a scene should end. Some wanted to end them earlier on beats where the scene had offended them or just went to cheap laughs. Others ended them after the scene had gone on too long and they just wanted to help by pulling the lights down. Some felt bad and wouldn't end scenes because they thought their fellow improvisers would be disappointed with them for ending the scene. It takes practice to end scenes well. It also takes someone who isn't scared to make the call and pull the trigger. With practice anyone can do this. It’s just all about feeling the beat and being on top of it. (It should be said that most times it is a host or tech that will end scenes at Second Storey Theatre. I prefer not to have lights flagged down from actors on stage.)

So once we got the grasp of ending scenes we moved on to buttoning them. Buttons to me are a way to end a scene on a laugh or with high energy. (This is usually done by improvisers waiting on the sides or from within a scene rather than a host. The host or tech will hopefully be ready and will call the lights when the button hits.) The person who buttons the scene is usually the one who gets all the accolades because they will have the funniest moment of the scene. This can make other improvisers a little upset because they are the ones who did all the work and built the scene but don’t get the credit for their work. The buttoner will come in and say one line and be remembered as the most hilarious person EVER! It shouldn't be this way, so we wanted to make sure we looked at a way to button and have everyone feel good about it after.

We learned really quickly that when we had a gamey scene it almost always required a nice tight button ending. This made everyone involved feel great because when the game was played well and all the rules were followed, it made everyone look good when it was wrapped up in a neat little package. Another time it felt good was when we already knew what the ending was going to be or where the characters were headed and the scene was buttoned. So if we knew exactly the way it should end or where it was going (including the audience) then having someone enter and give us a high energy laugh to finish felt good for everyone. It was when someone entered and killed a scene or came in too early that it felt dirty. Buttoning can so easily become addictive and breed selfish performers. We have touched on playing to the laughs before. It’s hard not to but we must remember that what we are doing isn’t about playing for cheap easy laughs. Just like most things we should also avoid using buttons too much. There can definitely be too much of a good thing when certain techniques are over used.

Let’s talk a bit about ways to button scenes.

1.       Reincorporating or book ending a scene is one way to hit a button. Using information from earlier in the scene or ending the same way it started is a great way to button a scene. For example, if the scene starts with a couple people whistling a certain tune it would be awesome if they brought it back at the end of the scene and whistled the same tune as the lights faded out. As the greats say; Listen, Remember, and Recycle.

2.       Looking for the rule of 3 is something else we explored. Here is the Wiki on this topic http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_three_(writing) . This was a neat exploration because it added a nice depth to our scene work. We had people who weren't a major role in the scene actually be laying ground work to end on the rule of three. This added a nice unexpected element. Of course the improvisers on stage can be looking for the rule of three as well. It is something to be aware of and be able to play if the opportunity arises. You can’t really over think it. Just be aware that the option is there to nail it on the third hit or beat.

3.       Breaking the established reality or playing to the reality. Whenever you create an improv scene you are creating a reality that has rules that you and your scene partner must obey. These rules could be absolutely anything including something crazy or weird, but this is where the truth comes from. For example, if you all talk in gibberish then that is the truth you must all live by. As soon as someone enters speaking normally then that original reality is broken. So during the scene when this reality is fully established it can be easy for someone to see it from the outside and come in and break that reality to end the scene or play by the rules and button it that way. We had a scene happen once where the improvisers took the suggestion “pool” and one actor thought swimming and one thought billiards. So when they forgot to connect first before the scene, one came out showering and one came out playing billiards at a table. They ended up commenting on this weird shower pool hall rather than playing to this awesome reality. They discovered a world where you shower before or after a round of pool. If they had committed to this reality it would have easily set up a button when the third person enters strips down and asks if they were almost done with the table.

When breaking the reality it can easily lead to a negative feeling after because it can look as though you are kicking the scene in the crotch. Essentially you are saying to the audience that the improvisers that did all the work setting up the scene where wrong or not good enough. It can also lend to looking like you are show boating. “Oh look how clever my idea is!”

4.       A silly way I end or button a scene is to grab the person and pretend to make out. I do it in a silly over the top arms flailing manner with our backs turned so we never actually kiss. It is silly and shouldn't be done often but sometimes you just gotta drop everything and make out.

5.       The last way we looked at was stating the obvious. If there is something that the audience understands in the scene but that thing hasn't been spoken out loud, then once it is said it can easily create enough laughter to end on. This is a hard one to give a good example of but I will try. Say that we have a scene that we spend the entire scene milking cows but it’s never said because the scene is actually about the two brothers wanting more in life then working on a farm it leaves an opening to perhaps comment on the fact that they have over milked the cow and she is now dried up. We all inside understand that you shouldn't probably both be milking the same cow for over 5 minutes at a quick pace. So once it is said the scene will probably have a nice high note to end on.