Four Tips For Talent I Learned Watching The Golden Globes
The more work you do studying radio/media/personalities, the less you can watch a show like the Golden Globes for the dresses [That’s what the Red Carpet show is for. Thank you Ryan Seacrest.], and the more you notice bigger themes like creativity, humor, personality branding, chemistry.
Here are some things that stayed with me long after Argo won for Best Picture:
Jodie Foster: Who wasn’t shaking their head at Jodie Foster’s convoluted cryptic coming-out speech? It has over 3,000,000 views on YouTube. She got people talking.
My first thoughts were to critique her speech delivery, to advise you to self-edit so that your message is clear, with details that move your message forward to a clear end. And that is true, in general.
Foster may not have communicated her message well (until she got to the message to her mother which had her industry colleagues tearing up into their Moet glasses), but she succeeded in being memorable and introducing the real and very private Jodie Foster to her fans. She was vulnerable; she was honest; she was transparent. She allowed herself to be seen. And insodoing, she solidified her personality brand – unique, quirky, articulate, creative, and private.
Can people say they know you and what you stand for?
Quentin Tarantino: After sitting through the requisite gratitude toward Django Unchained collaborators, actors, producers, agents, and family members, did you hear Quentin Tarantino thank, most of all, the friends he invites over to listen to his scenes? They aren’t allowed to comment at all, let alone give any kind of critique. Rather, reading the scenes aloud gives Tarantino the opportunity to hear his ideas through the ears of the audience rather than the writer/performer.
Do you have a gentle audience for your ideas before they are fully formed?
Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell: The two SNL alums had the crowd, and me, ROFLing with their “faux ignorant” presentation of the Best Actress, Drama award.
How do you come up with your own brilliant idea? One question to ask in the planning stage is — What is the opposite of what someone would normally think to do? If everyone is in awe of the acting prowess of Judi Dench and Meryl Streep…why not pretend you’ve never heard of them? “Judy Dench, where did she come from?” “Mariel Streep?”
Multi-player shows can watch the clip here and you will see the “yes, and…” improv technique at work. When one of them takes them in one direction, the other is right there, supporting and taking the idea even farther. No blocking, no tangents. Teamwork requires trust and the ability to let go of control of where the idea takes you.
The whole bit was so funny and engaging that there’s already talk of having these two host the awards next year. But why bother, because of the fourth point:
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler: Ratings were a six-year high for the show, which handily “won the night,” and the brilliantly funny hosts can take some of the credit.
They had chemistry. Likability. Fearlessness. Unpredictability. Self-deprecation.
Critics and fans alike were impressed with their performance. Hadley Freeman of the UK Guardian wrote:
“…Fey and Poehler offered something different. Far from sloughing off their appealing personalities in order to fit into the mold of ‘awards hosts,’ they stayed utterly true to themselves and were therefore like – as they always are – the best friends you wish you had who happened to be having a really, really fun time in front of a global audience.”
Sounds like a great morning show to me — best friends who sound like they are having a really fun time.
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Photo credit: Joe Shiabotnik on Flickr via Creative Commons
