Why I Don't Have Roommates, and Why I Love Making Ridiculous Shorts

The Life of a Modern Renaissance Man: A Video Journal, entry 4

Some people look at a ridiculous situation and think, "That's unfortunate." I start looking for camera angles.

This sketch, Why I Don't Have Roommates, was something we'd filmed earlier and I finally got around to editing. Stephen Gardner wrote it, and I got to perform alongside Jeffrey Colangelo and 88 Killa. The result is exactly the sort of slightly unhinged comedy I love: a small premise, personalities clashing, and everybody committing to the nonsense as though their lives depend on it.

Short-form comedy is deceptively difficult. You don't have an hour to explain why something is funny. You have to build a situation, reveal the characters, create a turn, and get out before the audience starts checking their phones. I enjoy that challenge, especially when I also get to shape the film through editing.

This was part of what #AceShotThat meant to me: making things with friends, using the skills and equipment we had, and giving strange ideas the respect usually reserved for much bigger productions.

I still get a kick out of seeing a little comedy sketch finally leave the hard drive and find an audience. Sometimes progress is a feature film. Sometimes progress is remembering you already shot something hilarious and actually finishing the edit.