What is it like documenting someone before the biggest moment of their life? Filming behind-the-scenes of a subculture always reveals interesting moments and insights. This mini-doc features comic Brett Forté before his seminal moment at the “New Faces” showcase at the 2019 Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal. We also produced a short companion piece where club owner and comedy icon Rick Bronson gives his insight regarding the gravity of performing on such a monumental stage.
The “New Faces” gala has launched the careers of careers of comics like Amy Schumer, Kevin Hart, Jimmy Fallon, Ali Wong, Chris D’elia and Pete Davidson to name a few. We were there to capture Brett prior to his “New Face” performance in Montreal. To add to the pressure of the big moment, Brett was assigned the “bullet” spot for this acclaimed showcase – that means he was chosen as the opening act for this celebrated show. Brett is a high-energy performer and it is thought that gala organizers wanted to begin the show with a bang and set the tone for the evening. Undoubtedly, this put a great deal of pressure on this rising comic.
While comics who perform at festivals such as Just For Laughs have spent countless hours honing their act and fine-tuning their sets, they are often just as entertaining off-stage. Documentary style content is the ideal method of highlighting these compelling moments of this eclectic subculture. Prepping for shows, greenroom interactions, off-stage antics, hilarious banter among comedians in their down time, travel to and from airports can be fodder for compelling content. Similarly, searching for meals, hanging out at hotel bars, visiting local spots, running errands, talking shop, trading tales, the mundaneness of the road, dealing with media obligations, competition and camaraderie, and crafting of sets, can also be sources for engaging material.
We have had the opportunity to film comics both on and off-stage and it has proven to be a milieu with rich characters and storylines. Long days, late nights, and a demented cast of characters surrounded by vices, the comedy world has a limitless supply of engaging content. It always makes filming and editing interesting when you are surrounded by eccentric personalities and we look forward to documenting more comedy content.