*Is* Zac the comedy SNIPER? | Improv Coach ANALYZES Dropout's Make Some Noise

You nailed what I really think is going on with this aspect of Zac’s reputation. So often, he’s playing against Brennan who is basically constantly holding his finger in a dam containing a Shakespearean monologue while Zac is much more of a physical performer. Like you said in the font scene, he’s still constantly contributing, just not as loudly as Brennan. Zac also just has an impressive sense of timing and when his moment comes, he doesn’t hesitate. Love your analyses! Keep ‘em coming!

Their dynamic was fully realized in the Gal Dente bit. Josh makes an attempt at a pun that isn't quite polished. Brennan's neurotic personality kicks in and goes on a silly tangent correcting Josh. Zac snipes em both. Then they all dance in a circle chanting "we did it!"

I think the core skill that Zac is really good about (and this is backed up in an adventuring academy somewhere) is that he's first and foremost an incredible listener in Improv. He's excellent at being able to take the energy of a scene and condense and redirect it for maximum laughs.

Zac absolutely is a sniper, that's just not all he is. Like. He gets a lot of snipes in, not just on make some noise but on d20 and other shows as well. But he's also an incredible all around improviser. And his physical comedy is of course brilliant

I think Zac's word economy, as you stated, is what we as viewers have identified (and appreciate) as a strength of his style. I wish your viewers would have recommended Zac's "The tooth fairy f*cks up the whole routine" scene to go along with this! It's a perfect example of Zac's physicality in characterization, coupled with a single 4-word sentence. It's one that never fails to make me laugh despite how many times I've seen it.

34:55 YESSS! That's a great analysis. I couldn't come up with the correct sentence to say it before, but this is definitely what I've been thinking. Brilliant choice of words and show of vocabulary, there. You're like a professor in comedy.

I remember reading somewhere that someone asked Brennan how he did the monologue early on in game changer from the episode where he couldn't win. His response was basically that it actually takes some amount of effort to not talk like that all the time.

I think what helps give people the impression that Zac is a "comedic sniper" is the casualness with which he often hands out these one-liners. The iconic "I killed him, yeah" is not just funny because he admits to the crime - it's also how laid back he sounds when delivering it, like it's no big deal. I've noticed that Zac very often has that air of casualness, even on the face of total chaos, especially in his characters of Dimension 20. It's just so funny how he manages to come off so calm and to the point in situations where such abruptness is very unexpected. As I see it, he is a master at blending awkwardness with confidence in his characters

Honestly i see zac at peak comedy sniper more in their D20 campains. Its so unexpected and one line will take everyone out

Zacs reputation as a "comedic sniper", imo, comes almost more from the TTRPG stuff than the gameshow stuff, he has a habit of just sitting quietly while scenes develop and then drops an absolute all-timer line out of nowhere that just completely derails the table. He has an incredibly knack for taking something already quite funny or interesting and just fully throwing it into a tailspin with something entirely out of left-field, in the best way possible. He has my all-time favourite episode of VIP too where he does almost the same thing but it's even funnier 'cause he's leading Vic down the garden path and suddenly just says the funniest thing you've ever heard, he's genuinely so incredibly funny in a way that's so unassuming until it explodes, which I think agrees with your assessment. I think your hope is spot on, at least that's always been my understanding of his comedy, it's a surgical approach that really strikes people mostly because he's so wildly consistent at it. Love Zac, love Dropout, love the vids, keep on keeping on!

Agree with the thrust of the analysis. Brennan loves a monologue. Zac is an excellent responder. I feel Zac may have had a career as a silent film actor, had he been born in a different time. He's very expressive without needing words. I'm not an improv comedian. I'm an associate lecturer. But I don't script my classes and, as a result, I also know the satisfaction of improvising a monologue :p. I can see that pleasure in Brennan.

I think the sniper is a good analogy for zac, but you have to include everything around the sniper for it to work properly. Irl, a sniper doesnt just do the big shot, theres planning and camouflage and sneaking up on the target, Then theres the BANG of the concise finisher. And even then, the sniper still has to get out of dodge or deal with others now that their position is revealed.

'From Ally to Zacky' is more traditional longer form improv with a much larger group which it would be interesting to see you analyse, the first part is on youtube for free! (/watch?v=bB1ESv06hkI )

Now I'm really curious what you have to say about the Shakespeare and Mount Port episodes 🤔 Those are in their own category of impressive improv.

Zac's comedy / improv style was actually talked about on a livestream discussion following the first season of dimension 20, fantasy high. They talk about a scene where Brennan narrates what Zac's character is thinking about and for the whole scene, Zac doesn't say a word but his expressions and movements are so good that the camera does a slow zoom on his face for the whole scene. It really sells the whole thing as comedy gold. (I'm talking about the scene in fantasy high s1 where Gorgug is playing the drums and realizes that he might be his own dad😂) Zac explains that he's not very good with words so he relies more on facial expressions and object work during scenes. So yeah, this is coming from Zac himself and should help answer some questions about his improv and thought process.

I think there's something to be said about the prompts. With the Game Changer segments, those prompts were written specifically with the players in mind and those prompts really play into the strengths of both Zac and Brennan.

From what I've seen I think that economy of words is exactly what they're referring to. I think "comedy sniper" and "economy of words" have even been said about him BY other cast members first.

Nobody tell Reddit what I've said on this day.

I love these Dropout analyses Cal please keep doing them! It’s super fun to learn about the inner workings of improv, it really makes me deeply appreciate dropout cast members even more than before

To me, the funniest thing about "you threw up so fast" is how delighted Brennan's character looks and sounds 😂