Okay, so you’ve put in your time on the open-mic circuit, suffered through inattentive audiences, boorish hecklers and the pain of bombing more times than you can count. You’ve moved up the ladder to slots at lineup shows, performing regularly at comedy clubs across your city. And you’ve now got a tight ten-minute-set that just absolutely kills. It’s time to take a step up and tell the world that you’re finally a ‘proper’ comedian. It’s time to record your first comedy video.

The YouTube comedy video has been essential to the growth of Indian standup comedy over the past decade and a bit, helping it go from tiny fringe scene to an art form that competes with films and sports for attention. Whether it was the AIB Roast or standup sets like Kunal Kamra’s Patriotism & the Government, Biswa Kalyan Rath’s Banana & Pomegranate or Aditi Mittal’s Bra Shopping, these videos gave Indian audiences a taste for comedy, one clip at a time. And a couple hundred million views later, people were jonesing for more.

Releasing comedy on YouTube remains one of the main ways comedians can reach out to new audiences and fill seats at their shows. “In India, releasing your material on YouTube is better than putting it up on any streaming platform,” Mittal, who has two specials available on Netflix, tells us. “Because in terms of translating to ticket sales, nothing really compares to YouTube.”

This is largely because streaming platforms hide your material behind a pay-wall and have the final say in what jokes make it to the edit, she says. But recording your first YouTube video isn’t as simple as putting a camera in the corner of the comedy club. A good comedy video requires a significant amount of time and capital, and quite a bit of planning. To make this process slightly easier—both for first-timers and YouTube comedy regulars—we spoke with industry veterans and insiders and put together this handy guide.

It’s A Matter Of Logistics

Times have changed since Kamra and Abhishek Upmanyu broke into the scene. Comedians today are competing with a horde of digital content creators to grab the audience’s attention. “The previous generation could take three to four years to put out a video,” says Harman Preet Singh, standup comedian, and co-owner and producer at Bengaluru’s Underground Comedy Club. “But now people are ready to release material in their first year. That’s mainly because it’s a game of content now. You have to flood the feed with content and see what works.”

But that’s easier said than done. At a time when our feeds are over-saturated with Instagram reels, YouTube shorts and videos, you have to invest time and money to create quality content. This includes booking a decent venue, getting camera and sound professionals on board, and paying a decent editor who understands the beats of your set. Not to mention, comedians often have to go through this process a few times before getting exactly what they want.

Pool Resources With Your Comedian Friends

Comedians have found a smart way to cut down these costs—pooling in their resources and taping a lineup show. Recently, Tarang Hardikar, Devanshi Shah and Supriya Joshi performed at The Habitat, and recorded their sets for individual videos.

“I think these kind of lineup shows work the best,” says Hardikar. “Largely because I know exactly which bits I’m going to record. So, it gives me some extra time to do some other material to warm up the crowd before the camera starts rolling.”

He also believes that putting up a show with friends who share comedic sensibilities mitigates the possibility of a lukewarm response from the crowd. “If we have a similar style, then the audience that shows up is likely to enjoy the entire set more,” he says.

Singh also shares this opinion. The comic, who released his first standup video in April last year recorded his set alongside comedians Gautham Govindan and Gaurav Purohit.

“We’re just more in control of the show,” agrees Harman Preet Singh, whose first standup video—released in April last year—was recorded at a lineup show that also featured Gautham Govindan and Gaurav Purohit. “Aesthetically, how the stage is lit, who is performing, who is hosting. All these things matter to get a great recording. It just made us a lot more confident of what we were going to get from the show.”

Timing Is Key, But Don’t Overthink It

It can take a while for everything to come together, and then you have to figure out when to release it. If you accidentally choose a festival weekend, or the day a major brand drops a controversial ad campaign, then you’re in trouble. You also want to drop it at a time when there’s buzz about your live sets, your audience primed for more material. But don’t wait too long. Mittal, who took five years fine-tuning her first video, thinks it would have been a lot more fruitful if she had just bitten the bullet and released it earlier.

“I would say for sure don’t wait longer than two years to release your material,” she says. “If you’ve been hitting the stage consistently and have some good material, don’t delay it.”

Director Karan Asnani, who has worked on many standup specials and also directed some of the early videos that went viral, echoes this sentiment. “I remember, when Anirban [Dasgupta] put out his Afreen Afreen bit, we shot around seven to eight times,” he says. “Because he was looking for the highest possible reaction from the audience. But now it’s about putting out a bulk of work. A lot of senior comedians and producers say that you should perform your material for at least two to three years before even thinking of recording. But we’re seeing a shift in that thought process because it’s become a number game now.”

Keep Writing & Trying Out Fresh Material

A major reason why comedians are hesitant to release their material online is because they can’t perform it at live shows any more. Once it’s up on the internet, anyone can watch it for free. You have to keep writing new material to make sure you fill up the seats at live shows. That’s an added time investment that people fail to take into account when asking their favourite comedians to release bits on YouTube or Instagram.

“I was just stuck in a state of limbo because I wasn’t sure if I’ll be able to come up with new material,” says Hardikar. “But in my sixth year of doing standup comedy, I thought I’ll just put it out and see what happens. But I can understand the hesitation for new open-micers to release material because it’s not as easy to get spots. So it takes longer to fine-tune a set that you are working on.”

Perform For The Crowd, Not The Camera

One key aspect comedians ought to keep in mind is to perform for the crowd and not the camera, says Asnani. “The idea is to recreate the live room experience, both visually and sonically, for online release,” he says. “You have to try and achieve that.”

“If you play just for the camera, then there’s going to be a disconnect with the audience that’ll come across in the video,” adds Singh. “Another thing I suggest is to be in the room while the other comedians are performing. Because then you know what the crowd is vibing with. Comedians tend to isolate themselves before going up on stage but I feel like it’s extremely important to read the room before your performance as well.”

Make Sure Everyone Is Prepared & On The Same Page

In addition, comedians also need to know how much of the stage to use when they’re recording. The cameras are set up for a certain performance and that’s how much room you have to play with on stage. “On the day of the recording I go early on to see the angles that are being shot,” says Hardikar, who relies on his physicality a lot on stage. “It’s necessary to do this so you know what are the limitations you are working with.”

Similarly, Asnani suggests that the directors attend the comedian’s live performances before the day of the recording to understand how they are on stage. “It really helps because then you understand how you want to set up the cameras,” he says. “Instead of figuring out things on the day of the shoot or just getting the bare minimum done, which results in a weaker recording. I also look at how I can light the stage then. Another thing directors need to understand is to use the cameras wisely. It’s not just the angles but the magnification that eventually results in a much tighter edit.”

Comics tend to isolate themselves before going up on stage but I feel like it’s extremely important to read the room before your performance as well.
– Harman Preet Singh

Good Sound Is Key

It’s also imperative to keep the sound in mind. Standup is a largely audio-dependent medium and investing in a good sound setup is just as important as good set design or visual equipment. “Artists should definitely not compromise on that front because if people can’t hear the jokes properly, it’s all a waste,” says Asnani.

If You’ve Done Everything Right, Here’s What Can Happen

Paying attention to all these details can pave the way to landing corporate gigs or getting your material up on streaming platforms like Amazon miniTV. “Because at the end of the day, they see that I care about the quality that I put out,” says Singh. “No matter how many views I get, my attention to these minor things shows the client that I care about my content and that can translate to any kind of paid gig.”