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"One of the big challenges in directing comedy is that you can't really make someone funny. You can set up the situation. You can put together the necessary elements. But you cannot make the actor BE funny. So casting the comedy well is essential."

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"One of the big challenges in directing comedy is that you can't really make someone funny. You can set up the situation. You can put together the necessary elements. But you cannot make the actor BE funny. So casting the comedy well is essential."

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"you don't want the camera jumping around too much, because it tends to make viewers feel like they're being manipulated and prompted" (Gillespie, C.

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As far as cinematic style goes, when you're doing comedy, the most important thing is for your audience not to be confused. If you slam them with too much information, it confuses them — and they won't laugh if they're confused.

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And timing and pacing are everything. It could be funny on the page, but if it's not executed properly, or edited the right way, you lose it.

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And timing and pacing are everything. It could be funny on the page, but if it's not executed properly, or edited the right way, you lose it.

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It's the situation and the characters that make it funny, not the setups and punch lines.

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It's the situation and the characters that make it funny, not the setups and punch lines.

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"Directing comedy and drama are completely different crafts that use different sets of muscles. The subject matter invariably dictates the way you light it, the lenses you pick, the way the story is told and the composition. My favorite type of comedy film is the one that's shot like a drama, like Being There. It's the situation and the characters that make it funny, not the setups and punch lines."

# data[].attributes.subject
"Directing comedy and drama are completely different crafts that use different sets of muscles. The subject matter invariably dictates the way you light it, the lenses you pick, the way the story is told and the composition. My favorite type of comedy film is the one that's shot like a drama, like Being There. It's the situation and the characters that make it funny, not the setups and punch lines."

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My theory of comedy filmmaking is that you have to start out with fleshed-out characters and real conflicts who have real things at stake. Because the more rooted the characters, the deeper you laugh.

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My theory of comedy filmmaking is that you have to start out with fleshed-out characters and real conflicts who have real things at stake. Because the more rooted the characters, the deeper you laugh.

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It could be funny on the page, but if it's not executed properly, or edited the right way, you lose it.

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It could be funny on the page, but if it's not executed properly, or edited the right way, you lose it.

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Drama tends to be analytical, comedy much more technical. It's about rhythm, timing, pace and energy.

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"It's my job as director of a comedy to set up the joke. I'm a Jew. If I hear an anti-Semitic joke from a stranger, I'm offended and outraged. If a close friend or relative tells me the same joke, I'm laughing. The joke hasn't changed, just my perception of how the joke is being presented. That's how directing comedy works. If I set it up properly, it works.

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"It's my job as director of a comedy to set up the joke. I'm a Jew. If I hear an anti-Semitic joke from a stranger, I'm offended and outraged. If a close friend or relative tells me the same joke, I'm laughing. The joke hasn't changed, just my perception of how the joke is being presented. That's how directing comedy works. If I set it up properly, it works.

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"My most important rule in directing comedy is making sure you can see the people's eyes. Both eyes. When they deliver a joke, you want to see their face. And you have to see the eyes of the setup person too" (King, M).

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My comedy rules are that the camera should never, never be moving on a punch line. And pure comedy tends to play best without a cut, or calling too much attention to itself.

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First rule: there are no rules for directing comedy. Second rule: see rule number one.

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First rule: there are no rules for directing comedy. Second rule: see rule number one.

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Those who direct it regularly, and well, will tell you that it's more intuition than erudition. More luck than pluck. And they readily admit that directing comedy is destined to drive one mad.

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Those who direct it regularly, and well, will tell you that it's more intuition than erudition. More luck than pluck. And they readily admit that directing comedy is destined to drive one mad.

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First rule: there are no rules for directing comedy. Second rule: see rule number one.

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First rule: there are no rules for directing comedy. Second rule: see rule number one.

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"the essence of comedy, which is to take the truth and mine it for humor without selling it out for the laugh" (Garry Shandling quoted by Holland, T.).

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Directing comedy is a delicate dance of low-key and high-key, of action and reaction, of movement and stillness

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Directing comedy is a delicate dance of low-key and high-key, of action and reaction, of movement and stillness