Interesting quotes about directing comedy... by

Chris

2015-03-26 14:44:46 UTC

Joe Dante: Quote from WC Fields: "...all great comedy is rooted in cruelty and pain..."

Sasu

2015-03-26 14:45:27 UTC

Bryan Buckley
(Spots for Pepsi, Federal Express, H&R Block):

"What makes this job so tough is the reality that what's funny to one person isn't to the next. You might show a spot to six people who laugh their ass off. But then the seventh person hates it, and he happens to be CEO of the company that's your client. He's the only one who counts."

Rolands

2015-03-26 14:46:32 UTC

Craig Gillespie

It's never easy.

Chris

2015-03-26 14:50:33 UTC

Lee Shallat Chemel: "I'm always cognizant of the need to keep the comedy real.

If you don't keep it rooted in reality, nobody's going to laugh."

Anni

2015-03-26 14:55:43 UTC

"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." - Frank Coraci

Vilius

2015-03-26 14:56:42 UTC

Gary Shimokawa

"Basically, as a sitcom director, I'm there to make sure the script is dealt with properly and help the actors understand the script. "

Aurora

2015-03-26 14:57:18 UTC

"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."

Katja

2015-03-26 14:58:09 UTC

And pure comedy tends to play best without a cut, or calling too much attention to itself.

Tuomas

2015-03-26 14:59:27 UTC

You can set up the situation. You can put together the necessary elements. But you cannot make the actor BE funny.

Bret Ratner said that

2015-03-26 15:01:55 UTC