The Technique of Film and Video Editing, 5th Edition

 

 

CHAPTER 23

Comedy

 

When examining the editing of a comedy sequence, it is critical to distinguish the role of the editor from the roles of the writer and the director. The burden of creative responsibility for the success of verbal humor, whether a joke, a punch line, or an extended witty repartee, lies with the writer for the comic inventiveness of the lines and the director and the actor for eliciting the comic potential from those lines. The editor may cut to a close shot for the punch line, but the editor’s role in verbal humor is somewhat limited. With regard to visual humor, the editor certainly has more scope.¹ Indeed, together with the writer, director, and actors, the editor plays a critical role.

It is important to understand that ...