https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_TF-Bbovrg
Judd Apatow discussing the gritty details of the comedy process is great since he makes it sound like something that just about anyone could get if they really try. His advice is to make it a drama and make sure that if could be told with or without the jokes and be just as good. That’s sound advice really since when you look at some comedies there are moments in them that are so heart-wrenching that you can’t help but think about what the actors must be going through in that moment, what mindset is driving them just then. A lot of actors will tell you that they are in fact caught up in the moment and aren’t really aware of what’s going on until the director yells ‘cut’. Apatow though is the guy that’s behind the camera yelling out directions to the actors so in truth ‘cut’ isn’t the only word he’s bound to say during filming.
Comedies are really a reflection of life with jokes added in to kind of break up the monotony and create a moment of levity that could be sorely needed. Dramas are great and all, so are horrors, and scifi movies, but with a laugh now and again they’re kind of hard to watch over and over in their same droll form. Comedy is important because it gives us a reason to laugh at life sometimes when nothing really seems all that funny. It’s the break we need that digs in there and forces a laugh where none was supposed to be in the first place. If you can’t laugh at anything in a movie, meaning absolutely nothing, then it’s a true tragedy all unto itself.
Some comedies go way over the top and enjoy a measure of success based on their ability to go so crazy in such a short amount of time and yet keep the audience entertained. People want to know that their desires are going to be catered to, but at times they want to be taken by the hand and taken on a thrill ride as well. A good comedy allows that to happen as it grabs hold of their funny bone and doesn’t let go until their jaws are hurting from laughing so hard and they’ve got tears running down their faces from the crying that comes as a result. Of course that’s a rare comedy that does that since not everyone’s sense of humor is quite the same. But all in all, comedy makes you forget about the world the way it is for a while, because honestly and truly it’s really important to just be silly sometimes.
Does it keep you young? Sure. Does it help you through a bad day? Absolutely. Will it make everything better and make life worth living? Well, that’s kind of subjective but you get the point that comedy is something that we all occasionally need and can use in very positive ways. After all if you can’t be a little silly sometimes then what is life really for?
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