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Never Not Funny: The Art of Comedic Editing

post #1 of 21
9/21/10 at 3:10pm
Thread Starter 
I'm talking about those moments when the editor zones in on the comedic timing of the scene and then really just elevates it with a perfectly timed cut.

This was brought to mind last night as I was watching Election and you have the scene where Mr. McAllister and Paul Metzler are discussing the election and Paul asks "Do you think Tracy will be ok?" and Mr. McAllister answers to the effect of "Don't worry about Tracy, she'll be fine." Cut to Tracy sitting on the bed sobbing. I lost it.

So any other moments that have perfect comedic editing? Moments you like? Which moments are never not funny?

The Squid and the Whale has the moment where Walt tells his father that he and Sophie are going to see Short Circuit and Bernard responds with "Blue Velvet is supposed to be interesting." The cut right to "I LOVE YOU! LOVE ME! He put his disease in me," is hilariously timed. Perfect.

And my personal favorite I can currently think of:

In The Big Lebowski you've got the man beating the everliving hell out of The Dude's car. It then cuts to black, we hear a bit of music and the BOOM. All three of them in the car with the wind blowing in through their hair. The look of angry resignation on The Dude's face. The silence. And then the In 'n Out comes out. It's one of the funniest moments I can think of.
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post #2 of 21
9/21/10 at 3:29pm
The Election bit reminds me of a cut from The Village that cracked me up.

After Kitty unloads her long-winded, bright-eyed declaration of love on Lucious, he stands there like a mute, totally unmoved: CUT to Kitty sobbing in her bed, curled in the fetal position. One of the few times Shyamalan has nailed a comedic moment.
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post #3 of 21
9/21/10 at 3:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr_Cellophane View Post

The Squid and the Whale has the moment where Walt tells his father that he and Sophie are going to see Short Circuit and Bernard responds with "Blue Velvet is supposed to be interesting." The cut right to "I LOVE YOU! LOVE ME! He put his disease in me," is hilariously timed. Perfect.
This is the best one ever, and actually one of those comedy moments that is never not funny, like Bill Cosby's "To Russell, My Brother, Whom I Slept With" album or "The Injury" episode of The Office.
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post #4 of 21
9/21/10 at 3:49pm
Thread Starter 
A discussion with you about the Squid and the Whale cut is what got me thinking about all of this moths ago, Rath. Last night was the reminder of all of this.
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post #5 of 21
9/21/10 at 5:34pm
The cut to (Paraphrasing) "What the fuck is going on here?" in Burn After Reading has to be in the Hall of Fame.
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post #6 of 21
9/21/10 at 5:37pm
I believe it's simply:

"Wait, what???"
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post #7 of 21
9/21/10 at 5:38pm
The editor's freeze frame of Peter Parker's goofy mug during the "Raindrops.." montage in Spiderman 2 never fails to produce a hearty guffaw.
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post #8 of 21
9/21/10 at 5:40pm
The best one ever for me:

"I'd like to make her look a little more attractive. How far can you pull pack?"

"How do you feel about Cleavland?"
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post #9 of 21
9/21/10 at 6:44pm
Favorite recent example: On Mad Men, Lane and Don are discussing whether or not to see The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. Cut to them watching Gamera breathe fire on a village.
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post #10 of 21
9/21/10 at 6:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cameron Hughes View Post
The cut to (Paraphrasing) "What the fuck is going on here?" in Burn After Reading has to be in the Hall of Fame.
Everything with Pitt involving a telephone call, the bike, a fist and his nose.
Curb your enthusiasm and Seinfeld has great ones, most of them towards the end of the episode.
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post #11 of 21
9/21/10 at 7:33pm
Thread Starter 
Casino: The supertitle "Back Home Years Ago."
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post #12 of 21
9/21/10 at 7:36pm
In The R.M., the cut from his fantasy of a homecoming in the airport to the reality of everybody greeting his friend.

Exactly four of you will get that joke.
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post #13 of 21
9/21/10 at 7:48pm
Thread Starter 
One.

I'm curious as to the other three.
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post #14 of 21
9/21/10 at 7:56pm
Four is funnier than one. I'm pretty sure you're the only person who's seen The R.M. besides me. I could have just as easily said Charley. Or The Singles Ward. Or Pride and Prejudice (which is actually pretty good). Or Sons of Provo. (Ditto. When is Will Swenson gonna blow up already?)

I just...I just needed to know I'm not alone. Carry on.
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post #15 of 21
9/21/10 at 7:56pm
I'm in the club too.
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post #16 of 21
9/21/10 at 7:57pm
Nice! We have jackets and everything.
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post #17 of 21
9/21/10 at 7:58pm
Thread Starter 
Will Swenson got a Tony nom . . . He's on his way.
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post #18 of 21
9/21/10 at 7:59pm
"Dada-dada-da-da, I am your singing telegram--" *BOOM*
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post #19 of 21
9/21/10 at 8:02pm
Yeah, apparently The Swenz, as we refer to him around here, was astonishing in Hair. DIdn't see it, but he made Singles Ward and Sons of Provo tolerable and in the case of the latter, surprisingly good.

Okay, incredibly obscure derail over. Carry on.
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post #20 of 21
9/22/10 at 1:19am
Hellboy: The cut from Tambor's 'Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense? There is No. Such. Thing.' to the exterior of the BPRD with the 'Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, Trenton, New Jersey' title, with Beltrami's BPRD Theme playing always makes me laugh.
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post #21 of 21
9/22/10 at 1:49am
Hot Rod has a few funny moments made much funnier by ending a scene a bit short and cutting to a different scene. The fireworks, Will Arnett's "BABE WAIT!", etc. I could go on.

I will. Rod jumping his bike into the pool (cut to him riding home soaking wet), Rod puking after his introductory stunt, his obnoxious laugh in the face of food stand girl, "an unfortunate training exercise involving an F-22 Raptor occurred yesterday." Wait.
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