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THE DRAMATIC SIDE OF COMEDY
Illustrations courtesy Century Comedy Company.
LTHOUGH few realize it, there is a mighty tense dramatic side to comedy. Comedy as you see it upon the screen invariably gives one the impression that it is made with little or no trouble and with scarcely any thought behind it. The sequences follow each other so rapidly that one might be inclined to believe work and preparation upon it traveled just as rapidly. Very few realize some comedies take longer to make than many features, and these same comedies likewise cost just as much as these features. Not many know the dramatic pains necessary to incorporate humorous incidents into the thread of the story, for comedy must be absolutely brevity-plus.
A famous writer once said: "My reason for not writing my life's story in one volume, but in six, is because I have not the time." These are not the exact words, but he established the fact that brevity is a laborious task, and it was easier writing six volumes than one. The same holds true with film. The average two-reel comedy
must tell a story, must contain a generous amount of humor, must have action, love interest and, above all, good direction. Yet this must not exceed two thousand feet, while the feature has anything over five thousand feet of film to tell its story in.
One of the many rehearsals that take all the joy out of life for the funmakers.
Many times a life is at stake just for a comedy situation!
There is a tremendous dramatic side to comedy producing, and those directly responsible for the finished product know it only too well. To substantiate the fact that comedy producing is a herculean and tense task, the following may aid in convincing you. However, do not mistake my intentions in trying to place comedy in the same category with drama, for in saying it is dramatic the idea presented is solely because it is work of such serious nature it brinks upon the dramatic.
To begin with, we all know how really funny it is to see some one look at a young lady, or a sign, or an accident — and then
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