Cut to the Monkey: A Hollywood Editor’s Behind-the-Scenes Secrets to Making Hit Comedies

Description

Cut to the Monkey is the story of a filmmaker's journey through Hollywood—revealing the techniques behind how the experts find the funny in any project—by a filmmaker who has worked with some of the funniest people in the business and has edited Emmy-nominated episodes from series such as Curb Your Enthusiasm, Veep, and Who Is America? Nobody knows who first said, "Dying is easy, comedy is hard." But almost everyone in the film business agrees it's true. Roger Nygard shares his anecdotal experiences in television, features, and documentaries as a filmmaker and editor—struggles and successes any filmmaker can identify with. Nygard also includes tips for Hollywood professionals and fans alike on how to successfully navigate the business of being funny. Along with a major focus on film editing, the author shares filmmaking stories that will leave readers feeling inspired and better prepared to deal with their own struggles. The book also features contributions about writing, creating, and editing comedy from some of the biggest names in the comedy business, including Judd Apatow (Girls, The 40-Year-Old Virgin), Alec Berg (Silicon Valley, Barry), Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat, Who Is America?), Mike Binder (The Upside of Anger, Black or White), Larry David (Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Seinfeld, Veep), David Mandel (Veep, The White House Plumbers), Jeff Schaffer (The League, Dave), Krista Vernoff (Shameless, Grey's Anatomy), and others. Contents Foreword Introduction CHAPTER ONE. Is This Funny? Defining Comedy Is a Fool’s Errand, but One Thing That’s Definitely Funny Is the Antics of a Fool CHAPTER TWO. Keep It Real: Comedy Needs the Sharpest Scissors CHAPTER THREE. The Editor’s Philosophy: You Can Be an Editor of Films, but It’s Better to Be a Filmmaker Who Edits CHAPTER FOUR. Editors Are Writers: Something May Start Out as Bad Writing, but If It Makes It Past Your Scissors, It’s Bad Editing CHAPTER FIVE. The Source of Inspiration: Everybody Has At Least One Great Story Inside Them CHAPTER SIX. The Bag of Tricks: Speed Is a Function of Making Fewer Wrong Choices CHAPTER SEVEN. Get the Rhythm: Faster Comedy Is Funnier Comedy CHAPTER EIGHT. Sound Is King: Comedy Lives in the Soundtrack CHAPTER NINE. Building a Scene: The Building of a Scene Begins at the End CHAPTER TEN. The Editor’s Cut: In Movies the Director Is the Boss, but in Television It’s All about the Showrunner CHAPTER ELEVEN. Success in the Film Business: If You Enjoy Your Work, and You Work Hard, You’re Not a Workaholic, You’re a Funaholic Notes Bibliography Filmography Index About the Author