ABSTRACT
One of the most challenging genres is comedy. Unlike other story forms, comedy requires frame-by-frame precision. A comedy editor is akin to a microsurgeon whose exactitude allows him to reattach severed nerve endings, repair vital organs, and avoid unsightly incisions. A horror editor acts more like a general surgeon, one who gets the job done but doesn't mind leaving a few scars in his path. The comedy editor's work, and therefore the jokes of which he is the guardian, can live or die based on the timing of a couple frames. Despite the demands placed on the editor by comedy's need for precise timing, the genre offers help in a unique way. With thrillers or dramas it is difficult to judge audience reaction. Another significant aspect of comedy editing is the sight gag. Like the banana peel joke, the sight gag relies on physical humor with visual setups and payoffs rather than on dialogue.
