Keep Things Moving

theawkwardyeti.com

Not only do I find this comic humorous, but it also teaches a great lesson about storytelling, comedy, and editing. We do not need to see the bowels move to the bathroom. In fact, we can cut directly from the moment of surprise to the sound of the toilet flushing. This keeps things moving and focuses the audience on the important moments of the tale.

Do the same in your productions wherever possible.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Your Media Production Mentor

Visual Joke: Short Skirts

As filmmakers, we can slip in all kinds of little jokes here and there. This one comes right after a brief discussion between two characters about a girl. Character A insisted that B likes the girl because of the length of her skirts.

"They're not that short," Character B protests.

The next scene includes this shot of a different girl:


Skirt Length

It has no bearing on the story whatsoever as the waitress is a background character. But the wardrobe is absolutely intentional to play the gag a bit longer. These moments aren't just for the humor. These choices help reinforce key ideas and are a great way to practice visual storytelling.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Your Media Production Mentor