Directing a Fall
Physical comedy has been a hallmark of the film industry since the early days of the silent film.
Harold Lloyd, Charlie Chaplin and many other actors and comedians of the Silent Film era used their finely tuned sense of timing and physical agility to amaze the audience and bring laughter to the silver screen. This tradition was carried on into the television world through the pratfalls of Dick Van Dyke, John Ritter and Lucille Ball. In today's media, physical comedy continues its reign as being one of the quickest and easiest ways to make the audience laugh. Easy for the audience yes, but not so easy for the actor or director. In this column, we will take a look at the pratfall from the director's point of view. We will explain the art of directing the fall so that it looks real and tickles even the stodgiest theatre p…
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