Jay Chandrasekhar Quotes

Comedy and music are so similar because it's all about timing.

Filming is so much to do with rhythm, as is music, and if it isn't there then you know in the end nobody can save it really, they can't.

The thing that's very close in the process is writing and acting, not directing. Directing's very different.

Film and television essentially feel the same when you're doing it, because it's the same technical approach.

The process of filmmaking is very musical, you get into the rhythm and the rhythmics of how someone is, especially with Woody Allen who is very much into body language and body movement.

You just have to re-wire your brain when you're shifting from the stage to the screen or the silver screen or the HD flat screen.

Comedy's all math, figuring out the timing.

An actor's performance can be improved or shaped - or ruined - by what takes you use, how long you are on the actor's face, what line you put on the other actor's face, and when do you use close-ups or wide shots or two shots.

Humor is like music. It's a rhythm, and you just kind of get the rhythm of it, and you have to know not to let the beat go too long, but to leave a beat in there for it to gel.

Drama is this incredibly vulnerable thing, but with comedy, you have to have a sense of rhythm and be very sensitive to the pace of things.

I always want to be telling stories in whatever fashion I can, and directing is really just understanding and learning a different element of that storytelling process.

Visual elements are, of course, the director's job.

I also know what looks good before the camera, how to move the camera, and how to get a story on the screen.

My interest in filmmaking was always very much the visuals and images.

I was a standup comedian, which is kind of like writing and directing yourself.

The true excitement comes from the actors - that gives you the true drama - and whatever I can do with the camera, that's icing on the cake.

When you're making a film, you have an obligation to fill the frame with life.

He who cannot dance puts the blame on the floor.

It's about timing and rhythm. But who could be better than Chaplin or Keaton?

Rhythm and timing are so important in comedic acting.

In general, I think comedy is more difficult to write, to direct, and to act successfully.

When you read a play, the words speak to you. When you read a script, there's no way you can tell if that's the way that movie will turn out.

Comedy is all about the pause.

I was always very interested in the storytelling decisions that went into directing. It just held this real allure for me. You know, if we're doing a scene at a dinner table, they weren't all shot the same. 'Why was the camera here for one moment and there for another?'

You need a pulse in a film. If I see a film that doesn't have rhythm, it's like listening to music that doesn't have rhythm; it doesn't really work.