Nuts and Bolts Are Not the Machine

One of the things I do after the festival is follow up on my offer to talk to those who did not get in about their work. Some of what I talk to them about is stuff that all of us who create need to keep in mind. This is especially true in comedy where our favorite funny bits are more often the problem than the beloved centerpieces we imagine them to be. But they're soooo funny!!!!!

That's when I came up with the image of nuts and bolts. They are the essential connectors for building just about any machine: a romantic comedy vehicle; an action comedy rocket ship; a satire guillotine. It is essential, however, to keep the machine you are building in mind and resist adding more and more nuts and bolts just because you have them. Put them in your catch-all drawer - you know, the one in the kitchen with the batteries and the twist ties and the button you know belongs to something... You will be glad you have that particular comic bit of business one day when it turns out to be the ONLY way to get your machine off the ground. At that point you have my blessing to put it in. But for now, if taking it out doesn't hurt the machine, then it doesn't belong in this movie. Funny though it may be... Take. It. Out.