Editing for comedy: the cut is the punchline

You can generate a perfect clip and still lose the laugh. Comedy is timing, and timing happens in the edit. The good news is that the timeline in the Pilot has everything you need — and most of the work is cutting things out.

Trim the dead air

Generated clips tend to start slow and end late: a second of a character standing still before the action, a second of them standing still after it. That's death for a joke.

Drag the edges of each clip on the timeline to trim it. While you drag, the preview shows the exact frame you're cutting on, so you can stop right where the action starts — or right on the reaction. When you let go, the playhead stays there so you can check the cut.

Rule of thumb: start every clip on movement, end every clip on a reaction.

Cut on the reaction

The funniest frame in most clips isn't the thing happening — it's someone's face after it happens. Make the cut to the reaction a fraction early, and hold it a fraction long. That small pause is where people laugh.

Repeat what's funny

Repetition is one of comedy's oldest tricks. If a reaction works once, it often works better the third time.

• Duplicate a clip to repeat a beat.
• Rule of three: set up a pattern twice, break it the third time.
• Callbacks: bring back a line or a look from earlier in the pilot.

Split to save a clip

Sometimes a clip is great except for one weird second in the middle — a face that melts, a hand with too many fingers. Don't regenerate it. Split it at both sides of the bad moment, delete the middle, and the clip is saved.

Order is everything

Drag clips along the timeline to reorder them. Try the same clips in a different order before you generate anything new — moving the reaction before the cause can turn a scene into a mystery, and putting the payoff first can make a cold open.

Sound

Sound is half the joke:

• Mute a clip if its own sound fights the scene.
• Add an audio track — an MP3 or WAV of your own — and slide it along the cut so a beat lands on the punchline. Its volume line goes up and down as you drag it.
• Silence is a sound. A muted beat before the punchline makes it hit harder.

Undo freely

Every change on the timeline can be undone and redone, so experiment. Cut harder than feels comfortable, watch it back, and undo if you went too far.

The end card

When you publish, a short trololo end card is added to the end of the video automatically. You don't need to leave room for it — just make sure your last frame is the button.

A quick checklist before you publish

• Does every clip start on movement?
• Does every clip end on a reaction or a line?
• Is there anything you could cut that nobody would miss?
• Does the last frame feel like an ending?

If all four are yes, publish it. If you're still choosing how long your clips should be, read 5, 10 or 15 seconds.