That’s the debate, right? Because, coming from my background — sketch comedy, writing — my way of thinking of things is that you think about it, work on it, talk about it. You meticulously craft something. And then when you get to set, you may change it in a way, but there at least should be an acknowledgement that this piece of paper has… that thought has been put into it. And that there is probably something there that should be looked at. Whereas sometimes there’s this trend in comedy that is less and less concerned with the written word. There is a value that you get with the immediacy of the jokes. Things come up that could never have been figured out in an office, on a computer. The mix is probably good.
The Believer has a great, long interview with David Wain today in which they discuss all sorts of stuff from his long career. One thing in particular caught my eye, and it was where Wain is discussing working with Judd Apatow and the difference between their two styles. Wain is more committed to shooting what’s on the page, which is different than Apatow’s predilection to shoot entirely new scenes based on on-set improvisations. Here’s Wain’s take on it: