Columbia\/Kobal\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n\n- \n\n
Director Shawn Levy learned a lot about using the camera for comedy while filming 2006’s The Pink Panther<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n- \n\n
Sharing how the crime comedy helped his work with Marvel, Levy explains that “the camera is a participant in the joke telling. And more often than not, the simpler approach is the funnier approach”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
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The Pink Panther <\/em>celebrated its 20th anniversary in February<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nWhile Shawn Levy has had a long career spanning many different movies, The Pink Panther <\/em>had a big impact on him as a director. The 57-year-old filmmaker shares that he learned about how to use the camera as part of the joke for more comedic scenes while working on the 2006 crime farce.<\/p>\nOne scene from the movie, he tells PEOPLE, changed how the director framed particularly funny moments on screen. <\/p>\n
Inspector Clouseau (Steve Martin<\/a>) is following Beyonc\u00e9’s<\/a> character, Xania, around New York City. When he believes he is found out, he yells, “Newspapers,” and pulls out a large newspaper to hide his face. After he pulls out the prop, he doesn’t see the subway entrance and then falls down the stairs.<\/p>\n“I remember that because that movie was pretty early in my career, and it’s the film that got me thinking about how the frame helps tell the joke,” Levy shares.<\/p>\n\n\n![\"Steve](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/LGY2Sdj4adNdDlTirSDDqg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xNjIw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_people_articles_471\/0c925b17bfd47d6fc9e9ca3365729e48\"\/)
<\/div>\nSteve Martin as Inspector Jacques Clouseau in ‘The Pink Panther’ <\/i><\/p>\nEntertainment Pictures \/ Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
“I remember considering a bunch of other angles where I would’ve shown a stuntman tumbling down the stairwell from behind and then from the front towards the lens,” he continues. “That was an epiphany moment where I realized, ‘Oh, the camera is a participant in the joke telling. And more often than not, the simpler approach is the funnier approach.’ “<\/p>\n
The director \u2014who has gone on to helm Night at the Museum<\/em>, Date Night<\/em>, episodes of Stranger Things<\/em> as well as the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter \u2014 <\/em>says he “learned this the hard way on other movies.”<\/p>\nNever miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s <\/strong>free daily newsletter<\/strong><\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n“I’ve tried a complex camera move in the midst of a joke, and it muddies the laugh. Steve not seeing stairs approaching because his face is hidden by the newspaper. That was an example of one uninterrupted frame that makes the joke land in a funnier way,” Levy says.<\/p>\n
Director Shawn Levy learned a lot about using the camera for comedy while filming 2006’s The Pink Panther<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n Sharing how the crime comedy helped his work with Marvel, Levy explains that “the camera is a participant in the joke telling. And more often than not, the simpler approach is the funnier approach”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n The Pink Panther <\/em>celebrated its 20th anniversary in February<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n While Shawn Levy has had a long career spanning many different movies, The Pink Panther <\/em>had a big impact on him as a director. The 57-year-old filmmaker shares that he learned about how to use the camera as part of the joke for more comedic scenes while working on the 2006 crime farce.<\/p>\n One scene from the movie, he tells PEOPLE, changed how the director framed particularly funny moments on screen. <\/p>\n Inspector Clouseau (Steve Martin<\/a>) is following Beyonc\u00e9’s<\/a> character, Xania, around New York City. When he believes he is found out, he yells, “Newspapers,” and pulls out a large newspaper to hide his face. After he pulls out the prop, he doesn’t see the subway entrance and then falls down the stairs.<\/p>\n “I remember that because that movie was pretty early in my career, and it’s the film that got me thinking about how the frame helps tell the joke,” Levy shares.<\/p>\n Entertainment Pictures \/ Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n “I remember considering a bunch of other angles where I would’ve shown a stuntman tumbling down the stairwell from behind and then from the front towards the lens,” he continues. “That was an epiphany moment where I realized, ‘Oh, the camera is a participant in the joke telling. And more often than not, the simpler approach is the funnier approach.’ “<\/p>\n The director \u2014who has gone on to helm Night at the Museum<\/em>, Date Night<\/em>, episodes of Stranger Things<\/em> as well as the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter \u2014 <\/em>says he “learned this the hard way on other movies.”<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s <\/strong>free daily newsletter<\/strong><\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n “I’ve tried a complex camera move in the midst of a joke, and it muddies the laugh. Steve not seeing stairs approaching because his face is hidden by the newspaper. That was an example of one uninterrupted frame that makes the joke land in a funnier way,” Levy says.<\/p>\n<\/div>