Regarding the series Ghol-e Mardoneh, he said: editing this series was a challenge for me, navigating delicately between drama and comedy. Sometimes the dramatic weight of a scene was greater, sometimes the comedic element, and the editor had to fully understand these moments first and then convey them effectively to the audience.
According to Saba News, the series Ghol-e Mardoneh, produced by Iraj Mohammadi and directed by Ali Taherfar, airs nightly on Channel 3. This comedy series, by recreating a nostalgic atmosphere of the 1980s, takes the audience into the world of situational humor and the mood of that era. Performances by actors such as Mohammad Reza Hedayati, Shohreh Soltani, Soroush Jamshidi, Roya Miralami, Asha Mehrabi, and Mohammad Naderi, along with meticulous set and costume design, bring the feeling of that period vividly to life.
Manouchehr Sanayi, the editor of Ghol-e Mardoneh, in an interview with Saba TV, highlighted the challenges of editing a comedy series: editing in situational comedy is a sensitive responsibility. If the rhythm is not set correctly, jokes and humorous moments lose their impact. In Ghol-e Mardoneh, some scenes—especially the tense or emotional ones—required precise editing to maintain the comedic tone. Editing in these moments works like a surgeon, using subtle cuts and careful choices to enhance the mood of the scene.
He added: in comedy editing, timing is crucial. I always try to adjust the pace of scenes according to the characters’ reactions. Short pauses between dialogues, calculated spacing between key moments, and even the type of cuts are all essential for creating a natural and smooth flow. In this series, the editing was often revised to ensure that the jokes landed correctly and retained their effect.
The cinema and TV artist also emphasized the importance of the 1980s atmosphere in the series: the editing needed to harmonize with this feeling. One technique used was maintaining a classic rhythm in scene transitions, avoiding overly quick cuts, to align with the storytelling style of that era. This ensured that the mood and nostalgic feeling remained consistent throughout. Essentially, a simple narrative style with slight pauses and stutters ran through the entire editing process, reminiscent of the simplicity and dynamism of the 1980s.
Regarding some of the series’ jokes, he explained: one of my main challenges during editing Ghol-e Mardoneh was capturing humor through subtle shifts and timing of shots. Many jokes were hidden in the actors’ looks or physical reactions—the comedy was in the reaction, not the action. Therefore, shots had to be chosen carefully to highlight these moments. Sometimes, even a difference of a few frames could make a joke land or completely fail. This is why timing in editing plays a decisive role in comedy.
The editor of the series Ghol-e Mardoneh concluded by emphasizing that editing is not just about combining shots; sometimes it shapes the flow of the story. In certain scenes, they felt that by slightly altering the order of shots or removing some pauses, the narrative could be conveyed more effectively. In comedic moments, it was sometimes necessary to move a line of dialogue forward to make the reaction funnier.
For me, editing this series was a challenge between drama and comedy, requiring delicate navigation between the two genres. At times, the dramatic weight of a scene was heavier; other times, the comedic element prevailed. The editor had to fully understand these nuances first and then convey them to the audience. I hope I was able to accomplish this successfully so that viewers could enjoy the story’s atmosphere to the fullest.
An Editor Works Like a Surgeon / Editing Ghol-e Mardoneh Was Challenging