Editing Mystery Science Theater 3000 (section)

====Writing and taping====
The cable network was able to provide a wider library of films for Best Brains to riff from.<ref name="wired history"/> To ensure that they would be able to produce a funny episode, at least one member of the staff would watch the suggested films completely, generally assuring that the movie would be prime for jokes throughout. Conniff stated that he often would have to watch around twenty films in their entirety before selecting one to use for the show.<ref name="io9 sidehackers"/> In one specific case, the second-season episode with the 1969 film ''[[The Sidehackers]]'', they had only skimmed the first part of the movie before making the decision to use it, and only later discovered that it contained a scene where a female character is brutally [[rape]]d and [[murder]]ed. They decided to stay committed to the film, but cut out the offending scene and had to explain the sudden absence of the affected character to the audience.<ref name="io9 sidehackers">{{cite web | url = https://gizmodo.com/how-did-mst3k-pick-those-terrible-terrible-movies-5956924 | title = How did MST3K pick those terrible, terrible movies? | first = Lauren | last = Davis | date = November 4, 2012 | access-date = November 27, 2021 | website = [[Gizmodo]] | archive-date = November 27, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211127045253/https://gizmodo.com/how-did-mst3k-pick-those-terrible-terrible-movies-5956924 | url-status = live }}</ref> After this, they carefully scrutinized entire films for other such offensive content, and once one was selected and assured the rights, committed to completing the episode with that film.<ref name="wired history"/> Obtaining the rights was handled by the cable networks. Some licensing required buying film rights in packages, with the selected bad movies included in a catalog of otherwise good films, making the negotiations odd since the network was only interested in the bad film. Other times, the rights to the film were poorly documented, and the network would follow the chain of custody to locate the copyright owner so as to secure broadcast rights.<ref name="wired history"/>

In contrast to the ad-libbing of riffs from KTMA, the riffs were scripted ahead of time by the writers.<ref name="wired history"/><ref name="time madness"/> An average episode (approximately 90 minutes running time) would contain more than 600 such riffs,<ref name="time madness">{{cite magazine | url = https://entertainment.time.com/2010/08/28/mystery-science-theater-2010-riffer-madness/ | title = Mystery Science Theater 2010: Riffer Madness! | first = Richard | last = Corlis | date = August 28, 2010 | access-date = December 2, 2015 | magazine = [[Time (magazine)|Time]] | archive-date = December 8, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151208103218/http://entertainment.time.com/2010/08/28/mystery-science-theater-2010-riffer-madness/ | url-status = live }}</ref> and some with upwards of 800 riffs.<ref name="usatoday 25th"/> Riffs were developed with the entire writing staff watching the film together several times through, giving off-the-cuff quips and jokes as the film went along, or identifying where additional material would be helpful for the comedy. The best jokes were polished into the script for the show.<ref name="wired history"/> Riffs were developed to keep in line with the characterization of Joel, Mike, and the 'bots.<ref name="wired history"/> Further, the writers tried to maintain respect for the films and avoided making negative riffs about them, taking into consideration that Joel, Mike, and the 'bots were companions to the audience while watching the movie, and they did not want to come off sounding like jerks even if the negative riff would be funny.<ref name="wired history"/><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.npr.org/sections/monkeysee/2012/08/16/158922001/you-cant-just-be-the-voice-of-generic-sarcasm-the-art-of-movie-riffing | title = 'You Can't Just Be The Voice Of Generic Sarcasm': The Art Of Movie Riffing | first = Will | last = Sloan | date = August 16, 2012 | access-date = December 2, 2015 | publisher = [[NPR]] | archive-date = December 8, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151208164247/http://www.npr.org/sections/monkeysee/2012/08/16/158922001/you-cant-just-be-the-voice-of-generic-sarcasm-the-art-of-movie-riffing | url-status = live }}</ref> Hodgson stated that their goal in writing riffs is not to ridicule films as some have often mistaken, but to rather instead consider what they are doing as "a variety show built on the back of a movie".<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.laweekly.com/film/joel-hodgson-mst3k-isnt-about-ridicule-its-a-variety-show-built-on-the-back-of-a-movie-6363219 | title = Joel Hodgson: MST3K Isn't About Ridicule-It's a "Variety Show Built on the Back of a Movie" | website = [[LA Weekly]] | date = December 10, 2015 | access-date = December 14, 2015 | first = Simon | last = Abrams | archive-date = December 14, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151214161525/http://www.laweekly.com/film/joel-hodgson-mst3k-isnt-about-ridicule-its-a-variety-show-built-on-the-back-of-a-movie-6363219 | url-status = live }}</ref>

[[File:MST3kBots.jpg|thumb|right|The 'bots of ''MST3k'' as they appeared through the majority of its run: Gypsy (left), Crow T. Robot, and Tom Servo. The 'bots were created by Hodgson and fashioned out of common household objects.]] 
Production of an average episode of ''MST3K'' during the Comedy Central period took about five to nine days once the movie was selected and its rights secured.<ref name="usatoday 25th">{{cite web | url = https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2013/11/24/joel-hodgson-sunday-conversation/3675845/ | title = Sunday Geekersation: 25 years of Joel Hodgson's 'MST3K' | website = [[USA Today]] | date = November 23, 2013 | access-date = December 3, 2015 | first = Brian | last = Truitt | archive-date = September 24, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150924003506/http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2013/11/24/joel-hodgson-sunday-conversation/3675845/ | url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="guide app1">{{cite book|author=Trace Beaulieu|display-authors=etal|title=The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Amazing Colossal Episode Guide|date=1996|publisher=Bantam Books|location=New York|isbn=9780553377835|pages=153–159|edition=1st}}</ref> The first few days were generally used for watching the movie and scripting out the riffs and live action segments. The subsequent days were then generally used to start construction of any props or sets that would be needed for the live action segments while the writers honed the script. A full dress rehearsal would then be held, making sure the segments and props worked and fine tuning the script. The host segments would then be taped on one day, and the theater segments on the next. A final day was used to review the completed work and correct any major flaws they caught before considering the episode complete.<ref name="guide app1"/> Live scenes used only [[practical special effects]], and there was minimal post-editing once taping was completed.<ref name="rollingstone ks"/>