A study of Comedy

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Comedy


Common camera angles in your genre-

  • The Push (Way Too Far) In: When the camera itself moves closer to a character, getting so close it hits them in the face
  • The Pull (Way Too Far) out: The opposite of the way too far in, the camera itself moves very far back, which lets the audience know what's going on, usually provides context. It often goes too far out, which makes it comedic
  • The "wait for it..."- when a camera stays still, often to mount tension or to build comedic effect if/when nothing happens

Common Mis-en-Scene in your genre -

  • In a comedy show, the soundtrack is generally more upbeat or bright, as opposed to the sinister tracks that are used more often in more serious television productions. 
  • The costume designs in comedy shows can vary. Although the these shows don't often require some certain shades of colors in order to succeed, some shows use bright and vibrant colors to portray a sense of spontaneity. A great example of this would be the bright Green shirt Shaggy wears in scooby doo, with him being some of the show's comedic relief

Common Editing in your genre-

  • In my research, I couldn't find much on common editing techniques in comedy shows, however through experience with a lot of sitcoms, or similar shows, I can recall many cutaways being present. Something is being done at one time, and suddenly, a cut is made to a totally separate event/person/place

Common sound in your genre-

  • ironic musical statements, clever musical allusions and jokes, well-worn sound-effects, and even laugh tracks, sound has been integral to the development of the comedy on screen.

Example films of your genres-

  • Seinfeld, The Office, Family Guy, South Park, Monty Python's flying circus

What elements of the genre that you like, and would you use?-

  • I like the use of the "way too" shots, and I really like some of the brighter costuming/sweeter soundtracks. If I end up going with comedy, I definitely intend to weigh heavily on music. Also, costuming in brighter colors is no challenge

What elements of the genre do not appeal to you, and would you stay away from?-

  • I intend to stay away from the use of laugh tracks. I believe that as monumental as they were to the evolution of television, they've become very corny. I also intend to stay away from using cutaways, because they usually don't do anything for the plot, and I only have 2 minutes.

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