Comedy Unit Miss. Hallford Motion Picture Spring 2007
Feb 23, 2016
Comedy Unit
Miss. HallfordMotion Picture
Spring 2007
What is Comedy?
• In your notes, please describe what comedy is to you.– Give examples of things that you find
funny, and describe why they are funny.
Definition of comedy
• Miriam-Webster: – a drama of light and amusing
character and typically with a happy ending
– humorous entertainment.
Types of Comedy
• Dramatic Comedy• Satire• Black Comedy• Slapstick• Romantic Comedy• Comedy of Manners
Dramatic Comedy• A successful drama film relies on in-depth
character development, character interaction, and highly emotional themes.
• Using elements of humor, dramatic comedies challenge stereotypes and generalizations about people and bring them down to a more personal level. – It helps show how characters deal with problems,
challenges, or issues so that the viewer can relate to them.
Little Miss Sunshine
• A dramatic comedy about a dysfunctional family on a road trip to bring the youngest daughter to a beauty pageant in California.
• $8 million budget- filmed in 30 days.• 4 Academy Award nominations, 2 wins:
– Best Original Screenplay– Best Supporting Actor
Satire• Satire is the use of humor or sarcasm to
criticize.– Makes fun of human foolishness, politics,
social, or moral problems. – “Although satire is usually witty, and often
very funny, the purpose of satire is not primarily humor but criticism of an event, an individual or a group in a clever manner.”
Examples
• The Simpson's, The Onion, South Park, Family Guy, American Dreamz, Monte Python and the Holy Grail
• The Simpson’s:– A parody of the middle American lifestyle.
They are a one income, working class family.– Each family member represents a
stereotypical person in society.
Black Comedy
• Also known as dark humor. • A type of comedy that utilizes topics that
are usually treated seriously- death, murder, suicide, rape, sickness…
• Began in America in the 1950’s and 60’s – Dr. Strangelove: How I Learned to Stop
Worrying and Love the Bomb. (1964)– Harold and Maude. (1971)
Slapstick
• Exaggerated physical violence or activities. – Characters being hit in the face with a frying
pan, running full speed into a wall… – Timing, perfect calculation of execution,
character reaction- considered among the more difficult tasks facing a live performer.
Examples
Romantic Comedies
• Light-hearted stories surrounding romantic clichés:– Perfect Couple, True Love, Love at 1st Sight
* 2 people meet and then part ways due to an argument or other obstacles, while apart they realize that they are perfect for each other.
*Meet Cute*
• The true secret to comedy is timing and performance.
• Comedy depends on conflicts between strong characters.
Terms
• Farce: A humorous play that depends more on the skillfully exploited situation rather than character development.
• Parody: To imitate for the purpose of ridicule; to make fun of.
• Comedy and Drama• The universal symbol for theatre. • The origins stem from ancient Greece
when actors always wore masks on stage.