The Creation Of Comedy
Comedy is one of the oldest genres in film. Its main focus is to make you laugh throughout the entirety of the movie with the use of exaggerated characteristics to give a humoristic effect. And, it is shown that they work. In fact, 61% percent of Americans surveyed prefer comedy movies over other genres. And who can blame them? They are just light and entertaining movies that strive for you to get a good laugh.
Content:
One main thing that separates comedies from other genres is their character development. Since the characters are the ones leading the plot forward with their humor, they receive a bigger focus than in other genres. Each character is individualized and given a certain type or amount of humor. Then the characters are going to be the ones that entertain the viewers with their funny jokes and actions as the story progresses.
"It cannot be a comedy movie unless it has a happy ending." In the exception of dark comedies, most other comedies are lighthearted movies to watch and be able to have a good time. They can be considered "easy" movies as you don't really have to think too much. The movie shows a character as they do things or solve a problem with a great amount of humor and all you have to do is just watch, enjoy, and laugh. And of course, it needs a happy ending so that you finish the movie with the same smile you had throughout the entire movie.
Needless to say, the main factor of content that cannot be missed on comedies: the jokes. People have many different senses of humor, that is why there are many types of comedies. From dark, romantic, kid, or bathroom comedies, each showcase a different type of jokes, actions, and humor for different audiences.
Production Techniques:
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Jim Carrey
"one of the best
comedic actors" |
As mentioned before, characters are one of the most important things in a comedy. That is why casting is a main factor of comedies. Directors spend a great amount of time figuring out what actor could be the perfect fit for their character. However, not only actors can be a good fit for a funny character, "Many stand-up comics and comedy writers can be great actors when given the right material"(Apatow). Actually, stand-up comics have become a big part of the comedy movie industry as they provide the humor needed and become favorites between viewers because of their relatively "fresh faces."
Another technique that comedies rely on more than many other genres is improvisation. Again, because of the use of stand-up comedy in a movie, directors can take the liberty of leaving parts of the script up to the comic genius of the actors themselves. "Some of the funniest and most iconic moments in great comedy films are the result of improv"(Apatow).
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"Like many scenes in the film, the hitchhiking one is improvised. Peter Farrelly, one of the directors of Dumb and Dumber, said in an AMA that 15% of the film was improvised"(Smyth)
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Institutional conventions:
The reason why there are so many types of comedies is to be able to classify the target audiences by the types of humor. By having a clear audience in mind it can become an easier task to market or promote the movie. For example, a family-friendly G or PG-rated movie will do good for every age group. Kids will certainly watch it as it entertains them and parents might be forced to watching them without thinking they might laugh with it too. That is the good thing about kids or family comedies, they can be enjoyed by any age! On the other hand, an R-rated movie displays more adult humor, which seems to be mostly liked by young adults and teenagers with 45% of percentage of UK cinema audience being in the age group 15-24.
The posters of a movie provide a clear depiction of the characters or actors. The movie wants to showcase the actors or "household names" that appear in the movie so that one would be more likely to watch it. The characters are either just posing to be able to be seen easily or they are doing an exaggerated or funny action that correlates to the movie. Likewise, trailers also showcase the main characters as they go through their life in a comedic way, when a certain situation arrives and they have to deal with it.
Examples:
Step Brothers (2008) features Brennan Huff (Will Ferrell) and Dale Doback (John C. Reilly) as two unemployed and lazy adults who become stepbrothers. They have to try to get along with each other so that their family can stay together. However, the problem comes when their parents notice they are way too old to still live with their parents. So they go on their quest to find a job and be able to finally move out of their parent's house while becoming closer and closer in the process.
The poster is made to emphasize both characters as they fight. They are shown fighting in a rather "childish" manner which furthers the genre of comedy along with the statement "They may have grown up, but they haven't matured." As the characters fight and make silly faces it shows the viewer that the movie will show a silly and easy comedy.
It is an "easy" comedy movie that will have the whole room laughing. But again, there is an emphasis on both the trailer and the poster on the actors starring in the movie. These two characters use their humor and exaggerated actions and ideas to advance the plot and entertain the audience.
The film series of Johnny English (2003-present) star Rowan Atkinson as Britain's most confident yet unintelligent spy, Johnny English. Throughout the films, he is tasked with investigating certain events or robberies. The goofy agent uses the best of his abilities to try and complete the missions that were tasked to him while he messes up along the way.
Like most other comedy movie posters, the poster for this movie displays clearly the main character and actor. There is even a reference to Rowan Atkinson's most known comedic role of Mr. Bean, which will certainly get the attention of people by already knowing the type of comedy Atkinson does. The way the character is posing on the poster also supports the silly comedy of the movie. We see the confidence Johnny English has in himself as a spy by his face but is shown holing his hand up mimicking a weapon, which he does not have.
The series of Johnny English shows a parody type of comedy by mocking James Bond's movies. They mock it by exaggerating all elements of a spy. And, instead of having the best spy, they have a spy who even though is super inefficient, is able to complete his missions with his luck and silliness. This film is another example of an "easy movie" that focuses more on a silly and easy kind of comedy such as face exaggerations, weird faces, hits, or even just the incongruences of the character in his "serious" life as a super spy.
MUST WATCH Successful Comedy Movies:
Bruce Almighty (2003)
Despicable Me (2010)
The Hangover Part II (2011)
Home Alone (1990)
The Mask (1994)
Sources:
Joe Stephen, "Patterns among successful comedy movies." https://stephenfollows.com/patterns-among-successful-comedy-movies/ (2018)
Jason Guerrasio, "The 10 most successful comedy movies of all time." https://www.businessinsider.com/biggest-comedy-movies-of-all-time-2016-7
Judd Apatow, "Judd Apatow Teaches COmedy." https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-direct-a-comedy#5-different-types-of-comedy-film (2020)
Cassie Smyth, "17 Famous Movie Moments That Were Actually Improvised." https://www.buzzfeed.com/cassiesmyth/famous-movie-lines-that-were-actually-improvised (2016)
