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Understanding Comedy. Comedy Unit Miss. Hallford Motion 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. Miriam-Webster:
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Understanding Comedy Comedy Unit Miss. Hallford Motion 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.
Miriam-Webster: a drama of light and amusing character and typically with a happy ending humorous entertainment. Definition of comedy
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.
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.