Syrah S., Calyssa H., Michael S

COMEDY

Syrah S., Calyssa H., Michael S.

“Comedies are light-hearted plots consistently and deliberately designed to amuse and provoke laughter (with one-liners, jokes, etc.) by exaggerating the situation, the language, action, relationships and characters. This section describes various forms of comedy through cinematic history, including slapstick,, spoofs and parodies, romantic comedies, and more.”

Codes and conventions

Slapstick:

• Physical pain and injuries which are played to the audience as humorous
• Exceeds the boundaries of common sense for the sake of making the viewers laugh

Parody:

• The codes and conventions of parodies are dependent on the original material which the parody is based on
• Mocks and makes fun of other materials

Satire:

• human or individual vices, follies, abuses, or shortcomings are held up to censure by means of ridicule, derision, burlesque, irony, or other methods, ideally with the intent to bring about improvement
• realistic props and costumes in order to accurately mock real life situations (which the satirical films are based on)

Romantic:

• romantic themes which are presented in a comedic style or fashion
• primarily aimed at a female audiences (chick flick)

History of the Comedy Genre:

Aristophanes, a dramatist of the Ancient Greek Theater wrote 40 comedies, 11 of which survive and are still being performed. In ancient Greece, comedy seems to have originated in bawdy and ribald songs or recitations apropos of fertility festivals or gatherings, or also in making fun at other people or stereotypes.[4]Aristotle, in his Poetics, states that comedy originated in Phallic songs and the light treatment of the otherwise base and ugly. He also adds that the origins of comedy are obscure because it was not treated seriously from its inception.