The document discusses various techniques used in comedy films including camera angles, editing, sound, and mis en scene elements. It notes that comedy films typically use eye-level shots, zooms, and close-ups to connect with audiences and enhance emotions. Techniques like shot-reverse shots, split screens, eye-line matches, and match cuts are used to tell stories and create comedic effects. Sound effects, dialogue, and music are employed to emphasize jokes and create an upbeat atmosphere. Costumes, lighting, makeup, and props are designed to look whimsical and match the film's comedic plot.
2. CAMERA ANGLES, MOVEMENTS AND SHOTS
● The comedy genre often films from eye level to connect viewers
with the character and further comedic effect.
● Zooms in and out are also used to create emphasis.
● Close ups and extreme close-ups are commonly used to increase
the emotion of the audience, in this case, their amusement.
● Two-shots and three-shots are typically used to show the
interactions between two characters and allows for a comedic
performances to be shown.
● To make comedic reveals, movements like pans and tilts are also
utilized. This helps build suspension for the joke and amplified the
punchline.
3. COMMON MIS EN SCENE
● Costumes in comedy can vary from film to film. Some films have more
causal clothing for costumes while others go for bright and eye-catching
clothing. Regardless, the costume can usually tell the viewer a lot about
the character and their personality.
● The lighting used is often brighter to reflect the upbeat and happy mood of
the film.
● Vibrant colors, like pinks, yellows, and oranges are used as opposed to
blacks, blues, or grays. This further creates the happy atmosphere of the
film.
● Makeup used in comedy films also follows the trend of being on the
brighter side.
● Actors themselves may behave more whimsical and light-hearted to make
viewers laugh.
● While props can also vary, they will typically be something outlandish or
whacky to add to the crazy feel of comedy films.
● The setting can be random and often times is made to match the plot of
the movie.
4. • Techniques like shot-reverse shots are common throughout
comedy films. They are used to demonstrate an unbroken
conversation between two characters. This allows the dialogue to
flow smoothly, and therefore the jokes.
• Another common technique is a split screen. This lets viewers see
multiple viewpoints in one scene. With this, comparison is used for
comedic effect and can convey humor without the use of dialogue.
• Eye-line matches are often used to increase the comedic effect by
helping to tell the story.
• Match cuts are used to create comedic parallels.
• Action matches are also used to showcase the scene form different
views and add amusement to the scene.
COMMON EDITING TECHNIQUES
5. Comedies make use of high diegetic and non diegetic sounds to entertain
viewers.
For instance, diegetic sounds like dialogue are used in comedy films to
convey jokes to the viewers. Conversations between characters are
commonly used are a vehicle to get jokes to the viewers. The dialogue
also helps to create a personality for the character that helps make the
film more engaging.
However, non-diegetic sound effects are also common in comedies. For
example, laugh tracks or trumpets are commonly used to emphasize
jokes in these films. Different types of music can also be used, like upbeat
tracks to create a fun atmosphere, or even serious tracks to make the
situation ironically funny.
Voiceovers can also be used to give more context to the characters or to
comment on the story, making it funnier.
COMMON SOUNDS
7. One element of comedy that we like are the crazy and whimsical
costumes that are used. We find these this dramatization to be funny and
they make the film more enjoyable. Another element we enjoy are the
sound effects. Sounds effects like sad trumpet sounds and laughing
tracks really enhances the mood of these films, making them more
compelling to watch.
We also enjoy the use of pans and tilts to build suspense to jokes. This
allows amplifies the punchline and lets the joke settle in your mind for
longer. Jokes like that make the film more memorable. The last thing that
appealed to us is the use of split screens as we feel like this is a very
creative way to incorporate humor into the film.
APPEALING ELEMENTS
8. One element of comedy that we don’t like is the subjective nature
of the genre. Since everyone’s sense of humor is different, it can
be difficult to create dialogue that a wide group of people would
find funny. For instance, some people may like dark humor while
others enjoy more lighthearted jokes. Finding actors who can
properly deliver the dialogue can also be an issues. If your jokes
are well written but poorly deliver, it can ruin all comedic effect. We
also didn’t find the use of voiceovers to be appealing as they can
subtract from the realism of the film and can even make it seem
cheesy.
NON-APPEALING ELEMENTS