The document discusses conventions of comedy films and how the author's media product used and challenged some of those conventions. Some of the main conventions discussed include using bright, populated locations filmed during the day, locations like schools and bars, natural camera work and medium shots, funny dialogue and edited sounds, socially awkward or idiotic characters, subgenres like romance, exaggerated acting and props for humor. The author notes their film was set in a house and school, used theme music and portrayed an idiotic teacher character. They included credits in a creative way and did not follow conventions for titles or rely on dialogue for humor. The film included twists and used speech bubbles and facial expressions for comedy.

1. In what ways does your media product, use develop
or challenge forms and conventions of real media
products ?
By Saima Uddin

2. Conventions of comedy films
• Bright places like towns and cities, in populated places mostly and filmed during the day.
• Locations are usually schools for teen comedies, for social comedies locations would be shot most likely in bars
and homes.
• Mostly natural camera work and medium shots to show facial expressions.
• Funny dialogue, edited sounds to create humour.
• High key lighting.
• Socially awkward characters/smart people and quite ‘idiotic’ characters (accident prone).
• Subgenres e.g. Romance
• Exaggerated acting, lots of props that are used to create the humour.
• Comedy themes – slap stick, parody, rom-coms, screw ball comedy and anarchic comedy.

3. Our film
In order to pursue the comedy
conventions we set the main locations in
a house and a high school. All scenes
were filmed during the day time and we
used comical theme music in order to
create humour. The teacher (George
Donnelly) portrayed quite ‘idiotic’
gestures e.g. when he trips and all his
papers blow away.
Our short film’s subgenre is
social realism which makes it not
the typical subgenre most
comedies are which is romance.

4. Our filmWe put the credits as part of the film by
finding a creative way to present the cast
and crew. Putting modern upbeat
background music made the scene become
light hearted and fun.
We did not follow the typical convention of film titles fitting
with the film and giving hints as to what the film might be
about. We used a bold and simple title.
We filmed during the day to achieve the comedy conventions
of bright populated locations. Here shows a simple pavement
near the school.

5. Our film
In our film we didn’t depend on the dialogue in
order to create humour instead we used comedic
gestures. This screen shot shows when George trips
on the pavement making it look clumsy and silly.
Medium shots and close ups to show their facial
expressions.
Teen comedies are well known for being located in
schools, because we wanted to follow through these
conventions, we set the film in school in most of the
scenes. Other scenes were located in a home

6. Our film
In order to portray the comical ‘idiotic’
and silly character, in this scene George
tries to kick the ball but misses, which
creates humour for the audience because
of the know fact kicking a ball isn’t
really that hard.
In contrast we harry played a more
serious character compared to be silly
and ‘idiotic’ characters which are
typically portrayed. Harry played the
moody teenager and this screen shot
shows harry getting told off.

7. Our film
We edited in speech bubbles to the birthday scenes. The
speech bubbles helped to give a comical effect and also
informed the audience what the characters wish is.
We included a twist for the audience.
When George realises he no longer
feels himself anymore after the wish
he begins to look nervous and starts
to panic it creates enigma for the
audience and makes the audience
curious to find out what happens
next.

8. Film poster
My film poster conveys the typical conventions of a film poster because it has a title, a tag
line, credit block, release date and company logos. Like any other film poster, mine
includes the main characters to show audiences who is starring in it. The purpose of the
tag line is to give audiences hints to what the film could be about. One of my tag lines is
a rhetorical question, this gets the audience to think about what the film could be about.
This makes them want to go to see the film.
My film poster relates to the comedy genre because its bright and the
title follows the theme of the film which is based around birthdays.

9. Poster examples
All these posters follow the key
conventions which is portrayed in my
film poster.
e.g. main characters, tag lines,
credit blocks and the release date.

10. Film review
My film review follows with the typical conventions of the Little White Lie film
magazine because of the unique rating system they use which I have adapted on
my review, a picture from the film so the reader is informed who the main
characters are, and also the release date, directed by and starring all put
underneath the title which is below the image.
I also used pink for the font to show that my review is based on the style of
Little White Lies as they use pink font throughout the magazine
In my film review I used a lot of adjectives and metaphors to give the text more
enthusiasm as the reader reads the review. I also used film language to stick with
the convention of it being a film review.

11. Examples of film reviews