3. DIFFERENT TYPES OF
COMEDY:
Genre
Description
Alternative comedy
Differs from traditional punchline jokes which features many other forms of comedy such as Observation, Satire, Surrealism, Slapstick
and Improvisation
Black comedy or dark comedy
Deals with disturbing subjects such as death, drugs, terrorism, rape, and war; can sometimes be related to the horror movie genre
Blue comedy
Typically sexual in nature (risqué) and/or using profane language; often using sexism, racism, and homophobic views
Character comedy
Derives humour from a persona invented by a performer; often from stereotypes
Cringe comedy
A comedy of embarrassment, in which the humour comes from inappropriate actions or words; usually popular in television shows and
film, but occasionally in stand-up as well
Deadpan comedy
Not strictly a style of comedy, it is telling jokes without a change in facial expression or change of emotion
Improvisational comedy
Improvisational (sometimes shortened to improve) comics rarely plan out their routines; television show examples: Curb Your
Enthusiasm, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Thank God You're Here
Insult Comedy
A form which consists mainly of offensive insults directed at the performer's audience and/or other performers
Mockumentary
A parody using the conventions of documentary style
Musical Comedy
A form of alternative comedy where humour is mostly derived from music with (or sometimes without) lyrics
Observational comedy
Pokes fun at everyday life, often by inflating the importance of trivial things or by observing the silliness of something that society
accepts as normal
Physical comedy
Somewhat similar to slapstick, this form uses physical movement and gestures; often influenced by clowning
Prop comedy
Relies on ridiculous props, casual jackets or everyday objects used in humorous ways
Spoof
The recreating of a book, film or play for humour; it can be used to make fun of, or ridicule, a certain production
Sitcom
Scripted dialogue creating a thematic situation; commonly found on television series
Sketch
A shorter version of a sitcom, practised and typically performed live
Surreal comedy
A form of humour based on bizarre juxtapositions, absurd situations, and nonsense logic
Topical comedy/Satire
Relies on headlining/important news and current affairs; it dates quickly, but is a popular form for late night talk-variety shows
Wit/Word play
More intellectual forms based on clever, often subtle manipulation of language (though puns can be crude and farcical)
4. HISTORY OF COMEDY:
• Comic films began to appear in significant numbers during the
era of silent films, roughly 1895 to 1930. The visual humour of
many of these silent films relied on slapstick and burlesque. A
very early comedy short was Watering the Gardener (1895) by
the Lumière brothers. In American film, the most prominent
comic actors of the silent era were Charlie Chaplin (although
born in England, his success was principally in the U.S.), Buster
Keaton and Harold Lloyd. In his native France and throughout
the world, Max Linder was a major comic feature and might
qualify as the first true film star.
• A popular trend during the 1920s and afterward was comedy
in the form of animated cartoons. Several popular characters
of the period received the cartoon treatment. Among these
were Felix the Cat, Mickey Mouse, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit,
and Betty Boop.
5. TOP 10 COMEDIES IN THE
LAST DECADE (IMBD):
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The Hangover (2009)
Team America: World Police (2004)
Superbad (2007)
Beerfest (2006)
Harold & Kumar Get the Munchies (2004)
Grandma's Boy (2006)
Super Troopers (2001)
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Scary Movie (2000)
6. WHO WILL ARE TARGET
AUDIENCE BE?
My group would like are target audience to be teenagers and
young adults. We have chosen this age range as we ourselves
are within this demographic therefore making it easier for us to
portray the codes and conventions of a comedy aimed at this
group.
Films we will analyse with the same target audience:
Project X (2012)
Super bad (2007)
Anuvahood (2011)
