This document discusses the codes and conventions of comedy films. It outlines that comedy films are meant to make audiences laugh, through gags or situational humor. There are two main formats - comedian-led films focused on delivering jokes, and situation comedies based around characters in strange or mistaken situations. Various subgenres are mentioned, including slapstick, romantic comedy, and teen comedy. Specific techniques like verbal jokes, physical gags, and observational humor are explored.

1. Codes and Conventions of Comedy
Louisa Clements

2. Comedy
“Comedy films are supposed to make the audience
laugh.”
Effect can range from a “wry smile” to shrieks of
laughter
Different audiences laugh at different types of
comedy
Stereotypes play a big role in comedies

3. Codes and Conventions
Two general formats: comedian-led and situation-
comedies
Very fluid genre
Hybrids exist - musical-comedy, comedy-thriller
Subgenres: romantic comedy, teen/coming of age
comedy.
Slapstick, deadpan, verbal comedy, screwball, dark
comedy, parody/spoof

4. Comedy effect
The comedy effect is produced by two types of
performance skills:
1. Delivering the “joke” or “gag”
2. Acting out a social drama or “situation” of some
kind

5. Gags
Can be verbal or visual (sight
gag)
Usually the performance of
the gag that makes it funny -
not the story itself (timing)
Found often in slapstick
comedies such as Charlie
Chaplin
Played by comedians Eddie
Murphy, Chris Rock, Rowan
Atkinson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etUq95XKGiw

6. Gag-related genres
Slapstick - very physical comedy developed during the
silent film era
Gross-out - Modern comedy. Gags are meant to “break
taboos” American Pie or There’s Something About Mary
Screwball - Developed in the 30s. Central relationship is
disruptive and creates a breakdown of law and order.
Farce - Often involves mistaken identity and sexual
infidelity - opening/closing doors, hiding under beds,
wearing disguises etc.

7. Situational COmedies
Character placed in a strange situation or there is a mistaken identity
situation
Boy invited to girlfriend’s house to meet her parents
Performance emphasizes realism rather than the display of the “gag”
Played by actors - Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Bill Murray
Observational comedies - humour coming from the odd things people do
Character comedy - humour is the general interaction of characters - The
Office

8. Situational genres
Social comedy - Confusions caused by clash of
cultures and classes (often found in British film or
TV)
Comedy of manners - Jane Austen novels Sense and
Sensibility or modern Four Weddings and a Funeral
Romantic Comedy - How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days
Teen Comedy - Defined by its audience, Clueless or
Ten Things I Hate About You