GENRE:
I’ve thought a lot about the second genre I want to explore. My project partners both decided to research about Dramas, some Dramas can be touching but I'm not the type of person to sit and watch a movie about someone or something be sad. Like I stated in my past blogs Action and Mystery films have their appeal, however Comedy movies have my heart. I always enjoy a laugh, rewatching some of my favorite comedy films. Comedy films have a unique way of pulling you and keeping you hooked on like a fish. Comedy is such versatile genre as well because it offers so many styles from romantic comedies to parodies.
TARGET AUDIENCE:
Target audiences vary within the comedy genre. For example, when you are watching a children's comedy the ages can be between five years of age to early teens, but when you look at a Rom-com the target audience may change slightly. Typically females between the teenager age to the early 30's are more of the center audience for romantic comedies. Target audiences depend on the type of comedy, but from a broader perspective the comedy genre ranges from ages 15-35.
CONVENTIONS WITH CONTENT:
Production companies and movie producers all have different goals in mind when making their comedy films. However all comedy sub-genres share one goal, make the viewer laugh or smile, even if it is in their head they want to humor the audience. Another intent is to highlight the funny, crazy, preposterous aspects of what we call life. The intention shows different perspectives as well, enlightening their audience while they watch. This may be controversial, but what makes a comedy film good is the personality of the characters and how it changes throughout the film. This isn't observed as much as it should and I don't know why, many people don't quite seem to realize the importance of a climax and it affects the moral of a film.
CONVENTIONS WITH TECHNIQUES:
Comedy films use specific film techniques to focus on the theme of the film. Timing is very important in comedy films. Timing is so crucial because you never know when a joke is coming and its best that you don't. The best comedy films try to get straight to the point and avoid and filler time because it's all about how engaged a viewer is. One camera technique that is seen a lot in comedy films is close-up shots, close-up shots are used often to show reaction to a joke though facial expressions, zoom is another technique that is utilized because it can tense a situation making it funnier. Sound effects and music selection is another impactful part of a film. Sound in comedy films is very important as well the dialogue between two characters can be what makes an audience laugh.
INSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONS:
Comedy movies rely on great acting. When you are scrolling through social media and you see a trailer with an actor like Will Ferrel or Steve Carrel, you're going to wait and watch a little bit before you scroll to the next video. This is because of their narrative image, these two actors are known for being funny, dumb, dorky which is just about all that you look for in a comedy film. When promoting comedy you'll see funny looking movie posters, or stupid funny ads to help give it the humorous approach the marketers want.
Here are two very popular comedy films that I've watched and recommend.
YouTube. (2008, March 14). Step Brothers (2008) Official Trailer [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CewglxElBK0 (YouTube)
CITATIONS:
Fiveable Content Team. (2025, September). Visual approaches to comedy and action [Study guide]. Fiveable. https://fiveable.me/cinematography/unit-12/visual-approaches-comedy-action/study-guide/Coi7x1GCgWeqQe4O?utm (Fiveable)
Finchley Creative Productions Ltd. (2024, November 6). The art of timing in comedy video production. https://www.finchley.co.uk/finchley-learning/the-art-of-timing-in-comedy-video-production?utm (Finchley Studios)
IMDB. (n.d.). Top comedy movies list. https://www.imdb.com/list/ls007041954/
IMDB. (n.d.). Media viewer for Forrest Gump (still image) [Photograph]. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109686/mediaviewer/rm1722947584/?ref_=tt_ov_i
IMDB. (n.d.). Media viewer for The Office (still image) [Photograph]. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0838283/mediaviewer/rm3433645824/?ref_=tt_ov_i
Misned Al Misned. (2020, April 11). Audiences for different genres. https://mesnedalmisned.com/2020/04/11/audiences-for-different-genres/ (mesnedalmisned.com)
Robin Catling. (2023, April 10). Conventions of the comedy genre. https://robincatling.com/conventions-of-the-comedy-genre (robincatling.com)
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