Comedy
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The definition of Genre is: Any category of literature or other forms of art or entertainment, e.g. music, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria.
Genre is based on how a film is constructed which is very important when distinguishing between certain genres, e.g. horror and terror, which can deal with the same subject matter and look the same but belong to different genres. There are many film genre's such as: Horror, Action, Terror, Drama, Adventure, Indie, Sci-Fi, Bollywood, Westerns, Crime, Epics, Fantasy Family and my favourite, Comedy.
Comedies are light-hearted plots deliberately designed to amuse and provoke laughter by exaggerating the situation, language, action, relationship and characters. There are many sub-genre's of comedy which include: Slapstick, Screwball, Spoofs, Parodies, Romantic Comedies, Black Comedy and Satirical Comedy.
Comedies are my favourite films because they have interesting story lines that entertain you and have you at the edge of your seat... sometimes. Also, you never get bored while watching Comedy films because they are made to keep the viewer watching as well as provoke laughter.
For example, one of my favourite comedy films of all time is Coming to America starring Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall. The film is about an African Prince from the fictional land of Zamunda who comes to the United States hoping to find a woman he can marry. The film consists of many funny moments that keep the viewer entertained and wanting to watch the film till the end. Coming to America comes under the sub-genre of Black Comedy as it employs black humour due to the fact that the film is about an African Prince.
Another one of my favourite comedy films of all time is Slapstick comedy Dumb and Dumber starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. The film is about two "dimwitted" friends who set out on a cross-country trip to Aspen to return a briefcase full of money to it's owner, only to be pursued by a group of criminals who are after the briefcase. Similarly to Coming to America, the film consists of many funny moments that make you want to watch more. Also, the film is a typical comedy film that consists of not-so-smart characters on some sort of journey tackling obstacles along the way.
A key genre theorist is Nick Lacey who created the Repertoire of Elements (elements of genre that need to be repeated). Lacey does not see genres as fixed but as dynamic and changing overtime.
Setting: The geographical and context of the text might help identify a genre. Filming in the right setting is also useful for getting the right aesthetic look.
Characterisation: When stock characters are present in Media Text. This can also refer to stars/actors who play a particular type of role (i.e. Bruce Willis - Action/Thriller).
Expectations: Audiences will have an understanding of similar/comparable texts to help identify the genre. Previous knowledge of that genre also allows audiences to predict narrative patterns.
Story: Predictable plot lines and narrative structures allow us to identify the genre
Themes: The way in which ideas are explored. Ideology is presented and subject matter dealt with. Different genres will deal with these in different ways.
Mise-en-scene: A range of props/stock images and symbols which have fixed connotations with a certain type of genre (Western - desert, tumbleweed, guns, hats, Clint Eastwood, cigars, horses, etc)
Production Techniques: Creative use of camera techniques, lighting and sound.
Genre is based on how a film is constructed which is very important when distinguishing between certain genres, e.g. horror and terror, which can deal with the same subject matter and look the same but belong to different genres. There are many film genre's such as: Horror, Action, Terror, Drama, Adventure, Indie, Sci-Fi, Bollywood, Westerns, Crime, Epics, Fantasy Family and my favourite, Comedy.
Comedies are light-hearted plots deliberately designed to amuse and provoke laughter by exaggerating the situation, language, action, relationship and characters. There are many sub-genre's of comedy which include: Slapstick, Screwball, Spoofs, Parodies, Romantic Comedies, Black Comedy and Satirical Comedy.
Comedies are my favourite films because they have interesting story lines that entertain you and have you at the edge of your seat... sometimes. Also, you never get bored while watching Comedy films because they are made to keep the viewer watching as well as provoke laughter.
For example, one of my favourite comedy films of all time is Coming to America starring Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall. The film is about an African Prince from the fictional land of Zamunda who comes to the United States hoping to find a woman he can marry. The film consists of many funny moments that keep the viewer entertained and wanting to watch the film till the end. Coming to America comes under the sub-genre of Black Comedy as it employs black humour due to the fact that the film is about an African Prince.
Another one of my favourite comedy films of all time is Slapstick comedy Dumb and Dumber starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. The film is about two "dimwitted" friends who set out on a cross-country trip to Aspen to return a briefcase full of money to it's owner, only to be pursued by a group of criminals who are after the briefcase. Similarly to Coming to America, the film consists of many funny moments that make you want to watch more. Also, the film is a typical comedy film that consists of not-so-smart characters on some sort of journey tackling obstacles along the way.
A key genre theorist is Nick Lacey who created the Repertoire of Elements (elements of genre that need to be repeated). Lacey does not see genres as fixed but as dynamic and changing overtime.
Setting: The geographical and context of the text might help identify a genre. Filming in the right setting is also useful for getting the right aesthetic look.
Characterisation: When stock characters are present in Media Text. This can also refer to stars/actors who play a particular type of role (i.e. Bruce Willis - Action/Thriller).
Expectations: Audiences will have an understanding of similar/comparable texts to help identify the genre. Previous knowledge of that genre also allows audiences to predict narrative patterns.
Story: Predictable plot lines and narrative structures allow us to identify the genre
Themes: The way in which ideas are explored. Ideology is presented and subject matter dealt with. Different genres will deal with these in different ways.
Mise-en-scene: A range of props/stock images and symbols which have fixed connotations with a certain type of genre (Western - desert, tumbleweed, guns, hats, Clint Eastwood, cigars, horses, etc)
Production Techniques: Creative use of camera techniques, lighting and sound.