Comedy is a genre that has been around for generations and there is a reason for that. In ancient Greece a comedy was different from the modern day but still is from the same roots. Comedies then were when the main character survived and lived to tell the tale, this outcome brings along happy emotions and that is the main goal of a comedy. A comedy brings jokes and laughter all in the hopes of creating those 'happy' emotions to the audience.
The brilliance and beauty to comedy is that it is suitable for all audiences of any age and any area. Comedy is consumed by toddlers with examples such as Mickey Mouse and many other Disney channel and Nickelodeon shows. We humans are shown the beauty of comedy from the beginning of our lives as we cannot hide its glory. Our entire lives we strive for that happiness that laughter brings and we try to hold on to that. There are even posters that are made that say "A day without laughter is a day wasted" along with countless other motivational quotes.
The genre conventions are rather lack luster in the story, mood, and structure but the funny thing is that it perfectly matches what its trying to be. Comedy isn't meant to be taken seriously. Comedies are meant to be consumed on the spot with no time to prepare. Comedies are light and fun and meant for the general public. The structure of comedies are usually the same and that sometimes can feel old and dated and the story is usually shallow and cut and dry. But are we really watching comedies for the story, most likely not, we watch them for the laughs. The mood is rather stable with be lighthearted and may sometimes swing to the tugging heart strings but it usually remains the static. Characters vary but seem to be chosen from the same generic pool.
Comedies are usually marketed and aimed at teenagers and young adults as that age group is where most media consumers are from. Comedies for movies fall under the rating system and the majority are under PG-13. This is due to the large audience that can watch these films and relatively easy jokes to understand for the general public.
The film Hangover is a fantastic example of a great comedy. It hits every checkpoint and every stereotype for a comedy and does so with flying colors. The Hangover however is rated R and can only be consumed by the adult audience. The characters are hilarious and entertaining as they convey their roles very well and tell some knee slappers. The structure is the generic comedy structure that they begin with regular experience and then climax for a short period and then when all seems well and done, BOOM climax strikes. The story is about a group of friends who party to hard in Las Vegas and experience a hangover as they look for their missing friend and of course this brings along many more problems. Though in the end it accomplishes its goal and brings many laughs along the way.
Another film comedy would be the hit tv series The Office. The Office has a large cast of characters and each one is vastly different from the rest, excluding Jim and Pam haha! The genius behind this show is that it relates to everyday life of normal people living their regular lives. There are no dragon fights or world enders, instead there are relationship problems, annoying bosses, and stuck up coworkers. This show opens the audiences eyes as it shows that everyday life even though it can be boring, there are times you can smile and smell the roses.
Comedy is truly king.
No comments:
Post a Comment