1. Sitcom
Definitely one of the most popular forms of comedy, notable examples include Friends (1994), Big Bang Theory (2007), How I Met Your Mother (2005), Two And A Half Men (2003), The Office (both UK and US versions), The Simpsons (1989) and Red Dwarf (1988). Sitcom feature scripted dialogue that will create thematic and usually relatable situations. Sitcoms will feature characters that share the same common environment (usually a home or a workplace) with humorous dialogue.
The Simpsons is one of the most successful sitcoms of all time. Due to the fact it is a cartoon it can keep the exact same cast of character no matter how long the show lasts for. While in other sitcoms such as 'Friends' they had to deal with the cast ageing and change the show based around it.
2.Parody
Parody features a recreation of a previously existing work but in a comedic manner. A popular parody is 'Scary Movie' which recreates the plot of Scream which actually plays around with the expected conventions and clichés of horror movies. Parody does not have to completely recreate a existing work but merely reference it in some sort of comedic way.
In this scene from Toy Story 2 there is a parody of the iconic T-Rex in mirror scene from Jurassic Park.
3. Dark Comedy
Dark comedy deals with more disturbing subjects such as rape, drugs, death, addictions and war. This kind of comedy is found in media such as Breaking Bad and Psychoville. This kind of comedy does narrow your audience because some people feel it is inappropriate to joke about the subjects that this comedy deals with.
Breaking Bad, one of the most successful shows in recent history, would regularly feature dark comedy. It would usually joke about drugs/ murder. A humorous example is when Walter and Jesse are trying melt a corpse with acid and they accidentally melt a hole through their bath and floor and gets bloody-mush everywhere.
4. Improvisational Comedy
Improv comedy is a type of comedy in which the actors/ performers have to come up with the dialogue on the spot. This kind of comedy can be great depending on the actors ability to think of jokes in rapid succession.
This Is The End (2013) is a scripted movie but 80% of the dialogue in the movie was improvised by the actors.
5. Sketch Comedy
Sketch Comedy are like smaller version of sitcoms but last only a few minutes and are usually preformed live. Sketch Comedy in my opinion can be one of the most funny kinds of comedy because a sketch show will usually feature multiple sketches and each will be suited for different humor types.
The Whitest Kids U'Know (WKUK) are one of Americas most popular sketch comedy groups. They had a tv show from 2007 - 2011 and have a movie in the works.
While there are multiple other forms of comedy these five are the most important to me. I feel that these five are the ones that I enjoy the most and will probably be most inspired by for my work. If you would like to read about the many other forms of comedy click here.
The Whitest Kids U'Know (WKUK) are one of Americas most popular sketch comedy groups. They had a tv show from 2007 - 2011 and have a movie in the works.
While there are multiple other forms of comedy these five are the most important to me. I feel that these five are the ones that I enjoy the most and will probably be most inspired by for my work. If you would like to read about the many other forms of comedy click here.
How do think different audiences might react to these different sub-genres.
ReplyDeleteI think these sub-genres is what separates comedy audiences. Some people hate 'dark comedy' as they believe it to be sick/ cruel because it makes light of some dark subjects such as rape. Because of this I think I have to choose a type of comedy that can appeal to a wide audience such as sketch comedy because I would not like to limit my audience.
ReplyDeleteBasically you will have people who think dark comedy is funny while others will hate it. While parody can appeal to a massive audience but some people find parodies of things such as Star Wars offensive because it apparently is an insult to the work, while I view it more as a homage.