Researching A Genre

For my media project I will start by researching a specific genre of film, which I am interested in, that I can also use to analyse trailers and film posters on. I will research the conventions and expectations expected, target audiences and what they appreciate and also examples of films within this genre. As I have already researched the genre of horror, I am going to research the genre of Comedy, specifically Alternative comedy to gain more knowledge within different genres of film.

I had to research what the expectations and conventions of comedy were. I researched this through my own expectations and my families. I then researched it on the internet and thought of films in this genre and aspects that they all contain.

Conventions and Expectations of Alternative Comedy

· High key lighting predominately

· Humour

· Extreme Slapstick Violence

· Stereotypical Characters such as ‘Nerds’

· Unrealistic Romances

· Controversial Plots

· Main Focus on Men

· Farce – Lots Of Misunderstandings

· Cut Transitions – to quicken the pace

· Exaggerated Mise-en-scene

· Exaggerated Realistic experiences or situations

· Conflict

· Taboo Issues

· Irony and Sarcasm

· Sex

Alternative Comedy had eventually became mainstream in the 1990’s after being created in the 1970’s and 80’s and is still mainstream today. Instead of relying on punch-line jokes the comedy may include some or all of the following:

Observational humour: Making humour out of everday occurrences, and also laughing at one's own foibles and weakenesses (traditional comedians laughed at other people, such as ethnic minorities or "the mother-in-law", while alternative comedians laughed at themselves, their situation, and at the human condition).

Political satire: Or, at the very least, a radicalised political awareness rooted in socialism; if a comedian was floundering, he/she could get a cheer out of the audience by simply making a joke about Margaret Thatcher (Ben Elton, a well-known alternative comedian, referred to her as 'Mrs Thatch' and would often say, "Ooh, little bit of politics!" when he drifted into political satire). Nearly all female comedians described themselves as feminist to a greater or lesser degree.

Breaking social taboos: Particularly those relating to sex and bad language; alternative comedians swore on stage and, continuing the theme of observational humour, often made jokes about sex acts and sexuality. Toilet humour was not uncommon either.

Surreal whimsy: A comedian might start with observational humour and then drift into a degree of surrealism. For example, Paul Merton's Policeman on Acid sketch, or much of Alexei Sayle's material.

Intellectual humour: Generally speaking, alternative comedy required an educated or knowledgeable audience. It required the audience to participate and understand the humour, rather than simply sit back and expect to be made to laugh.

Extreme slapstick: People were often set on fire, had bricks smashed over their heads, or were flung through walls etc. This is arguably a less common trait of alternative comedy, however, and was only practiced by a handful of artists, such as Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson (and also Rowan Atkinson in the Blackadder television shows).

Improvisation: Working without a script or plan and making up comedy on the spot in response to audience suggestions. This was usually during nights dedicated to 'improv', however.

Story-telling & Personal Narrative: Emphasizing story, personal experience and individual rhythm instead of the rigid set-up/punchline jokes and rhythms of mainstream comedy as exemplified by Un-Cabaret in Los Angeles and The Moth in NY

Accessed on the 05/09/09

http://www.ubercomedy.com/comedy-genres/alternative-comedy.html

I then thought of the types of people that would be interested in a comedy and what they appreciate and enjoy about the genre. This was harder, as the genre of comedy is very big, so i specifically used alternative comedy as it is easier to analyze. The film examples of that genre was very hard to allocate as although it is mainstream now it still fits under the genre of comedy and is therefore hard to find.

Target Audiences and Their Appreciation

The genre of comedy is extremely vast, so much so that it even has sub-genres, such as Action comedies. The sub-genres will have a different target audience to the genre of comedy itself, for example action comedies will entice an audience that is interested in fast paced films with lots of dramatic scenes with some light hearted humorous remarks and characters.

The target audience for the genre of Alternative comedy would be for people aged between 17 – 45. This is because the humour used in alternative comedies may easily offend some people and older people are more likely to disapprove of the humour, as it goes against many of the conventions of comedy in their generation, which is why it is originally called alternative humour. The target audience will be people with a modern view and who aren’t easily offended. Their appreciation will be of the realistic approach to comedy, so that the audience can relate to the plot or character for example and will then find the exaggerated humour amusing because they feel they can appreciate what it is like.

The films i have placed under this genre are:

Examples of Films within the genre Alternative Comedy

· Zoolander

· The Hangover

· South Park Movie

· Super Bad

· Knocked up

· Pineapple Express