What makes comedy so funny?
The overall genre of comedy is any work that is made with the purpose of making people laugh. There are many different types of comedy, such as slapstick, dark, parody, and screwball comedy, but they all try to achieve the goal of making the audience think that what is being portrayed is funny. The tone of these films are usually very light, and they most likely have a positive ending. Comedy can also allow people to laugh at things that are actually painful truths, which can sometimes be relieving. It can be very hard to make a comedy film, because it can be hard to realize what is considered funny for the audience. Although humor is based on how the audience perceives it, and is very subjective, there are certain elements of content and specific production techniques used in order to make comedy films successful.
Content:
Timing is a very important part of comedy. With good comedic timing, a film can be very funny. The most important part of a joke is the punchline. With good timing, such as a small pause in between before the punchline, can have a very big impact on how the audience reacts. However, the timing should not be too long either, or the joke might be lost.
Randomness and misunderstandings are techniques used to make the audience laugh. If the things that happened in comedy happened in real life though, it would not be as funny. However, since it is happening to a character that the audience is watching on a screen, it is oftentimes very funny. When the thing happening on screen is very random and happens when the audience does not expect it, it can come off as very funny. Also, misunderstandings can be funny too, because the audience knows what the character should be thinking, but the character is the one that makes the misunderstanding, which can be very funny to watch.
Double entendre is when something a character says can have two meanings, and these are usually sexual innuendos. Oftentimes, this technique is overdone, but it can be funny if it is limited in use. When it is overdone, it can come off as cheesy. Double entendres are usually used to display a message that might not be appropriate to society to say directly. They usually use puns or word play to convey this second meaning. Usually, the second meaning is easy to understand. If it is not easy to understand, then it would not have an effect on the audience.
A fast pace can be very useful to make a film funnier. When the pace is too slow, it can make the audience get bored, because it can seem dragged on.
Different types of comedy use different techniques in order to make the audience laugh in different ways. For instance, in slapstick comedy, it attempts to make the audience laugh by using exaggerated physical humor, such as intentional violence. For instance, the character might get hit a bunch of times, or might fall down.
Production techniques:
Quick Zooms are used to emphasize a funny part of the scene. For instance, it can zoom in quickly on funny characters, like when they are doing a specific funny face. This is done multiple times in The Office, to emphasize the characters' faces. Another camera technique that is used by the office and in other comedies is handheld shots. This is used to make a specific feel of trying to make it seem like a mock documentary.
Marketing:
The typical target audience for comedy is based on what the rating of the film is. Usually, if it is rated G or PG, the target audience is usually children. The comedy in these types of media is appropriate for younger views. On the other hand, if it is rated PG-13 or R, it is usually aimed for teenagers and young adults. The comedy in these types of films might be inappropriate for younger viewers, and they will probably not understand the humor in these films.
Marketing is marketed based on what the target audience of the specific film is supposed to be. For instance, if the comedy film is supposed to be for young children, then bright colors and funny scenes could be included for the trailer. It can be very similar for an older audience, except for the context of the trailer, since it is for a more mature audience that understands more things.
Examples:
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is an example of a comedy whose target audience is kids and families. The first movie is about a kid named Greg Heffely that has to deal with the most terrible time of his life: middle school. He wants to be popular and have everyone in school like him, but every time he tries to climb up the social ladder, he fails and gets even lower on it. He tries to heighten his status by doing things such as joining the wrestling team or being in a musical. He must deal with the bullies at school, his weird neighbor, and confusing girls. His best friend is a weird kid named Rowley, who Greg thinks acts immature for his age, but he is one of the only people that sticks by him. Along with that, he has to deal with his overbearing mother, crazy father, annoying little brother Manny, and mean big brother Rodrick.
This movie is a very effective comedy for younger children, and has them giggling throughout the film. This is because the timing of the jokes are very effective and funny. It is also funny to see Greg in many situations that seem difficult to him, but come off as very funny to the audience, such as trying to hold his pee when he is stuck in his room, because his brother is going to kill him if he comes out. The bad choices that the characters, such as Greg and Rowley, make throughout the movie are very funny and entertaining to watch.
Grown Ups is a comedy targeted towards teens and adults. This movie is about five men who used to play on the same middle school basketball team at school, and come together again after their coach has died. They all come together for the coach’s funeral, and spend the fourth of July weekend in a lake house. This comedy has very good timing also, which makes it funny. It also uses a lot of rude and crude humor. The humor in it can be considered as almost juvenile. It can also have many sexual innuendos, or double entendres.
Comedy movies for kids:
Despicable Me
- Elf
Shrek
Scary Movie
American Pie
Airplane
Dumb and Dumber
