Comedy films and their storylines

Blades of Glory (2007)

When looking at comedy films and their story lines, one thing that is noticeable is that, although themes of comedy films are very varied, most tend to follow the same basis. The stereotypical narrative of a film is of course having a beginning, middle and end. In comedy films these sections usually run as follows:
-Beginning - A problem occurs
-Middle - The problem is faced
-End - The problem is conquered - A happy ending


Lots of comedy films follow this structure, as it is a successful combination for a comedy film. When planning our film opening, we will have to also plan the whole movie, we think we will use this structure to create our story line around, hopefully resulting in a good comedy film.

Comparing popular comedy films

Up (2009) and Toy Story 3 (2010)

These two comedy films are both recent and very popular in comedy film ratings. The first and main thing to notice is that they are both cartoons, showing that good actors are not always essential in physical form in comedy films. The second thing you spot is that at first glance they both seem to be aimed at the children's market, but what i believe the appeal and success of these films is down to, is the fact that anyone of any age can watch and enjoy them. These films both combine fun, and touching moments but nothing too serious which attracts the large portion of comedy audiences. The difference between them is that Toy Story 3 was the third in the Toy Story series of films, meaning success was expected, this is a good technique to guarantee audiences to watch your film, this is shown by films such as Shrek and Pirates of the Caribbean. Whereas Up, was a one off, that turned out to be a hit.  

 

The Artist (2011) and School of Rock (2003)

These two comedy films are very different, and yet both very successful in their own way. School of Rock has all the common conventions of the modern comedy film, whereas The Artist goes completely against the 21st century average comedy film but this could be the reasons for it's huge success. School of Rock was a comedy film that attracted all ages of comedy fans, it is quite a predictable and 'safe' comedy to go and see because you almost know it will be funny. Whereas The Artist has not had massive audience numbers, but has dominated the awards this year, proving that it is a very good film. The reason for the lack of audience is because it is a silent, black and white movie, something that is almost unheard of these days. From these two films, the extent of differences between comedy films are shown, showing that almost anything can be a success in the comedy genre as long as it is funny.

   

Doing this will help me when i create my film, as it has taught me that there are a huge range of comedy films, meaning we can be very creative with our ideas. I have learnt that you can make films of this genre in almost any way and they could be successful, such as a cartoon or even in silence. I also now know that comedy films can be made to suit any certification, so we are free to choose any age group for our target audience. 

History of group genre

As a group we have chosen that our film we will make an opening for, will be a rural comedy. So in preparation for creating our opening, we felt it important to do some research into our chosen genre.

History of the genre

Comedy is one of the oldest genres in film, some of the first ever silent movies were comedies, way back in the 1900's. Comedy worked well for silent movies, as it can be dependant on the visual action, rather than sound. They relied upon the actors' talents with timing and physical theatre. One of the earliest types of comedy used in silent movies was Slapstick which was made popular by Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton. Slapstick humour revolved around physical mishap, accidents and practical jokes.

With the rise of sound in films in the 1930's, comedy scrip writers could now incorporate jokes and make complex story lines, which brought a whole new level to comedy films. Dialogue became the centre of comedies. One of the first new styles that emerged within comedy films, was the Screwball comedies which were short movies that featured over the top physical humour, that was common in cartoons of the day, a modern example of this is Mr Bean. When the 40's came, most of the comedy films were based around war or military themed. In the 50's comedy films were in decline due to the invention of the television, but the 60's saw a move towards comedies that used satire to address social change. The 1970s saw the rise of the dark comedy and parody amongst the genre. The 1980's saw a popularity of teen comedies and the start of action comedy films. In the 1990s, actors who could create larger-than-life characters using exaggerated voice, movement and expression dominated comedy, these included Jim Carrey, Adam Sandler and Mike Myers, they became household names.

Some types of comedy that has evolved over the years, include dark comedy, subjected on a taboo subject such as war, and they are  based on fictional storeys. These comedies deal with dark and serious themes. Spoofs, which take films or documentaries of other genres and remake them, mocking them and using sarcasm. A popular type of comedy in films today, is the romantic comedy, where upon the film is based around a developing relationship for two characters, this is partially popular with females.

These days, unlike other genres, comedy has a fan base that is not limited by age or gender, as there are so many types of comedy films.

Our Target Audience

Our film 'Rural Superheroes' is a comedy film with a rural sub genre. It would most probably appeal to those in demographic grouping E and D, as we have a target age range of 13-18, meaning most of our target audience would be students placing them in the E category.
As it will be a British independent movie, is is most likely to be seen and enjoyed by British teenagers and those that live in the UK. Although, if seen in any other country or by people from different ethnic backgrounds, it will not be offencive in any way.

As our film is a variation of the common superhero movie, we decided that the audience that would like to watch our film, would be similar in personality, to those characters in our film. Their interests would include comic books, on line gaming and seeing friends, although this is the view we have of our audience type, it doesn't mean that to be able to watch and follow our film, you must read comic books, as anyone would be able to understand our story line.

We have primarily aimed our movie at the male gender. This is because most of the characters in the film are male, this was done with the intention of keeping the male stereotype for a superhero, even though they do not fit in with the typical superheroes you see in movies as our characters lack strength and popularity. As our characters are at the extreme end of their stereotypes (farmer, hippie and nerd) this makes the film less appealing to females, as a lot of females do watch superhero movies, but usually in hope of the female gaze theory. Although if females do have a passion for comic books there is no reason for them not to enjoy this film as much as males, as we would be careful to try and show each sex equally throughout the film.

Our main target audience for our film opening has been decided as being teenage boys aged around 13 to 18, this is generally due to things such as male teenagers being the main group of people with love for comic books and superheroes, these of course, linking directly to the main content of our film. We think we would rate our film a 12A, this is because if we were to make the rest of the film, there would be a small amount of language and violence included.

Audience expectations

To aid our research into what audiences expect from different genres, each member of my production group has produced a questionnaire about a genre, we each concentrated on a different genre. As a group we decided on four genres, romance, thriller, horror and comedy. I was chosen to complete my questionnaire on the genre of comedy, which had turned out to be our final genre when we come to create our film opening.

We each asked three quite vague questions, this was done purposely, to see the extent of different answers we would gain. I then asked the participants for three answers for each, these are my results:

- What do you expect in the first two minutes of a comedy film?

Two thirds of the people i interviewed, would expect to see opening credits amongst the first two minutes. Two out of the six people i asked expected to hear some sort of music, jazz music was mentioned. All apart from one person interviewed, expected to see something funny, suggestions included someone slipping over. The one remaining interviewee, who happened to be the eldest person i interviewed of 45, didn't expect to be laughing straight away. Other answers included, general everyday occurances, such as a conversation. The two oldest people i asked expected to see the main star of the film in these two minutes.

- What sort of main characters will there be?

Whereas the two youngest people i interviewed answers included famous comedy actors such as Ricky Gervais and Rowan Atkinson, the two oldest people i interviewed replied with character personality types. People expect to see a clown character, a sensible/serious character and a stupid character. Other answers included stereotypes, such as a drunken Irish, overweight American and a camp homosexual male.

- What kind of event to you expect to occur/begin?

All the answers i got for this question were very different, but all along the lines of something silly, stupid and funny happening. It seems that the younger people i asked, answered what they would have in their own comedy movie, such as a fight in a doughnut factory and a shot out, whereas the elder people i asked thought about what they have seen in the past regarding comedy movies. Answers included someone drunk, a car crash, someone embarrassed, people undercover, people dressed up in funny costumes and people getting hurt for laughs.

Overall i have learnt that different people of different ages, expect completely different things in comedy films. Whereas younger people expect to see famous faces, older people expect to see the common comedy stereotypes. I have also learnt that a lot of people expect to see opening credits and most, if not all people expect to see something funny in the opening. From completing this short questionnaire, i feel a lot more confident now in the task of creating my own comedy opening, as i now have an idea as to what to include, as i know what my interviewees expect from a comedy film opening. I will use this information gathered in the planning stages of our film opening, so hopefully the end result will be an opening that is clearly identifiable as a comedy genre film by our audience. 

Comedy genre certification

As a group we have decided our film that we are going to make an opening for, will be a rural comedy. To aid our research into the genre, we have decided to look into certifications of comedy films, to see if there is a generally given certification for comedy films. This will help us decide the classification for our film opening.
These are some recent popular comedy films:
Stupid Crazy Love - 12
Bridesmaids - 15
Johnny English Reborn - PG

The Hangover - 15
UP - U

Grown Ups - 12
Some other popular comedy films:
Forrest Gump - 12
Mean Girls - 12

Home Alone - PG
Meet the Fockers - 12
Shrek - U
Bruce Almighty - 12
Mrs. Doubtfire - PG

As you can see there is a huge mixture of different certifications for these comedy films. This is because comedy appeals to most people, meaning institutions need to make comedy films for all ages and types of audiences, unlike a theme such as horror, which is restricted by certification due to the fact, the more of their genre is put in, the more restricted it is for audiences. I think the most common certification for a comedy film is a 12, i think this is because some a lot comedy can tend to revolve around stupid behaviour and bad language. I have discovered that comedy is a genre that is open to all, but you can restrict you audience with the type of comedy used, i have learnt that we now need to decide as a group where we are going in regards to our film and the comedy genre.

Film Certification

Classification is restricting access of material on grounds of age. Classification is needed in cinema today due to legal obligations and to protect younger audiences. It's used to consider broader public opinion in regards to language.
The BBFC (British Board of film classification) founded in 1912, are responsible for certifying films shown in Britain. In 1984 they brought in the video recording act where upon the BBFC started classifying videos, and noting any dangerous or criminal activities on the back of them, they continue their work today.
The BBFCs classifications are:
U - Universal, the film is suitable for all.
PG - Parental Guidance.
12A/12 - Suitable only for 12 years and over.
15 - Suitable only for 15 years and over.
18 - Suitable only for adults.

Films are placed into these categories based upon if they include any of these, and how these are included:
- Discrimination
- Drugs
- Horror
- Imitable behaviour
- Language
- Nudity
- Sex
- Theme
- Violence

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) It's opening is a PG, this because although it is meant to be scary, it is not prolonged or intense.


Ghost Ship (2002) It's opening is an 18, this is because it portrays a strong threat, and could be damaging to those under 18.