Genre: Comedy

My favorite genre across all media platforms is comedy because it focuses on good vibes and its target audience can range between all ages depending on its maturity.

Content

Exaggeration in comedy works to add humor to a situation or the actions and language of a character. In most comedies, a character will go through the most outlandish situations while living their day to day life. The character will try to spend their day casually but constantly get interrupted by over-exaggerated occurrences. Another example of exaggeration in comedy is within the character's personality. Zany characters tend to use visual expressions as a source for humor like making wacky faces. These types of characters usually speak with an accent or speech impediment that younger viewers often find amusing. Family movies starring actors like Adam Sandler and Jim Carrey fit into this comedy stereotype well.

Another staple of the comedy genre is satire. Satire is humor that utilizes irony and ridicule to poke fun at a person or a particular group of people.  Satire is one of the most used devices in comedy that helps people loosen up. Politics is often paired with satire like in SNL. Media will make fun of almost anything including politicians, movie tropes, romance, and psychotic idiots all for the goal of making people laugh.

Lastly, there is physical comedy. Physical comedy consists of the old-style slapstick gag and the more modern style of violent pranks and dares. Slapstick comedy is all about quick jabs and pokes mixed with overly exaggerated movements. While pranks and dares shown in movies like Jackass takes a more violent route intertwined with absolute insanity. While slapstick can appeal to any audience, excessively violent comedy may be too raunchy for younger viewers and should only be viewed by a mature audience.

Production Techniques

Comedy is all about writing. Humor has to be written into the script and plot in order to create a proper comedy. The words a character says must be comical. The actions a character makes must be comical. Every situation that character is thrust into has to be comical. Although not every single aspect or word that comes out of the character's mouth has to be funny, there has to be a constant and steady stream of comic relief in order to call a piece of media a comedy.

Sound is another crucial aspect of comedy. The important sounds are applied in movies or tv shows other than dialogue are music and sound effects. Music and sound effects especially work to move the story along in silent films like Charlie Chaplin movies or cartoons like Looney Tunes and are almost used as a narrative on a character's movements and actions. Although it is more of a trope in silent films, modern video media use sounds more skillfully and sparingly to better fit their plots like a laugh track on a sitcom.

Finally, there are props and plot devices. Props are utilized in comedy mainly for violent intent as seen in many cartoons throughout the years. Some plot devices are even as important as the character who wields it like the green mask from The Mask. These tools direct attention towards characters and help enhance performance. It adds authenticity and can even assist actors in their roles.

 

Marketing

Comedy marketing is simple due to its flexible target audiences. It consists of commercials, trailers, and posters. The most important details to be shown in these marketing tools are smiles and laughter. That's all it takes to market comedy.

Recommendations

Grown Ups

Impractical Jokers

Rick and Morty

Curb Your Enthusiasm

The Amazing World of Gumball