Genre - Conventions of the Comedy Genre

The comedy genre is arguably the most popular genre in the media market, as many classic films have been made in this genre. Classics include the 'carry on' films, Hot Fuzz and others like Mr Bean's holiday. In these post I will look at the conventions of the comedy genre:

• Set in social settings such as schools, cafes, offices or restaurants.
• The camerawork must be naturalistic and the characters must be filmed in a way that no one comes across as a more significant character.
• Diegetic sound, like the dialogue, must be loud and clear so that it can be heard and people can hear the jokes. 
• Non-diegetic music can be used to add to the comedic value of a scene.
• The lighting must be bright or just natural light must be used in order to create a realistic setting/environment.
• Bright and 'happy' colours are used to add to the light hearted nature of the comedy.
• Props are important in comedy, especially in the slapstick comedy genre. For example, the famous walking stick used by Charlie Chaplin. 
• In terms of character types, usually idiotic characters are used in contrast with the normal characters, and this clearly indicates the contrast of personalities present and emphasises the stupidity of the folly character.
• Often, an over-intelligent character is used to add comedy in the form of social awkwardness, which is very funny when executed well. A classic example of this character would be Dr. Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory.
• Saracsm is often used by characters for added comedy. This is used extensively in The Inbetweeners and Peep Show.