Genre Research

The Different Kinds of Comedy

Defining the genre of our film is important to select our target audience. Comedy comes in many different forms, each of which have different audiences, with different tastes and sense of humour. Here are a range of sub-genres and forms of comedy:

• Black comedy - disturbing subjects such as death, drugs, terrorism, rape and war.
• Blue comedy - based on sexism, racism and homophobic views.
• Alternative comedy - brakes the format, slapstick, satire,  improvisation.
• Physical comedy - physical movements and gestures
• Prop comedy - use of ridiculous props or everyday items used in a comical way
• Wit and play on words - subtle manipulation of words
• Mockumentary - a fake documentary

We class our film as a Rom-Com, as it combines elements of romance and comedy. I looked for examples of films which used these sub-genre's to see what kind of audience they target.


Black Comedy - "Click"

Click's plot is similar to our own film, as it also features a lead male character, down on his luck who thinks he can solve all his problems with a universal remote. The film has elements of black comedy, as the character watches how he was conceived, gets morbidly obese and even find his own daughter attractive by accident. The film has a 12 rating, and has some mature themes like sex and death. I'd say the film has a broad target audience, as people will identify with wanting to rewind time, and also fans of Adam Sandler who is famous for comedy roles.




Physical Comedy - "Ace Ventura - Pet Detective"

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective is easily defined as physical comedy because of it's lead male, Jim Carrey. He is famous for his physical comedy in both his exaggerated actions and facial expressions. This is featured throughout the film, such as pretending his buttocks can speak, and doing impressions of other characters in idiotic voices. I'd say this film has a more defined audience than Click. Firstly, it has a higher certificate of 15, so it appeals to a more adult audience, and it's not as identifiable, as not many people could relate to a pet detective.

Prop Comedy - "Kingpin"

Kingpin uses prop comedy as the lead character, Woody Harrelson plays a world class Bowler who has a rubber hand. The film has a 15 certificate, again with mature themes. You could also class the film as having black comedy as it features an Amish character and a character who is mocked for their disability.

Wit and Play-on-words - "Juno"

Juno is a good example of comedy being presented through speech and play on words. The lead characters such as Juno (Ellen Page), and Paulie (Michael Cera) have unique speech, full of idiolect and puns. The film is classed as an "Unusual" and "Intelligent Comedy" which will not be understood by everyone. It has a certificate of 15, but I'd say it not only appeals to older audiences, but to teenagers as well, as it revolves around teen pregnancy.


Mockumentary - "Borat"

Borat is by far the most radical and risque of these examples. Mockumentary are fictional films which are performed as if fact. Borat is a fictional documentary of a Borat's journey from his Kazakhstan, to American, and all the shenanigans he gets up to in America. The film could be seen as offensive, and has elements of black comedy as it joke about race and religion. The film has a 15 rating, and a restricted audience as some viewer could find it distasteful and offensive.

Our Film 
Our film is a rom-com, as it focuses on the romantic relationship of our two characters but also comical events and situations. It has elements of physical comedy, such as when he spills the wine or splash water onto himself, and also wit in Jack's inner monologues. The majority of rom-com's are certificated as a 12 or sometimes a 15. The audience is usually aimed at females, and I'd say younger viewers in their teens or slightly older.