Codes and Conventions of the Comedy Genre

Codes and Conventions of the Comedy Genre

Codes

Codes are a system of signs which create meaning. They can be divided into three categories: technical, symbolic and audio. Technical codes are the ways in which equipment is used to tell the story within a media text, such as the cinematography (shots and angles) within a film. Symbolic codes show the deeper meaning of what the audience see. For example, a character's attitudes and actions portray the characters feelings. Finally, audio codes are elements, such as music.

Conventions

Conventions are the generally recognised and accepted way of doing something. There are two types of conventions: technical and genre. Technical conventions are conventions within a technical area. These conventions apply to media, such as music videos, for example, the video should be the same length as the song and the artist is presented singing along to the song being played in the background. Genre conventions are conventions that are associated with a particular genre, for example within the horror film genre dark lighting would be used to create suspense and fear within the audience.

Codes and Conventions within the Comedy Genre:

We have chosen to create a comedy film and to develop our understanding of the genre I have researched the different codes and conventions associated with this particular genre. These are:

• Films/ programmes within the comedy genre are usually set in bright locations as this connotes happiness and positivity and also creates a realistic scene.
• The camerawork used for most comedies is very naturalistic. A wide range of shots are commonly used in comedy films, such as medium close up’s, extreme close up’s and two shots to portray the characters emotions and feelings.
• Majority of the characters are presented as sharing the same social status, with no character looking more superior and dominant than others.
• The clothing and colours are usually bright, for example in The Simpsons, the characters skins are yellow which is unusual and would be seen as being comical to the audience. Also, the colour suggests the programme should not be taken too seriously and is simply there to provide entertainment.
• Socially awkward, clumsy/accident prone and sarcastic characters are usually associated with the comedy genre as they are able to embarrass themselves, which is humorous to the audience.
• Non-diegetic sound is often incorporated to emphasise comical scenes and evoke laughter within the audience.
• Happy endings – The disruption is usually resolved and the film has a happy ending.