CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF

COMEDY FILM TRAILERS

WHAT ARE THE SETTINGS LIKE?1. It totally depends on the type of comedy that you want to create. 2. In general, the destinations tend to be bright in the scene

(usually towns or cities) and in well-populated areas. 3. In teen comedies, the setting is usually within a high school or a

small towns. 4. In social comedies, the setting is usually within the home or in a

bar.

WHAT IS THE TECHNICAL CODES?1. The camera tends to follow the characters around what they are

doing. 2. You could also use a high shot to capture the environment that

they are in. 3. Close up shots to medium shots are also used to capture the

emotions and expressions on the character’s faces. 4. Many additional sounds can be applied in post-production to add

humour. 5. Music which is overlaid on the footage tends to be very upbeat

which fits the genre of the film.

WHAT IS THE ICONOGRAPHY?1. The characters tend to wear brightly coloured clothing (Blue and

Yellow is very common). 2. High-key lighting is also common as filming happens usually in

the day time. 3. The use of props such as footballs and golf clubs naturally add

the probability of comedic use.

WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERS USUALLY LIKE?1. Some characters tend to be fairly stupid and very accident

prone. 2. Some characters are also very clever but are awkward in social

situations. 3. Other characters are also normal people where accidents happen

around them and use sarcasm to express their opinion of them.

THEMES WITHIN COMEDY FILMS1. Anarchic Comedy: The stream of humour is continuous

throughout the film. 2. Gross-Out: The humour is very tasteless or disgusting. 3. Parody: Pokes fun at someone or something within the film

continuously. 4. Romantic Comedy: A film that deals with love in a light and

humorous way. 5. Screwball Comedy: A film which shows the binary opposites

between scenes. 6. Slapstick: A style of humour involving exaggerated physical

activity which exceeds the boundaries of common sense.