For our major media project, my group of 6, myself included, began brainstorming what form our project will take and the style we’re aiming for. We didn’t settle on anything concrete, but we imagine it being an understated drama comedy, potentially episodic by grouping together a series of sketches with an overarching theme, but we’re leaning more towards making a short film. We want it to be quite character driven by fleshing out the characters in our first draft, which will be drama heavy, as we plan to use a drama script as a template to plug comedy into a second draft.
Our plan for a character driven project came from Daniel’s idea about annoying people, inspired by his roommate who does everything obnoxiously loud, which could extend to a commentary on sensory issues. We also liked the idea of a short film about student life, as that’s something we can all relate on, and this would rely on sit-com elements, minus the stages and laughing track. Possible hubs include a supermarket, being a source of stress for many, and we could heighten this by making a drama of a student’s weekly supermarket trip, using comedic elements such as satire.
While we all seem to have varying comic sensibilities, I’m looking forward to seeing it all come together and I’m sure our confidence will grow as we narrow down a story and characters.
Mood Board
As we imagine our project being character driven, I placed some of my favourite characters in my mood board who appear in dramas, and are often the source of comedy in the TV series or film they appear in. Some standouts include Gordon Cole (Twin Peaks 1990-1991), as the show often shifts between a surrealist drama and a melodrama, and Gordon is a key comedic character that strangely compliments the more melodramatic episodes. Samantha Jones (Sex and the City 1998-2004) is another favourite, as she’s unapologetically raunchy and often pretty absurd – all the ingredients of a loveable comedic character. I can imagine characters inspired by Spud (Trainspotting 1996), Danny and his roommates in He Died with a Felafel in His Hand (2001), Adam Kay (This Is Going to Hurt 2022) and Danielle (Shiva Baby 2020) in our own project if we take the student life angle, as they’re all placed in stressful situations and bring the comedy to the respective film/series.
In terms of tone and location, the Comedy Central TV series These New South Whales by the band of the same title came to mind, as it’s a locally filmed mockumentary that’s quite character driven, and I imagine our work being similar in tone, with obnoxious characters in ridiculous situations. The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) executes the idea of a fallout between two polar-opposite friends brilliantly, having a great balance between drama and comedy. I also love the absurdity of Donkey Skin (1970), featuring a helicopter in a period setting, and Kingpin (1996), following a hook-handed ex-bowler and his Amish friend Ishmael – as campy and fun as it gets.