Week 5: Comedy as a Mode / Satire
Figuring out the difference between parody and satire as forms of comedy was quite confusing for me at the beginning, but in class it was described as a broader commentary on a certain topic. The explanation of this that made it make the most sense to me was “where parody, draws on – and highlights – aesthetic conventions, satire draws on – and highlights – social ones” (Neale, S & Krutnik, F., 1990). Greven (2014) highlights this and notes that the reason both forms are usually confused is that they can function together.
The examples that we discussed three examples of satires that were commentaries on drug use/policies. First was Brass Eye — episode 2, “Drugs” (1997), the second was Chappelle’s Show — “Tyrone Biggums” sketch from season 1, episode 2 (2003) and the third was Corey White’s Roadmap to Paradise — season 1, episode 10, “The War on Drugs” (2018). We compared the three and I realised that all three were based on the same topic but it was debated within the class which one was the most ‘effective’ in encouraging change in terms of drug use/policies.
When planning our next group sketch, we found that our ideas fit more into the parody form so we had to build upon a more relatable experience (the use of dating apps) and the bad experiences associated around it. This week my group (Nia, Bobby and I) put more time in filming and editing than all the previous weeks of sketches. There were quite a few different bits and segments that we wanted to do and for it to all reinforce the central idea: the cycle of dating apps negatively affects us yet we still continue to use them, and that’s comedic in itself. I’m very happy with how it turned out, and I think we successfully created a satire sketch, the only thing I would’ve fixed if we had more time is some editing issues (the transitions could have been smoother).
Sketch: UNHINGED
References:
- Greven, D. (2014) Book Excerpt: Psycho-Sexual: Male Desire in Hitchcock, De Palma, Scorsese, and Friedkin by David Greven, Roger Ebert website, accessed 14 April 2024. https://www.rogerebert.com/features/book-excerpt-psycho-sexual-male-desire-in-hitchcock-de-palma-scorsese-and-friedkin-by-david-greven
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Neale, S. & Krutnik, F. (1990), “Definitions, genres, and forms” in Popular Film and Television Comedy. London: Routledge, pp. 10–25.