The way I chose to explore the idea of “comic frame” is to explore a setting in which many people are familiar with and understand the basic rules of – Sitcom. I then tried to twist the rules of this particular frame and make the joke something that isn’t usually found in this specific comic frame.
To show the specific frame that I am using I followed the traditional codes and conventions that are commonly found in sitcoms Butler, J.G. (2020). Since it is only a 1 minute long sketch all I did was try and colour grade the clips to match the warm colours that are associated with many traditional sitcoms. I also included familiar sounds such as crowd applauses and laugh tracks to further set the frame.
My sketch also uses the ‘comedy mechanics’ as explained by Toplyn, J. (2014). It contains two characters that ultimately rival each other and a comic character that is trying to achieve something (make the laugh track laugh). I believe that I could have done a better job at making the ways in which my comic character tries to achieve his goals but due to the time limit, I was forced to keep it simple. I found this idea/rulebook of comedy mechanics extremely useful when writing comedy as it helps you actually construct a joke, and gives you rules that you can choose to either follow or intentionally break for a different effect.
After receiving feedback last week, I tried to make my sketch include other bits of visual humour and although small I believe this made my sketch funnier as a whole. The main point of feedback I got was that a joke can be told in multiple ways it doesn’t just have to be the punchline, so with this in mind, I was able to use visual humour to leave little gags throughout. Even though it is little things like wiggling toes or scratching intensely I believe that it enhances my work.
I think that altogether I was able to create a comic character that is set in a comic frame that has a conflict, characteristics that differentiate them and most importantly a clear goal in mind. So overall I believe my sketch achieved what I wanted it to achieve but I also believe there is room for improvement if I had more time to work with.