The initial week of “Beyond a Joke, beyond a Genre” classes has offered me novel and profound perspectives on comedy and humour. It has expanded my understanding beyond the concept of comedy and humour as a genre or quality that just generates laughter to encompass a comprehension of the comic form and theories underlying humour. 

As such being said, I perceive it as the stimuli that provoke laughing, with each individual possessing unique stimuli that can induce amusement. Moreover, comic theory is divided into three types: superiority theory, incongruity theory, and relief theory. An additional fourth type is the benign violation theory. Accordingly, in the first week, incongruity theory has initially been explored. From the class materials, I understand this theory as an unexpected or surprising occurrence and illogical that can be performed through sounds, sayings and performances; hence, it serves as the catalyst that creates laughter. An example from my personal experience is the television show Family Guy, which combines the setting of a typical American household with unexpected elements and absurd situations arising within it. For instance, in one episode, the baby character named Stewie said, “At least it’s not raining”, and then got stabbed right after. In general, I believe that humour may be both natural and spontaneous, but it can also be analysed and utilised to generate laughter intentionally. 

Based on the insights mentioned, my experimental sketch involves a typical college scenario. Still, it introduces an abnormal character – a professor who is deeply obsessed with astrology and harbours a personal solid hatred towards Gemini. The fixation on this matter has resulted in Geminis, namely a student and a human resource manager, becoming the targets of this phenomenon. This occurs when the professor transforms into a werewolf, adding an unforeseen twist to the situation. In addition, I incorporated the element of repetition to generate comedic effect by consistently expressing hatred towards Gemini and featuring the werewolf twice, at 00:18 and 00:54. In addition, the HR manager in the sketch is portrayed as ludicrous, who is initially thought to be serious, but then unexpectedly says “you suck” to the professor, creating a surprising turn of events. The scene is enhanced with three instances of explosive sounds, which aligns with the overall notion of repetitiveness.