Notes: Feb 21 - March 4

From the Theories of Humor and Comedy packet:
Comedies are not always funny!
Six requirements for something to be funny:
1. It needs to appeal to the intellect rather than emotions - an intellectual view of a joke.  A ginger joke might be funny to somebody, but not to a redhead.  That doesn't really apply, though, because I find ginger jokes funny and I am a ginger...
2. It has to be mechanical - when a chair is pulled out from under someone, it is funny that they mechanically continue to sit.
3. It needs to be human - when my dog sees me sitting on the couch, he comes up and sits on the seat right next to me, because he thinks he is human.
4. It must follow societal norms - some things might be funny to Americans, but not to Europeans.
5. The situation needs to be inconsistant with the forementioned societal norms - if something is normal to an American but it is intentionally not being followed, it has the potential of being funny.
6. It must be perceived by the observer as harmless or painless - watching America's Funniest Home Videos is funny until somebody in the video looks like they actually got hurt.

From the Types of Comedy packet:
Low Comedy: A slapstick comedy is a low comedy because it does not require much intellect to be funny.
High Comedy: Many satires are high comedy because they require intellect to be funny, as you have to be aware of what the satire is insulting.
Burlesque: This requires much exaggeration.  Often serious subjects are treated lightly, or vice versa.
Farce: Slapstick elements are used in this, as well as a very improbable plot (this is a low comedy)
Lampoon: Lampoons are satires that ridicule a person or a specific group (high comedy)
Parody: These imitate another, usually well known, piece of work. The Scary Movies are parodies of horror movies.
Satire: These ridicule people of a specific time (lampoons are in this catagory).  Often these are high comedy.
Slapstick: The Three Stooges.  No other explanation is needed.
Travesty: This displaces a serious subject as a joke, often about religion.

The Comedic Ladder:
Comedy of Ideas: argue about ideas
Comedy of Manners: Discusses the mannerisms of specific groups (generally the upper class)
Farce: The plot has coincidences and mistimings.  I think of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream  with the mistakes in timing and people.
Low Comedy: These contain dirty jokes and gestures, exaggeration and understatement.  The Three Stooges.

Review the Techniques of Comedy.