TV Theory 7: Sitcom

Vodkas Diaries:

Mise en scene:
-One location- reflection on small, cramped environment
-Written by a female writer, feminine jokes.

Cinematography:
-Close-ups
-Long shots
-Over the shoulder shots

What is genre?
-Type or class of media texts that share common codes and conventions.
-How texts are determined by historical/ social/ political contexts.
-How texts emerge as a commercial product from an industry.
-Genre audience contract with text.

Codes and conventions dominant in deciding the form of a film or TV programme
-Technical (seen)- Camera, Sound, Editing= Narrative.
-Symbolic (unseen)- Mise en scene, Subtext= Context.

What is a sitcom?
-'Sit(uation) com(edy)'- sub-genre of comedy unique to television.
-Typically located within single location (or minimal number of settings)

Sitcom genre- Technical conventions.
Traditional Studio Sitcoms (The Big Bang Theory)
-Multi-camera.
-Edited 'as live'.
-Audience laugh track.
-High-key uniform lighting.

Location sitcoms (Modern Family)
-Single-camera.
-Post-edited.
-No 'live' laugh track.
-'Mockumentary'- style.

Sitcom narrative conventions:
-Episodic series format- typically 30 inutes, closed nattative.
-Repetition- circular narrative to keep characters in comic situation at the story's resolution and feed into further episodes.

Sitcom genre- narrative conventions:
-The comic trap
-the running joke
-The one-liner/ sight gag
-Innuendo and double-entendre
-Irony and sarcasm
-Farce and slapstick
-Parody and satire

The Comic Trap
-The basic premise of a sitcom: physical or emotional situation characters attempt to resolve or escape from.
-Repetition ensures further traps will be encountered.

The Running Joke
-Repeating visual joke or verbal line (often a catchphrase)

The One-Liner and Sight Gag
-Humorous throwaway remark, often observational of a situation or event that has just occurred.
-The Sight Gag is the visual equivalent of the one-liner.

Irony and Sarcasm
-Irony- to express something different from and often opposite to literal meaning.
-Sarcasm-when a person says one thing but means another, or when a literal meaning is contrary to its intended effect.

Farce and Slapstick:
-Farce- highly improbable narrative situations and coincidences with exaggerated physical humour.
-Slapstick- physical comedy, usually incorporating props and elements of comic violence. 

Parody/ Spoof
-Parody mocks or pokes fun at an original work, its subject or through humorous imitation.
-A spoof typically mocks or pokes fun at a genre or style.

Satire
-Similar to parody, but usually with a more angry or polemical intent.
-Often political and targets the elite and bureaucratic.

Sitcom genre- Symbolic conventions:
Mise en scene
-Setting/ location
-Character (costume, makeup, etc)