Sitcom - what is this genre?

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Often on television we hear a lot of unfamiliar or incomprehensible words to us. Sitcom - what is it? Movie genre, short video or reportage, acting, or maybe it's a kind of cartoon?

Sitcom is a situation comedy characterized by recurring characters and settings throughout the series. Has a usually finished story at the end of each issue.

Thanks to American radio in 1920, the situation comedy genre first appeared. The novelty did not keep you waiting for its release on blue screens. In 1951, the first comedy series I Love Lucy was released in the sitcom genre. Then this term officially sounded. After that, it began to be applied to television comedy series.

Sitcom highlights

Does the sitcom genre have distinctive features? What are these characteristics and how do they make this style different from other films? First, sitcoms are typically 22 minutes long with 8 minutes of commercials. Temporary selection is due to the fact that the viewer quickly gets tired of strong emotions - fun. Secondly, comedy sitcoms have a constant cast of characters, in which others occasionally appear episodically.heroes. Thirdly, in successful, according to the creators of the series, places always appear off-screen laughter. Fourthly, the main storyline of the paintings of this genre is accompanied by a separate comical situation in each series. The movie "Friends" is one of the best examples of a sitcom. For 10 years of filming, the series was nominated 44 times, won the Emmy award 6 times.

Some sitcoms are filmed in theaters with an audience. This is especially developed in American TV series. Therefore, the laughter behind the scenes is recorded live.

Contrasts

Sitcom contrast… What is this? This is the presence of the struggle of the protagonist with the villain. There is a confrontation between good and evil. Most sitcoms use contrasts. In soap operas and drama series, they are more pronounced. Sitcoms usually don't have a well-defined contrast. Usually the emphasis is on the features of the main characters. For example, the Russian sitcom Voronin tells about a married couple with three children and parents living behind a wall who constantly interfere in their relationship. Another Russian series - "Interns" - shows the greatest contrast in the constant humiliating insults of his subordinates by the doctor Bykov.

Sitcom episode structure

Usually the structure of a sitcom is linear, consisting of two or three acts. As you move from one action to another, the conflict becomes more complicated. Each act always ends with a dramatic moment in which the hero has difficult circumstances. This is followed by a commercial break. This is done so that the viewer isinterested in watching the series further and did not switch to another channel.

The life of sitcom characters in the tape is cyclical. For example, the hero gets a job, he does not succeed in a new position. In the end, everything is getting better.

Types of sitcoms

A variation of the sitcom genre - what is it? Conditionally considered tapes can be divided into several types.

1. Juvenile or children's situational comedies. In them, the main characters are mostly teenagers and children. They constantly get into stupid and ridiculous situations.

2. Sitcom comics. For example, the film "Batman", filmed with stunts and fights in the style of comics.

3. Political situational comedies. For example, "Yes, Mr. Minister" - describes the life of a fictional ministry and the employees working in it.

4. Office sitcoms talk about everyday work.

5. Family sitcoms and more.

Jokes

The jokes of the sitcom consist of several parts: the setup (setup), the joke itself, the gag (punchline). It turns out that they have their own structure. The opening of such a joke is important and thoughtful. Punchline, on the other hand, is biting. It turns the thought of going inside out.

A very important detail in the sitcom is the moment of waiting for the laughter. After the said joke, the viewer should laugh so as not to miss the next important remark. And only after that you can start watching the series further.

To maintain the required level of jokes, the screenwriter must keep track of several factors. Namely, whoand what will be laughed at, what kind of audience will watch the series?

Demand for situational comedies

The sitcom series is widely popular and in demand all over the world. China, New Zealand, Denmark and India produce their own films of this genre in large numbers. Usually, sitcoms do not spread beyond local television. In Canada and the UK, such series are broadcast outside of their home countries in addition to local television.

But they don't have wide popularity due to the small staff of writers who can't keep the jokes up to par. The most popular sitcoms are American. A whole professional staff of screenwriters is working on them. Well-known directors from the outside are invited to contribute new ideas.

Both in Russia and abroad, a stressful life requires a little relaxation or unloading. Comedy series make a person laugh and relax. Thanks to such emotions, the hormone of happiness, serotonin, is produced. It energizes, makes you feel good and helps relieve stress. Therefore, the rating of sitcoms is constantly moving up. TV viewers need such relaxation, which forces the creators to shoot and come up with new ideas for the series.

Popular sitcoms

Among the films of this genre on a professional theme (known all over the world) there are films: "House Doctor", "Clinic", "Yes, Mr. Minister". Animated sitcoms include The Simpsons, South Park,"Griffins". Probably, these names are familiar to every representative of the youth audience. Children's animated sitcoms are represented by such masterpieces as "Oh, those kids!", "Hey Arnold".

The first Russian sitcom "Cafe "Strawberry"" was released in 1996. In 2000, these films reached their peak of popularity. The series "Happy Together" appeared. The situational comedy "My Fair Nanny" is a Russian version of the American TV series "The Nanny". The film "Interns" took its idea from the American sitcom "Clinic", etc.

In Russia, the bulk of situational comedies are broadcast on the entertainment channels STS and TNT. Sitcoms on these TV channels are broadcast every day and new episodes are filmed periodically.

Main characters

In a film of the genre in question, one of the characters must be stupid. The more such characters in the series, the smarter the viewer feels. The higher the ratings of the sitcom. For example, the series "Interns" in one of the seasons showed a reasonable and calm Levin. And this was reflected in the rating of the film, which gradually dropped. The same thing happened with the series "Real Boys" when Bazanov went into the army.

A successful selection of characters has been made in the film "Univer", which has been broadcast on the TNT channel for more than one year. Viewers have also been watching the Voronin family on STS for several years.

In the series "Zaitsev + 1" and "Love in the District", on the contrary, the main characters are not stupid enough, and these films turned out to be uninteresting to viewers. The well-known French did not even help the tape "Zaitsev + 1"the actor who starred in this film (genre - sitcom). That this is a pattern, the directors have already seen.

So that the viewer always knows which character in the series is stupid, the authors have to remind about this with various ridiculous situations and expressions associated with this character.

An interesting technique was used in the sitcom The Big Bang Theory. In it, the characters, on the contrary, are intellectually developed individuals. But they are not adapted to ordinary life. Which makes them very stupid.