1. In what ways does your media product, use develop
or challenge forms and conventions of real media
products ?
By Saima Uddin

2. Conventions of comedy films
• Bright places like towns and cities, in populated places mostly and filmed during the day.
• Locations are usually schools for teen comedies, for social comedies locations would be shot
most likely in bars and homes.
• Mostly natural camera work and medium shots to show facial expressions.
• Funny dialogue, edited sounds to create humour.
• High key lighting.
• Socially awkward characters/smart people and quite ‘idiotic’ characters (accident prone).
• Subgenres e.g. Romance
• Exaggerated acting, lots of props that are used to create the humour.
• Comedy themes – slap stick, parody, rom-coms, screw ball comedy and anarchic comedy.

3. Our film
In order to pursue the comedy
conventions we set the main locations in
a house and a high school. All scenes
were filmed during the day time and we
used comical theme music in order to
create humour. The teacher (George
Donnelly) portrayed quite ‘idiotic’
gestures e.g. when he trips and all his
papers blow away.
Our short film’s subgenre is
social realism which makes it not
the typical subgenre most
comedies are which is romance.

4. Our filmWe put the credits as part
of the film by finding a
creative way to present the
cast and crew. Putting
modern upbeat background
music made the scene
become light hearted and
fun.
We did not follow the typical convention
of film titles fitting with the film and
giving hints as to what the film might be
about. We used a bold and simple title.
We filmed during the day to achieve
the comedy conventions of bright
populated locations. Here shows a
simple pavement near the school.

5. Our film
In our film we didn’t depend on
the dialogue in order to create
humour instead we used
comedic gestures. This screen
shot shows when George trips
on the pavement making it look
clumsy and silly.
Medium shots and close ups to show
their facial expressions.
Teen comedies are well known for
being located in schools, because we
wanted to follow through these
conventions, we set the film in school
in most of the scenes. Other scenes
were located in a home

6. Our film
In order to portray the
comical ‘idiotic’ and silly
character, in this scene
George tries to kick the ball
but misses, which creates
humour for the audience
because of the know fact
kicking a ball isn’t really
that hard.
In contrast we harry played a
more serious character
compared to be silly and
‘idiotic’ characters which are
typically portrayed. Harry
played the moody teenager
and this screen shot shows
harry getting told off.

7. Our film
We edited in speech bubbles to the
birthday scenes. The speech bubbles
helped to give a comical effect and also
informed the audience what the characters
wish is.
We included a twist for the
audience. When George
realises he no longer feels
himself anymore after the
wish he begins to look
nervous and starts to panic
it creates enigma for the
audience and makes the
audience curious to find out
what happens next.