Lead Blog Response: Mockumentaries

Although the sitcom format will always be a classic and beloved part of American television history, it has inevitably become outdated. The mockumentary format has eclipsed the sitcom as the supreme form of episodic comedy on television. The Office, Modern Family, and Parks and Recreation all have one thing in common: they deal with ordinary circumstances, and amplify the quirks of ordinary people. Sitcoms essentially do the same thing, but there is a difference. In the early days, sitcoms were filmed in front of a live audience, which made it very clear that the characters in the show were fictional. Maybe we got attached to the character's personalities and stories, but the laughter from the audience - or the laugh track in newer sitcoms - constantly reminded us that these characters were just reflections of ourselves. Again, the same could be said about a mockumentary, but for some reason, the characters in mockumentaries just seem to have to have more depth. There is no element of outside laughter to remind us that these characters aren't real. The element of getting to hear the character's opinions outside of the situational comedy adds a new layer of realness which is why I think mockumentaries are so appealing. However, with the rise of so many different mediums of entertainment, it becomes increasingly difficult to hold an audience's attention. The mockumentary is already being left behind as other forms of comedy are on the rise. Regardless of what happens in the future, the mockumentary will always be an admirable form of comedy in television and film.

Lead Blog Response: Cutaway Gags

Although I do not watch much Family Guy anymore, I grew up with my older brother obsessively watching it. I remember being seven years old, laughing at Stewie's voice and his antics to kill Lois. Obviously I shouldn't have been watching Family Guy in second grade, but it's not like I understood all of the terribly offensive jokes anyway. I do remember that there was a frequent use of cutaway gags, although at the time I did not know what they were called. I just recall Peter referencing various celebrities/characters and cutaways to those people saying bizarre things or being in weird situations. Upon watching the video in Arnav's blog post, it brought back memories about the structure of Family Guy. Now being older and able to understand both the structure of the show and its content, I agree that the show seems to rely heavily on these cutaway gags. However, I do not think this is a bad thing. Especially with references to movies and other things in popular culture, these cutaway gags often enhance the joke. I watched The Shawshank Redemption over the summer, and although my brother had not seen it, of course he knew of the Family Guy parody. I found the parody to be hilarious and extremely well-done, and I think that the reenactment of famous moments in the movie definitely enhanced the humor. Another example of a successful cutaway gag in the clip is the first one, when Jesus tells Peter that "My dad just quit smoking and he's a little on edge". The thought of God smoking, then quitting and becoming on edge is funny in itself, but the cutaway gag of a bearded man in white complaining about loosing his checkbook and finding a pen cap with no pen brings this humorous statement to a new level. I do not think the majority of cutaway gags on Family Guy are just random sequences of events. Rather, I think they are well thought-out, comedic details which provide enhancing visuals to the joke.

Lead Blog Response: Fake Laughter

It is interesting to think about how sound has grown to play an indispensable role in comedy - especially since, as Rachel pointed out, comedic films used to have no sound at all. Although humor and wit have always been present in conversation, the beginnings of onscreen comedy had to rely on exaggerated physical movement and facial expressions to evoke laughter from an audience. Another factor that silent films relied on was the accompanying music, which created a certain mood. Music continues to play an important role in television and film, as well as the way shots are cut and edited. Take this video which portrays the presidential debates between Trump and Clinton as flirtatious banter (why). Although this is obviously not a convincing narrative, it demonstrates how sound and editing can take any situation and convey it in a radically different way.

The use of fake laughter in sitcoms has quickly become frowned upon, and the mockumentary format (The Office, Parks and Rec) has become widely appreciated for its reliance on quality writing to induce laughter from viewers. This clip of The Big Bang Theory without the laugh track shows how awkward sitcom-style shows can be without relying on these auditory aids. Saturday Night Live is an entirely different animal, as it is very similar to stand-up comedy when it comes to audience reactions. A sketch can either be a huge hit or bomb completely, and since there is a different audience for the dress rehearsal than the live show, there is no way to know if a sketch will be perceived as funny by that particular group of people. For example, the legendary "Cowbell" sketch did not get significant laughs at dress rehearsal, but during the live show it got a completely different reaction. These reactions can influence the viewers at home, because if we hear people laughing and know that it is authentic, we are likely to laugh too. This very well could be a result of the social permission theory - even if we are watching a show alone on our couch, hearing other people react positively tends to influence how we react ourselves.

When considering the impact that laughter has on our own incentive to laugh at a piece of comedy, I think it really comes down to format. There are certain styles and mediums, such as mockumentary style shows and clips on YouTube, which we do not expect to hear laughter from others. But in instances such as sitcoms and shows with a live audience, the reactions of others can certainly play a role in our incentive to laugh at a joke or situation.

Lead Blog Response: The Outsider

We already know that there is almost always an outsider present in comedy - whether it be a certain group targeted in a stand-up routine, that one person in a friend group who doesn't get an inside joke, or as Thomas discussed, a character within a piece of comedy. All of The Whitest Kids U'Know skits follow a specific formula: ordinary situation + bizarre element + outsider = funny. The difference, as Thomas said, is how this outsider functions in the situation. The Grapist opens with a hilariously disturbing scene, which leaves a first time viewer wondering what the heck they're watching. As the audience, we are the outsider until we realize that this is a marketing pitch. The guy in the middle immediately begins to voice all of our concerns, but no one else thinks his thoughts are valid, which generates humor and allows us to empathize with him. Gallon of PCP allows the audience to be more of a witness to the situation than an active participant. We still relate to the outsider, but he is forced to try and level his reaction to the insanity. The Classroom Skit is the most chaotic of all three sketches, and it is the audience who is left to interpret the nonsensical events. The kid whose mother was thought to be dead can be seen as an outsider, but he still does not question why they are treating a terrible situation with such joviality.

This clip from New Girl shows a character who is an outsider, but instead of questioning the insanity, he tries to play along. He succeeds in doing this, mostly because everyone is getting increasingly wasted.

True American is a drinking game that has appeared numerous times in New Girl, but it is always somewhat of a mystery to the audience. Although there are people who have tried to make sense of the rules: http://epidilius.tumblr.com/post/20882570842/rules-to-new-girls-true-american. Ultimately the game cannot make complete sense to anybody except the characters themselves (or realistically, the writers of New Girl).

In any piece of comedy, the outsider has two options: to resist the confusion or to accept it. Comedy constantly questions normalcy, and acceptance of the bizarre is certainly easier than fighting it.