Silent comedy refers to a style of acting closely related to mime. This style was invented to bring comedy to the silent film ear between the 1900’s – 1920’s before a soundtrack on film was technologically practicable. Silent comedy is very rarely practiced in the age we live in now however it was still a huge influence in the comedy media we know today. Comedians like Charlie Chaplin placed a very heavy attention on visual and physical humor this is known as a ‘sight gag’ to entertain the audience. These sight gags mainly consisted of extremely exaggerated forms of violence and abuse; this practice became known as slapstick. The term ‘slapstick’ refers to a tricked hitting stick which makes a loud sound upon contact all be it light contact. The ‘Prat fall’ slipping on a banana peel, getting soaked with water or r
eceiving a pie in the face were all common characteristics of slapstick comedy.
Whilst shooting our music video when using shots of our band actors we will use a slap stick style of comedy to show the enjoyment and relationship the band members have between one another. This will reinforce the idea of being in a band rather than just a group of actors. Also it will make it more enjoyable to watch and view as an audience member.
When discussing slap stick comedy you need to explain the appeal of this style to a contemporary audience and also include intertextual references to similar generic artists who use this style in their music videos.
ReplyDeleteNote that in the early section of the feature film "This is England" when Shawn has recently joined the gang, the footage where the boys dress up and wear masks and smash up parts of the derelict building slap stick comedy is used to great effect by Shane Meadowsl