Research into genre - characters

Research into genre -Characters

The characters within a dark comedy tend to do things that they would never do in day to day life. Such as in Shaun of the Dead, just a television salesman in the town where he lives nothing spectacular which it is clear that he does not enjoy it.The character is shown to be in a negative period of his life with his relationship with his girlfirend being on the edge. The genre itself focuses on taking advantage of others misfortune.

Another example of a character from a dark comedy would be Tommy from the film Snatch, the film plays on his misfortune around the unlicensed boxing trade. This character is the business partner to Turkish, a boxing promoter with more experience which leads to tommy doing everything Turkish says. Some instances of Tommys misfortune include losing their highest earning client to an injury when choosing to fight with some irish travellers during a negotiation. Another instance would be when the boxer that replaces their star client he does not fall in the round needed for the gangster to earn money from high end bets leading to tommys life being threatened, therefore every involvement he has is unlucky.

Reserach into Genre - Props

Research into genre - Props

Props within dark comedies are usually things that define the dark elements within the films, in some instances such as terrorism within comedies like Four Lions the props of the improvised explosives that the characters take with them.

Other dark comedies include death, in most of these films there is a prop of a weapon suggests defending themselves or carrying out a murder. As for defending themselves in the film Shaun of the Dead a cricket bat is a weapon used throughout that Shaun takes with him. During the film this prop is used to fight of zombie hordes it is even used in the film poster.

Another topic of a dark comedy would be drug abuse, this is seen as a sensitive subject that the genre thrives off of. The props in this type of dark comedy include needles, powder etc. All are seen in the film trainspotting which takes a comical turn on the drug scene in the 1990s in Scotland. The dangers of drugs and its effects aim to show the dark side of the substances.


Dark comedies focus on the worst topics the human life can encounter one being war. One example being Dr Strangelove, taking a turn making the cold war events humourous. A prop in this film includes a bomb which a soldier satirically rides down as it is sent from the plane. Another would be the furniture used in the war room whihcis frequently referenced throughout, these props add to the serious element of the film suggesting the characters are bothered about the future of their countery after the bombs are sent.

Research into genre within short films

Research into genre within short films

The genre of dark comedy is common within short films, in comparison to films this sub-genre of comedy in the short films it has more comedic elements based on the time period.

Cindy’s new boyfriend is a short film based on an actor (Nick) living with his best friend (Spencer). Spencer has recently broke up with Cindy and still trying to get over her he asks Nick to help him. The latest film Nick stars in shows him in a sinister and powerful manner which Spencer asks Nick to act in front of Cindy’s new boyfriend, this back fires and Shea (Cindy’s new boyfriend) kidnaps Nick. Chasing after Nick spencer calls the police, while at Cindy’s house Nick is tied up with Shea pointing a gun at him during this time the police make to the house while Spencer sneaks into the back door. Falling on glass Spencer’s attempt comically fails and he faints on the floor as Shea finds him while nick makes his way out while Shea is confronting the police Spencer emerges from a room to embarrass Shea however the police shake it off and leave. When the door shuts Shea points a gun at Cindy and Spencer, the police re-enter and chase Shea before Nick uses his acting to save the day. At the end of the film a man comes to the house claiming to be Cindy’s actual boyfriend Spencer then uses a line from Nick’s film to scare him off.

Offside is a dark comedy based on the football world cup and the Israel and Palestine conflict. Two Israeli soldiers are patrolling the border while trying to get the radio to tune into the world cup final. As the soldiers tune in, Palestinian rebels approach the fence and in a scurry the soldiers drop the radio and the standoff between the pairs. As the match commentary on the radio continues the words said reflect what is happening on the border. The standoff continues and the radio breaks up and the Palestinian rebels allow the solider to fix the radio while still aiming the guns. As the match draws a close, a team scores, in shock an Israeli soldier fires his gun killing a rebel this is followed by a slow motion shoot off which ends in all parties dying and the commentary ends by describing the scene but in football terminology.

Age certificate of the film

We have agree upon the likelihood that our film will receive a 15 classification. It is primarily a black comedy and has elements of psychological horror and thriller that may disturb some audiences and be above the comprehensive level of preceding classifications. Moreover, we also feel that our film warrants a 15 certificate because by adhering to a black comedy we will be trivialising serious themes, such as, death and mental health. We feel this could potentially be incomprhensible to those under the age of 15. Furthermore, there may be strong language and violence as well as strong verbal references to sex. Indeed, there will be a scene involving explicit violence and threats throughout. We feel younger viewers may find this challenging and/or disturbing and so we feel a minium age of 15 would be best for the viewers full enjoyment and comprehension.

What may be seen in and constitutes a certificate 15 film?
a) strong violence b) frequent strong language c) portrayals of sexual activity d) strong verbal references to sex e) sexual nudity f) brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence g) discriminatory language or behaviour h) drug taking

Possible distributor

Our preferred and most realistic choice for a distributor would be Warp Films as they are an independent production and distribution company fairly locally based. Furthermore, many of their films are distinctly regional and we are toying with the idea of making ours in a specific Barnsley dialect. We appreciate the quirky nature of many of their films but even more so the social realism aspect. We therefore feel our project could be an opportunity for them to further widen their arsenal of genres, specifically focusing on a black comedy, which Film4 Productions, a production company Warp often collaborates with, successfully did with the British black comedy/horror 'Sightseers'. Moreover, Warp Films have won a whole host of independent film awards and we acknowledge and appreciate the creative license given to the film makers in order to accomplish this, specifically screenplay, of which a favourite film of mine ‘Submarine’ won an award for and we feel it will be of utmost in importance to our project.

Eliptical journey edit