Dark comedy

The parameters of dark comedy are some what vague, and interpretable.  

Surfacing in early 1960’s American literature, dark comedy finds humour in what many regard as inappropriate subject matter. Often grotesque and morbid, the genre mocks serious topics such as death and religion. A brilliant example of this is Four Lions, a Chris Morris comedy, ridiculing terrorism, mocking several jihad's attempts at violence and murder. 


Inside No.9 doesn't fit neatly into any genre. It's related to dark comedy, and refers to as such for marketing purposes.. but its a thriller, sometimes it's not comedic, it has aspects of drama, one week plenty of horror and the next non. Because of this, it's unique, and encompassed into the broad flexible genre of dark comedy.

Conventions

A convention within most comedy, is the use of bright, colourful lighting and mise-en-scene. Predictably, dark comedy is the opposite, as lighting reflects the atmosphere within a scene, dark comedies often follow a blue/grey colour scheme. This is true in dark comedy Sightseers, as it conforms to a subdued grey colour scheme, making the protagonist who wears bright clothing prevail as out of place.

Summary of conventions within dark comedy

• Stark, hollow soundtracks. For example, Fargo.
• Relevant, serious themes such as murder, adultery, terrorism, rape, mental health. 
• Virtuosity and realism, sometimes amongst ridiculousness eg. 'normal' characters in League of Gentleman.
• Dark colour schemes juxtapose bright costumes.
• Hand held footage, that supports the sense of realism. 
• Extreme close up shots. 
• In satirical/ dramatic moments - the use of POV shots.

Screenplay

I have read some scripts from influencing shows in preparation for writing my own;

Inside No.9 Sardines 
Inside No.9 Silent Night
Fargo

I learnt how to format a screenplay from this website, and found further necessary information from this website.

Below is are the drafts of my screenplay.

Ratchet draft 1
Ratchet draft 2

To make my short film longer I had scripted and storyboarded another scene, where Halliam interacts with a delivery driver. However when I returned to this scene days later, I realised it didn't contribute to the narrative. So I cut it - Although I'd like the short film to be about 10 minutes, I'd rather have an engaging 7 minute short than shots/ scenes that detract from the narrative.


Here is a link to my final draft - Ratchet final draft (made shareable in docs, so accessible by cast)

Jump

Dark comedy about extreme sports - a Jux-to-position of staggering good luck and morbid misfortune.

The short film will follow a few outdoor sport enthusiasts; wild swimming with sharks, base jumping, free climbing.
























From here the people die in extremely average, mundane, unrealistic circumstances. Falling on a kitchen fork to a brutal and bloody stabbing. Run over by cattle (suggested be shot of cattle running, then shot of character flying through air), hit by a golf ball etc.

Heavy use of slow motion. Incredibly unrealistic, silly, ridiculous. Terrible effects.

Strengths 

• Freedom with a broad genre. 

Weaknesses

• Multiple, not local locations require heavy planning.
• Large cast, that might specifically require outdoor experience and skillsets. 

Typhon

A short film based on the monsters that sleep under your bed ...

A child embarks on learning to play a instrument jux-to-pose fighting a monster (metaphorical for learning to play)

Child opens a box from under a bed and out a creature flickers in shadow across the wall; sharp teeth, claws, horns and wings. 

The quick neck of a beast spans across the wall, and represents the crook of a bass clarinet/ other instrument. 

Shadows are created by people and shaped cardboard.



A child dons 'armour' and fights the shadow beast. Imagery such as sharpening a sword represent tuning the instrument.



Final shots, the beast is defeated and an adult playing in an orchestra. An actor will play in front of a green screen with library footage added in editing.



Heavy use of fast paced shots, close-ups and rack focus.

Strengths 

• Location - one setting, easily found, and a green screen. 
• Cast - With only two actors the cast would be easy to accumulate. 

Weaknesses 

• Costume - costume would either have to be made or rented. 
• Screen will need special care to look realistic. 

Ratchet

A dark comedy about a neighbours revenge.

Below are some, now typed, incoherent notes I initially made when creating this idea;

"Homeless mean finds an escape pet (bearded dragon).

Protagonist goes to take back dragon. 

HM pulls knife.
Police uninterested (very short scene, like 5 seconds). 

For return of dragon, protagonist must collect items.

List; Chinese food.
Chinese shop, protagonist sitting on bench, close- up pan as looks next to him, creepy homeless man grin tilts head, protagonist more irritated than scarred, medium shot two shot there is no one there, portages imagination.
Homeless man becomes attached to Dragon

Man not homeless.. someone else.
Knife cameos once again.
Ends with some sort of twist."

Here is the storyline in a more developed format;

The protagonist irritates his neighbour over a period of time. The protagonist's lizard goes missing. A homeless man has the lizard. During negations for the return of his lizard the protagonist is arrested - the neighbours planned revenge.

A total cast of 5; The neighbour, the protagonist, homeless man, police, and a girl. These and additional extras.

Locations

• I want the film reasonable contained with a scene in a Chinese shop, I'm sure this will be simple enough to get.
• Maybe a scene in a church entrance, again easy to achieve.
• Neighbouring houses.

Strengths

• Locally set.
• Freedom within the dark comedy genre.

Weaknesses

• Both horror and comedy in any form is incredibly hard to get right. However, I can only improve at  these things through practise...
• Reasonably large cast, and complex characters requiring good acting.

20/08/17

Target grade - A

Film analysis feedback;

Him Indoors - Technical aspects largely covered but representations could perhaps be expanded on.

Two Cars, One Night - Rather than long takes - the film makes use of time lapses - taking still images periodically over a long period of time so that time seems to speed up. Could also mention the low key lighting and links to film noir.

Class project - Further evaluation. 

I can address this feedback by 22/08/17. 
This feedback has since being addressed.

Sightseers

Independent British film, Sightseers, will influence my project. According to Ben Wheatly (directer): ‘It’s a romcom about a couple getting to know each other through the medium of minor museums, caravanning and murder,’



It's not a short film, but I appreciate the way Wheatley has approached this dark comedy. With a micro-budget, and set very locally, I feel I could achieve something similar.

Influences

This is a short post, outlining media figures, and products I admire, and why.

Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton

• Predominantly write and star in TV series, e.g. Stag, Inside No.9, League of Gentlemen. The League of Gentlemen is a disturbing, gruesome comedy, that uses subjects such as disability, racism, murder, etc.
• Riveting story lines, often a sinister twist, excellently presented.

Steve Pemberton's blog on writing Inside No.9

Taika Waititi

Works include; What We Do in the Shadows, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Two Cars, One Night.

• Predominantly writes comedy.
• Comedic 'silly' characters.
• Shots, similarly to Wes Anderson's, are quite symmetric with significant head space.
• Beautifully composed shots and attention to mise-en-scene. Character costumes express personality wonderfully.

• Often cameos in his work, cameoed in all The Phoenix Foundation videos, played the father in "Boy" etc.
• Stop Motion Animation in "Eagle vs Shark".

Stag

This riveting BBC dark comedy has the sort of encompassing, unpredictable story line I would love to create. Along side that, beautiful cinematography makes the series a pleasure to watch.

Director Jim Field Smith is also credited with brilliant dark comedy series the Wrong Mans. The cast includes Reece Shearsmith.

Him Indoors

Written and directed by Paul Davis

Titles

The film openings with the Oxford dictionary definition of agoraphobia, in white New Times Roman over black. 

The titles are simple, and central to the screen. On their own they'd be mundane, but combined with the sinister soundtrack, a chilling atmosphere is created. The credits run in the same style.

The main title is a small monochrome animation of the protagonist peeking at the viewer through a blind. The blind closes and "Him Indoors" forms in it's place. The title continues into the first handheld medium shot, identifying the protagonist.

Sound

Eerie swells accompany the titles.

Some particularly expressive foley accompanies the plunge and withdrawal of a knife. The sound of splattered blood further richens the graphics, along with the protagonist's change of tone.

A sternly, a judge's condemnation pours over the final scene, until a prison guard delivers the final twist. 

Mise-en-scene

In the opening shot (medium shot) the viewer is subject to weapon focus, as the protagonist casually swings around a knife.

The protagonists costume includes a bold, block purple tank top. A childish colour, rarely would an adult were something so ridiculous. This hints at the protagonist's mental instability, and can be linked to multiple references to his childhood and mother.

Alike, is the woman's clothing; her striking hot pink tracksuit suggests these two cartoon like characters were destine to meet. Both character's costumes are in contrast to the bland house they stand in.

Cinematography

The first shot of the protagonist is handheld, foreshadowing his unstable nature. Shots of him when talking to the woman are more controlled - he has an ability to appear normal to others, despite being a serial killer, and suggested cannibal. This shot then pans to a restrained hostage, clarifying the character's instability.

In this over-the-shoulder shot the protagonist peers from behind his door - in hiding himself he implies he has something to hide. Its a close-up shot, helping to imply the protagonists anxiety at that current time.

The jump cut from the protagonist reporting his murders to being in prison explains the motives of his call. The colour of the final scene is different to the rest of the film, dominated by cold blues and greys.

Genre and representation. 

The film is a dark comedy, making light of a serious crime. Reece Shearsmith himself signifies genre, having written and starred in countless dark comedies; Stag, Inside No.9, League Of Gentlemen etc.

Multiple genders and ethnicities are presented despite the small cast - with so few characters the opportunity for representing minority is small.

http://himindoors.com/

Two Cars, One Night

Written and directed by Taika Waititi

Waititi is one of my favourite directors, similarly to Wes Anderson, he often takes fairly symmetrical, central shots with a lot of headroom. Although not in this short film, he also features the use of stop motion animation, and often cameos in his work.

Titles

The titles fade in over a time lapse of a cloudy night sky. In New Times Roman, a common font, the titles suggest a depiction of a normal social occasion. The story being told could have happened.

Sound 

Minimalistic, there is little soundtrack. The music there is, is simplistic, and despite the mundane nature of the film, mysterious. Accompanying this is the diegetic sound of wind.

Mise-en-scene

The featured ring is an obvious symbol of romance, especially the exchange of rings, is a summary of their evolving friendship. The girls obsession with this ring supports a 'girly' stereotype; wanting to be older, and fantasising abut marriage. See shallow focus, close-up shot below.

Supporting this theme further (longing to be older), is the set. A time lapse of a sped up shot of a busy car park and people coming in and out of a bar. The characters watch longing towards the adult civilisation. The script furthers this theme, as the boy then pretends to drive the car, going on to talk about driving the car.

Cinematography

The there is low key lighting, a link to film noir (films marked by a mood of pessimism, fatalism, and menace from 1944 - 54). 

In a time lapse of people smoking, long exposure tracks the little light provided - this is especially impactful since the film is in black and white.

Eyeline match and close-up shots identify protagonist. In a POV shot the female protagonist glances in her rear view mirror, sense of realism and involvement.

Shallow depth of field during Romeo and his brother's conversation.

The two shot below suggests a closer relationship.

Genre

   Arguably this film could be placed into three genres,  drama, social realism and romance. The film is realistic and follows a plausible plot, this would suggest drama, but for the same reason, and the community imagery, film could be social realism. The film also hints at a class divide, again suggesting social realism. Additionally, a romantic, due to imagery such as the ring.

Offside

Directed and Written by Erez Tadmor & Guy Nattiv

The second of a three part series, Offside was shot in Israel, during September 2005, at the security zone that separates between Israel and the Palestine

Titles

The main title seems to inspire Sci-Fi over drama, with a green highlight glitching over the white font. The patchy, worn font reflects the rugged terrain the film is set in. Noticeably the S is backwards.

Sound

Sound dominates this short, with a satire diegetic narration, in the form of a word cup football commentary. As if the encounter were a game, the commentator describes the awkward, dangerous standoff between the two sides.

Mise-en-scene

In the setting, numerous subtle props are used to suggest a war zone. The dry landscape, soldier dress, and an electric fence sign in Arabic,  place the characters in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

The military uniforms include; a hard hat, a machine gun, cargo green clothing and rucksack, boots.

Cinematography 

Establishing a dangerous setting, the film begins with a pan of an electric, corrugated fence. Eventually this becomes a two shot of the protagonists. 

Increasingly as tension rises, close-up shots of the characters faces depict fear and uncertainty.

With the life of these men in the hands of a radio, below is an extreme close up, summarising the soldier's existence. Silent, and resting in the dirt, this shot foreshadows the men's death.

The Life of Death

Written & Directed: Marcin Dubiniec

Titles

A "papaya films production" is the only title, and appears in a simplistic, maybe childlike font, in white, on a black background. The same font is used for the ending sequence.

Mise-en-scene

The protagonist's costume is incredibly striking; Grim reaper style cloak, long rugged black pieces of fabric and the addition of a scythe. This is especially obscure in the films setting; a busy, 'normal' city.

Sound

In the opening scene diegetic sound includes; sirens, traffic, general city ambiance. The synchronous sound of shop shutters cranking open signal early morning. Eventually screeching tyres and a loud thud signal the protagonist has being hit by a car.

The opening soundtrack is in a minor key, it's a slow and simple melody. Light percussion signals the entrance of the protagonist. This continues until the protagonist is hit by a car.

The character does not speak, but produces tame monster growls.

A new soundtrack accompanies the character growing up. This is in a bright sounding major key. Ben Cocks, All the Little Things then plays through the following scenes, along side different contrasting ambient sounds: a beach and a bar. This music fades with as we return to the crash scene.

As the film concludes an ominous fairground tune summarises the narrative - it's a quirky interpretation on a sinister topic.

Cinematography

I admire the composition of each shot in this short film. Every second is beautifully aligned giving the film a sense of depth and quality, and I truly aspire to create something the ascetically wonderful.  

A montage of establishing shots set the film in New York, early morning.



The colour temperature works in coordination with the soundtrack; cold, blue shots, these grey/blue shots create a sombre, mellow mood. This is especially prominent in the hospital scene, emphasising the berievment.





To show the passing of time a series of short, moving shots are used. Time begins passing rapidly after the first pan - Death in a library. The camera is handheld for these, expressing deaths spontaneous, messy approach to living. In the shot below a the camera pans, creating a point of view shot from a car.



Kamil Płocki (director of photography) plays with focus; with some shots in deep focus and some with only the protagonist in focus.