Often on television we hear a lot of unfamiliar or incomprehensible words to us. Sitcom - what is it? The genre of cinema, a short video or reportage, a game of actors, or maybe this is a kind of cartoons?
Sitcom is a situational comedy characterized by constant characters and a scene throughout the series. It usually has a finished plot at the end of each issue.
Thanks to American radio, the genre of situational comedy first appeared in 1920. The novelty did not keep waiting for its release on blue screens. In 1951, the first sitcom I Love Lucy was released in the sitcom genre. Then this term officially sounded. Then they began to apply it to television comedy series.
Distinctive features of the sitcom
Does the genre of sitcom have distinctive features ? What are these characteristics and how do they make this style different from other films? Firstly, the duration of the sitcom is usually 22 minutes and 8 minutes of advertising. Temporary selection is connected with the fact that the viewer quickly gets tired of strong emotions - fun. Secondly, comedy sitcoms have a constant cast of characters in which other heroes occasionally appear. Thirdly, in successful places, according to the creators of the series, offscreen laughter always appears. Fourth, the main storyline of the paintings of this genre is accompanied by a separate comic situation in each series. The film "Friends" is one of the vivid examples of the sitcom. For 10 years of filming, the series was nominated 44 times, 6 times won the Emmy Award.
Some sitcoms are removed in the halls in the presence of spectators. It is especially developed on American TV shows. Therefore, the laugh behind the scenes is recorded live.
Contrasts
A contrast in the sitcom genre ... What is it? This is the presence of the struggle of the protagonist with the villain. The opposition of good and evil is traced. Most sitcoms use contrasts. In soap operas and dramatic series, they are more pronounced. In sitcoms there is usually no clearly defined contrast. Usually the emphasis is on the features of the main characters. For example, the Russian sitcom “Voronin” talks about a married couple with three children and parents living outside the wall who constantly interfere in their relationship. Another Russian series, Interns, shows the greatest contrast in the constant humiliating insults of his subordinates by the doctor Bykov.
Sitcom Series Structure
Typically, the structure of a sitcom is linear, consisting of two or three acts. When moving from one action to another, the conflict becomes more complex. Each act always ends with a dramatic moment in which the hero has complex circumstances. Then follows an advertising break. This is done so that the viewer is interested in watching the series further and does not switch to another channel.
The life of the Sitcom characters in the film flows cyclically. For example, the hero gets a job, in a new position he does not succeed. As a result, everything is getting better.
Types of Sitcoms
A variation of the genre of sitcom - what is it? Conditionally considered tapes can be divided into several types.
1. Youthful or children's situational comedies. In them, the main characters are mainly teenagers and children. They constantly get into stupid and ridiculous situations.
2. Sitcom comics. For example, the movie "Betman", shot with tricks and fights in the style of comics.
3. Political situational comedies. For example, “Yes, Mr. Minister,” describes the life of a fictitious ministry and its employees.
4. Office sitcoms talk about workdays.
5. Family situational comedies and others.
Jokes
The sitcom jokes consist of several parts: setup, the joke itself, and the punchline. It turns out they have their own structure. The approach of such a joke is important and thoughtful. Punchline, by contrast, is biting. He turns the idea of ​​going inside out.
A very important detail in the sitcom is the moment you wait for the laugh. After the said joke, the viewer must laugh so as not to miss another important remark. And only after that you can begin further viewing of the series.
To maintain the required level of jokes, a screenwriter must track several factors. Namely: who will laugh at what, what audience will watch the series?
The demand for situational comedies
The sitcom series is widely popular and in demand around the world. China, New Zealand, Denmark and India release their own films of this genre in large quantities. Usually, sitcoms do not extend beyond local television. In Canada and the UK, such shows, in addition to local television, are broadcast outside their home countries.
But they do not have wide popularity because of the small staff of screenwriters who do not know how to keep jokes at a high level. The most popular sitcoms are American. A whole professional staff of screenwriters is working on them. Well-
known outside
directors are invited to introduce new ideas.
Both in Russia and abroad, a stressful life requires a little discharge or unloading. Comedy series make people laugh and relax. Thanks to such emotions, the hormone of happiness, serotonin, is produced. It energizes, has a good mood and helps relieve stress. Therefore, the rating of sitcoms is constantly moving up. Viewers need such a discharge that forces the creators to shoot and come up with new ideas for the series.
Popular sitcoms
Among films of this genre on a professional theme (world-famous), the following films are distinguished: “House Doctor”, “Clinic”, “Yes, Mr. Minister.” Animated sitcoms include: The Simpsons, South Park, Family Guy. Probably, these names are familiar to every member of the youth audience. Children's animated sitcoms are represented by such masterpieces: “Oh, these kids!”, “Hey Arnold.”
The first Russian sitcom "Cafe" Strawberry "" was released in 1996. In 2000, these films found their peak of popularity. The series “Happy Together” appeared. The situational comedy “My Fair Nanny” is the Russian version of the American series “The Nanny”. The film "Interns" took its idea from the American sitcom "Clinic", etc.
In Russia, the main share of situational comedies comes out on the entertainment channels STS and TNT. Sitcoms on these television channels are broadcast every day and periodically removed all new issues.
main characters
In the film of the genre under consideration, one of the characters should be stupid. The more such characters in the series, the smarter the viewer feels. The higher the ratings of the sitcom. For example, the series “Interns” in one of the seasons showed a reasonable and calm Levin. And this was reflected in the rating of the film, which gradually decreased. The same thing happened with the series "Real Boys" when Bazanov went into the army.
A successful selection of heroes was made in the film "Univer", which has been broadcast on the TNT channel for several years. Viewers also watch the Voronins family on STS for several years.
In the series “Zaitsev + 1” and “Love on the Area”, on the contrary, the main characters are not stupid enough, and these films were not interesting to viewers. The tape "Zaitsev + 1" did not even help the famous French actor who starred in this film (genre - sitcom). That this is a regularity, the directors have already seen.
In order for the viewer to always know which hero in the series is stupid, the authors have to remind about this with various ridiculous situations and expressions related to this character.
An interesting trick was used in the sitcom The Big Bang Theory. In it, the heroes, on the contrary, are intellectually developed personalities. But they are not adapted to ordinary life. Which makes them very stupid.