ROADS

Below is Roads. A teenage comedy drama film based around the theme of drugs and rebellion.         Directed, edited and produced by Akhtar Productions. 

9 Frame Structure Analysis

Audience Expectations from Genre

We asked some people to answer the following survey to get a better understanding of audience expectations of black comedy.

1. What themes would you expect from a black comedy film?
2. What settings would you expect in a black comedy film?
3. What type of main character would you expect from a black comedy film?

First participant:
1. Dark themes such as death, crime murder e.t.c but juxtaposed with tongue in cheek humour - not necessarily laugh out loud.
2. Can be applied to any setting I would say.
3. Again could be anything but normally I would imagine one main character who the audience is aligned with, for example in 50/50.

Second participant: 
1, Crime, gruesome gory deaths and injuries, cults,mysteries
2. Quiet town/village/small town/countryside
3. Funny, ordinary person, mundane job

Third participant: 
1. Perhaps it would be about the protagonist's situation and emotions, mainly sad and pessimistic but humorous. So themes could be loss/death or the mundanities of everyday life.
2. A setting that may not seem to offer much humour but allows the characters to create it. Like a small/insignificant town or a funeral.
3. Someone unfulfilled with dull yet funny friends or maybe an outsider or loner, riddled with cynicism so a lot of humour would come from their sarcasm and pessimism.

Fourth participant: 
1. Inappropriate or dark subjects such as death, illness or corruption or very disturbing situations. But managed to make it humorous.
2. Based in a dull setting like a town or somewhere there is not much modernism.
3. Someone pessimistic and satire - won't have many aspirations in life. Or they could be very self centred, not caring what comes their way. Would make audience feel hate towards them or feel very sympathetic towards them.

Feedback from Peers

Below is a short clip of feedback given by a small group of peers, watching the final edit of our film opening 'Roads'. After the viewing, they were asked questions and gave honest answers. All three students gave consent to being filmed and put onto video sharing site, YouTube.

Iconography

Iconography in media is an important aspect of genre. Certain objects are expected to be seen on screen when a certain genre is set for a film.

Iconography in the Comedy Genre:

 - Bright colour palette on screen, goes with high key lighting and the light hearted background of the genre.
 - Slapstick comedy uses props such as bats and water pistols.
 - Spoken jokes as well as non-verbal looks of reaction towards the camera, breaking the fourth wall between audience and character.
 - Iconography usually conforms to the theme of the film. For example, a film about rebellious teenagers, props used would be empty bottles of alcohol or used condoms to add comic effect.

Iconography in the Drama Genre:

- Real life issues and problems help the audience relate to the characters and rest of the film, making the received moral even greater. It also increases their sympathy towards the characters involved, meaning they are more involved in the events and narrative.
 - Drama films can also occur in different time periods, for example the 1940s during World War 2. Iconography for this specific time/war drama would be props such as gas masks, planes, camouflage and uniform.
 - Props in Drama films usually have large meaning to the characters and narrative story line as well as the audience. An example of this would be the significance of the blue diamond necklace in 'Titanic' the film, as this is solely the purpose for the team going out to search for the sunken boat in the first place.

History of Comedy Drama

Iconic Directors of Comedy Drama

Wes Anderson

Wes Anderson is an American film directer, producer, screenwriter and actor. His films are most known for their distinctive visual and narrative style.
Some of his most iconic and well-known films are those such as 'Moonrise Kingdom' released in 2012, 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' released in 2014 and 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' released in 2009.

Anderson's films are mostly comedies that deal with dark subject, so are more black-comedy or comedy drama. Some of these themes can loss of innocence, death or grief. We plan to use this type of genre in our film opening and combat the themes of drugs and rebellion amongst teenagers and the harsh effects these have.

Director decisions that he makes usually spark a critical reaction and discussions after his films are viewed. Anderson uses stylistic shot choices such as flat space camera moves, snap-zooms and slow motion walking shots. As well as this he deliberately chooses a limited colour palette which create aesthetically pleasing frames.

Over the years, Anderson has won many awards for his pleasing and distinctive films. For example, 'Best New Filmmaker' at the MTV Awards in 1996 and 'Best Comedy' at the Critic's Choice Movie Awards in 2015, by which he was also nominated for best director, picture and original screenplay.