Friday 9 November 2012

The Features and Narrative Conventions Of Sitcoms


Situation comedies, or ‘sitcoms’, all follow the same format. As with any drama series, each episode has a set structure. This structure is –
  • Equilibrium - ‘normality’ for the characters and the setting.
  • Disruption – this will be the basis of the story, i.e. if this event didn’t take place, this episode wouldn’t exist. This creates the storyline.
  • Resolution – this resolves the problems of the episode, so we can return to,
  • Equilibrium – back to normality, ready for the next episode.
This structure creates a closed narrative, which means each episode can be watched individually from all other episodes and it will still make sense, while having an enclosed story unto itself. This means that audiences can quite easily jump in and out of the series and be able to know what’s going on.

However, because sitcoms are in a series format, and follow a set of characters throughout, they have to have some overriding storylines, such as long-term romances and other character relationships, as well as following characters ambitions and life stories.

Characters are obviously the main feature of sitcoms, as the stories are based entirely around them. With this particular type of drama, certain character traits are needed. For example, at least one character must have thwarted ambitions. They must be striving for something, so the audience can watch them trying to attain the thing they deeply desire. So often, comedy is found in their failed attempts and through the things the characters do to obtain these goals. These ambitions will run throughout the series, more often than not, adding to the character as a whole. Nevertheless, sometimes, one episode can be exclusively based on an aspiration gained at the start of the episode, with the resolution being that the character no longer wants to obtain the goal, or they actually achieve it. Therefore, the hopes and dreams of the characters are key to sitcoms. A good example of this would be ‘Scrubs’, wherein the main character is trying to become a doctor, but has many difficulties with his training. These difficulties make for the comedy, as well as pushing forward the storylines and the character.

Another element of sitcom is the ‘comic trap’. This means that the characters are forced together, giving reason and license to have diverse and, often, opposite character types in a single situation. Contrasting characters give opportunities for many comic situations, and their developing relationships always make audiences want to watch the next episode. For example, the dissimilarity between Leonard and Sheldon in ‘The Big Bang Theory’, make watching those two characters try to live together compelling for an audience.

Scriptwriters have to be able to find comedy in simple things and circumstances, because while the comedy itself is regularly extraordinary, the situations and characters need to be relatable. For instance, in ‘The Young Ones’, the violence portrayed by the overly punk, Vyvyan, is implausible, and all the damage he causes seems to be cleared up without explanation, which is unrealistic. However, the situation of unruly students cooped together in a flat, with the pressures of outside stimuli, such as parents, school and the government etc, are utterly believable. As a result, the conditions work for a basis of a sitcom.

Cultural references, to politics, news, or media, are oftentimes included in sitcoms, for many reasons. One reason concerns the above point of relatable content, e.g. in ‘Steptoe And Son’, their money struggles, although very exaggerated for most viewers, are important. In the same series, Harold shows great interest in politics, giving more cultural references in mentioning the Prime Minister at the time, and the policies that were being put forward. In a way, the whole series is homage to the lack of care given by the government, in the fact that they live in such poverty.
Other cultural references are less hard-hitting, such as the ‘Scooby-Doo’ and ‘Dukes Of Hazard’ references in ‘Spaced’. These pieces of common knowledge not only lend themselves to making the sitcom relevant, but they also give the audience the pleasure of being able to understand something maybe other people have missed. It gives the audience a feeling of knowing, which is not only going to make viewing more enjoyable, but it also additive, which is wonderful for getting someone to return for the next episode.

Another technique to bring the audience into the world of the characters is ‘breaking the fourth wall’. This is seldom used, but it is where the characters talk as though they know they are a part of a television show. References made the about set, or to the camera, are the common ways of doing this, and it literally breaks down the walls between reality and fiction, and between character and viewer.

As a whole, the goal of a sitcom is to be relatable, with characters striving for something, while having something get in their way – often another character that they are forced to share their space with. Sitcoms also have closed narratives in each episode, as well as an overall arc.

Character Development


For the first episode, Rhys develops through his struggle to find a username for his YouTube channel.

He will learn that perfectionism can often get in the way of what he’s trying to do, as well as to overcome that perfectionism. He will also develop his talents of expression and continue to develop his social skills. These will be continual struggles and developments for Rhys.

In addition to these, I have created other group-internal issues, that would be underlying in the pilot episode and more prominent in any possible future episodes –

·        Rhys v.s. Oliver on their university work
·        Rhys v.s. Erin on YouTube
·        Oliver v.s. Erin on YouTube
·        Rhys v.s. Oliver on videos and topics
·        Oliver v.s. Erin on religion
·        Rhys v.s. Erin on work ethic
·        Oliver v.s. Erin on social life
·        Rhys v.s. Oliver on video games
·        Rhys v.s. Oliver on nerdy opinions
·        Rhys v.s. Sky on nerdy opinions
·        Sky v.s. Oliver on nearly all his opinions
·        Sky v.s. Erin on the worthiness of the boys being in university
·        Etc.

Supporting Characters

For the first episodes, I have created three supporting characters, with very distinct purposes/roles in Rhys' life and story. 

First to be introduced is ‘Erin’.

Erin is –
·        Rhys’ roommate
·        She acts like the mother
·        Bookworm
·        Medical student
·        Intellect
·        Stereotypical over-the-top academic
·        She tries too hard to be her definition of the ‘perfect student’

Likes –
·        Books
·        Classical music
·        Medicine
·        Learning
·        Telling people what to do

Dislikes –
·        Laziness
·        People who can do anything without really trying

Second to be introduced is ‘Oliver’.

Oliver is –
·        Rhys’ best friend
·        Rhys’ flatmate
·        Loud
·        Opinionated
·        Sarcastic
·        Witty
·        Tiresome
·        Media student
·        Intelligent
·        Laid-back
·        Finds everything easy

Likes –
·        Mario
·        Video games
·        Medicine
·        Films
·        Batman
·        Being right, above all else

Dislikes –
·        Being wrong
·        Being told what to do, or how to do it

Last to be introduced is ‘Sky’.

Sky is –
·        Happy
·        Media student
·        Funny
·        Witty
·        Sarcastic
·        Pretty
·        Interesting
·        Playful
·        A possible love interest

Likes –
·        Films
·        TV
·        Music of all kinds
·        Angry Birds
·        Mario
·        Marvel
·        Qwertee

Dislikes –
·        Injustice
·        Unhappiness
·        Early mornings
·        Closed-minded people

Again, these are only basic descriptions of very animated characters.

My Main Character


Rhys Turner - my main character - is the whole basis of my sitcom.

Each episode will not only involve Rhys, but it will revolve around him, as though the viewers are being invited into his life.

This is similar to sitcoms such as ‘Hancock’s Half Hour’, in which Tony Hancock is integral, and ‘Keeping Up Appearances’, in which the viewers are invited into the world of Hyacinth Bucket

This differs from many sitcoms, such as ‘M*A*S*H’, ‘Friends’, ‘The Big Bang Theory’ and ‘Dad’s Army’, in the way that all of these sitcoms revolve around a group of people, and episodes can be focussed on any one of the multiple characters.

I think that this sets it apart slightly, and will make the series easy to follow. However, if this were to become a series, it may become difficult to always have Rhys as the centre of attention. 


Therefore, I have compiled a list of idiosyncrasies and personality points to add depth to the character –
·        20 years old
·        Nerdy
·        YouTuber (New)
·        Welsh
·        University student
·        Media student
·        Lives in halls
·        Sometimes lazy
·        Often late
·        Wants to live the ‘perfect student life’
·        Shy
·        Wants to get his opinions out in the world
·        Wants nothing more than to be heard

Loves –
·        Star Wars
·        Computer games
·        The Internet
·        Twitter
·        Mass Effect
·        Star Trek
·        Doctor Who
·        Sci-fi
·        Writing
·        Acting
·        YouTube
·        Scripting

Hates –
·        Incorrect grammar
·        Incomplete sentences
·        Not being listened to
·        Not being able to express himself

And this is only the basic version of an extensive list.

Friday 26 October 2012

M*A*SH* (Research Into Existing Shows)

Although it may not be immediately obvious why I chose to research M*A*S*H* for my sitcom, if you look into the scenes where the main characters are in a confined space, and realise the conversational patterns and character relationships, I think that this show is an ideal example to learn from, and try to emulate the success of.

I therefore looked into many scripts, and watched many of the episodes (no complaints there), to learn the dialogue patterns and how the characters interact with each other, especially within the limitations of so few locations. This is particularly helpful for my script.

I tried to find as many transcripts as I could, but this proved difficult. I did, however, find a few. This is the best example - http://www.ka8vit.com/mash/default.htm

Also, I used http://www.mash4077tv.com/ and imdb.com, to find the best lines and synopsis' from the series', to add to my research.

YouTube Research


YouTube is a video sharing website that is accessible worldwide -

  • YouTube was launched in 2005
  • There is a user-upload limit of 15 minutes per video
  • Users with a good track record, and verified account, however, can upload videos of up to 12 hours in length
  • “Charlie Bit My Finger” is the most viewed user-generated video, as of 2012
  • Time Magazine wrote in 2006, “YouTube is to video browsing what Wal-mart Supercenter is to shopping; everything is there, and all you have to do is walk through the door”
  • YouTube often makes it into mainstream media, and is important to modern media as a whole
  • YouTube sparks debates and raises important questions within the videos it shares
  • YouTube allows/helps videos go ‘viral’ to gain more viewers and reach a larger audience
  • YouTube was awarded a ‘2008 Peabody Award’ and was cited for being “a Speakers’ Corner” that both embodies and promotes democracy

YouTube allows and encourages –

  • Having fun on the website
  • Being creative – making and posting videos
  • Watching videos – for entertainment and education
  • Comment
  • Rate
  • Subscribe
  • Communicate
  • Make friends
  • Make video responses
  • Flag inappropriate videos to maintain the site

YouTube does not allow –

  • Pornography or sexually explicit content
  • Animal abuse
  • Human abuse
  • Drug abuse
  • Bomb making
  • Violence
  • Shocks, i.e. accidents, dead bodies, etc.
  • Copyrighted material
  • Hate speech based on
-         Race
-         Ethic origin
-         Religion
-         Disability
-         Gender
-         Age
-         Veteran status
-         Sexual orientation
-         Gender identity
  • Predatory behaviour
-         Stalking
-         Threats
-         Harassment
-         Invading an individual’s privacy
-         Revealing personal information
  • Spam (mislabelled videos, misleading tags etc.)

All this information was gathered or taken directly from YouTube.com, for research purposes.

Channel 4 Questionnaire

This is what my Channel 4 questionnaire looked like - 


1. Gender

Male    Female

2. Age

Under 16  16-21  22-30  31-40  41-50  50+

3. Which of these apply to you?

Student  Part-time work  Full-time work  Unemployed

4. Do you watch Channel 4?

Yes  No  Sometimes

5. If yes, how often do you watch Channel 4?

Once a day  More than once a day  Once a week  Once a month  Occasionally 

6. What kind of programmes do you watch on Channel 4?

Drama  News  Quiz  Reality  Documentary  Comedy  Live  Food  Soap  Music

7. Do you think Channel 4 programming is suited to you?

Yes  No  Maybe  I don't know 

8. Are you aware of Channel 4 original programming?

Yes  No  Unsure

9.  What kind of programmes would you like to see more of on Channel 4?

_____________________________________________________________

10. Any other comments?

_____________________________________________________________


And I asked a range of 20 people to fill it in for my primary research.