Research: Background Comedy

Comedy
Comedy is the act of creating humour to make people amused by creating laughter. Usually used in television, film or stand up comedy.

Types of Comedy

• Satire (Political satire) - They are two types of comedy that use ironic comedy to bring across people or social institutions as corrupt or stupid. 
• Parody - A parody takes an original story and changes or reverses it so it stands for something completely different therefore creating a sense of ironic humour. 
• Screwball comedy - A form of comedy that uses strange and surprising situations or characters to create humour.
• Black Comedy -A darker form of humour that makes light of hopeless situations 
• Gross out comedy - This uses embarrassing and rather disturbing situations and creates humour from them. 
• Rom-Com (Romantic Comedy) - this popular genre of comedy, takes the couple falling in love and portrays their romance in humourous terms, by having the characters as complete opposites etc.

Some of the most iconic actors have devoted their careers to comedy, two of the most influencial are Charlie Chaplin, he was around in the early 1900's and played a big role in producing and starring in silent comedies, and Rowan Atkinson, who is still around today and is known iconically for his brilliantly funny character, Mr Bean but also for his role in Blackadder.

Sir Charlie Spencer Chaplin, 16th April 1889.
Chaplin was an English comic actor, film director and even a composer. He was best known for some of his outstanding silent films, this had led him to becoming the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War 1. He achieved this success through his use of mime, slapstick and other types of visual comedy routines. He did continue to star and produce in films throughout the early 1900's however he trailed off slowly after the end of the 1920's. He is still regarded as a magnificent actor even now, more than 35 years after his death in 1977.

Rowan Sebastian Atkinson, 6 January 1955
He is an English actor, comedian, and screenwriter. He is well known for his work with the Not The Nine O'Clock News, a satirical sketch comedy show. However he is famous for his roles in Blackadder and Mr Bean. So famous that he was even listed as one of the 50 funniest actors in British comedy by 'The Observer' and he was among the top 50 comedians ever in a 2005 poll, voted for by other comedians.