Short Film Research: Don’t Die First

Camera Angles/Movements: Comedies typically have many medium-wide shots that show characters interacting with each other and their surroundings, as were commonly used in this film. This genre also includes close-ups to show emotion on people or emphasize props for comedic effect. There are few intense shots like action shots or aerial shots. 

Sound: Similar to horror conventions, nondiegetic sound is used infrequently in comedy short films while diegetic sound is highly favored. This film relied on dialogue to drive the comedy and a quiet but peppy soundtrack to drive the feeling at certain points. The horror comedy also made slight use of classic horror sound effects to make light of the situations and induce comedies. 

Mis-en-scene: Costumes are typically kept in line with regular casual fashion for the characters and their situations or wildly different to drive comedic effect. This film kept with both tropes, having a large majority of characters in average costumes to not draw attention to them but a select few characters, like the masked killers in the first scene, are in overexaggerated costumes for comedic effect. The lighting, like the costumes, is typically kept traditional or as close to real life as possible. Lighting can be played for comedic effect, but usually isn’t. However, lighting in this movie was used to contrast the bright office with the dark horror locations to play fully into the horror scenes. Arguably the biggest feature of comedies is the acting. Acting in comedies must be well within the character to drive home the comedy. Poor acting can ruin a comedy as none of the jokes surrounding that character will hit right. What this usually includes is playing straight faced in a ridiculous situation. Make-up is played similar or the same as costumes. It is kept typical for the character’s setting or played up to a high degree for comedic effect. High usage of props is common in comedies to drive comedic effect, such as oversized objects used for exaggeration. Sets, like costumes and make-up, are kept typical to leave focus on the characters or played up to a high degree for comedic effect. 

Editing: Editing in comedies is kept subtle and minimal to leave focus on the characters and comedy. Shot/reverse shots and inserts are a common feature of comedies, used to drive comedy between characters and create dramatic irony.  

Film Examples: 

• The Ref 

• Radical Honesty 

• Every Other Week 

• Pixied 

The best elements of Comedy: Comedy short films make for a lot of lighthearted fun in a short amount of time. The short time is perfect to introduce a concept, make a few good jokes around it, and close the concept without wearing the jokes out. This short had a great way of leading the viewer into the concept with typical horror tropes being overplayed and an unusual situation being treated normally. We love the focus given to the characters so they may create their own comedy and funny dynamic. 

The worst elements of Comedy: On the other hand, comedies can be awkward or dry if poorly written. They can also be confusing or muddled if not backed up with an interesting or funny concept, such as the Don’t Die First call center in this film. Another possible downside of comedies is the lack of variety in editing, costumes, and sound. These leave a lot of pressure on the characters to perform and the story to sell itself.