Structure.. (genre research)

Hey Cambridgeee!!!!

Now that I’ve officially chosen comedy as my genre, I wanted to look into how teen comedies are usually structured. I am especially interested in films where everything backfires because I feel like that structure would work really well for my short film.

One film that clearly follows this chaotic structure is Superbad. The whole movie is based on one simple goal. Two best friends just want to buy alcohol for a party before graduation. But every single step of their plan goes wrong... They deal with fake IDs, police officers, awkward social moments, and miscommunication. They start off with making small, simple mistakes, but each mistake leads to a bigger problem. By the end, everything completely spiraled.

- The goal is simple and clear.

- Small mistakes start happening.

- Each mistake leads to a bigger problem.

- By the end, everything has spiraled.

Booksmart has a pretty similar concept. Two girls who focused on school their entire lives decide to party the night before graduation. Just like in Superbad, every time they think they’ve figured something out, something new goes wrong.

From these films, I’ve learned that comedy often depends on escalation. I want my short to follow the same type of storyline. One small mistake or problem leading into a chain reaction of disasters.