# Comedy Scoring Techniques



## JaikumarS (Oct 4, 2017)

What are some comedy scoring techniques that you've picked up? Any favorite comedy scores?

Thank you

- JS


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## Gerhard Westphalen (Oct 4, 2017)

What kind of comedy?

One great technique is to score things seriously which just makes things funnier like in This is the End. 

The Holiday is my favorite rom-com score. 

Then, of course, there's when you have little gestures like a couple of shaker shakes or woodwind licks constantly changing and following onscreen changes. Almost a subtler version of mickey-mousing.


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## Living Fossil (Oct 5, 2017)

There are some clichée comedy scoring techniques that trigger instant nausea as soon as i hear them.
Pizzicato strings, used in a funny way, are on top of this list.

On an other note: Enough conversation with the director is crucial when it comes to scoring a comedy.
If the humor of a film works, there is no need for the music to make those moments funny (except when it's a self referential use of stereotyped music.)
What the music can try to do, is to highlight some hidden aspects in the personality of the main characters which will get a better understanding of them.

A comedy usually becomes funny at the end of the film, because a problem that occurred gets solved.
The more the viewer cares for the protagonist, the more he is happy about the happy ending.
The bigger the relief, the bigger the viewers willingness to laugh.

But if the music tells the viewer: "look, that's my vocabulary of funny scoring techniques and i'm proud i know them because they were used successfully 18 million times", then the movie becomes the source of nuisance.


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## JaikumarS (Oct 7, 2017)

Gerhard Westphalen said:


> What kind of comedy?



Animated Series for TV


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## Dean (Oct 7, 2017)

JaikumarS said:


> Animated Series for TV



Hey, [maybe you know all this stuff,not sure if this is your first animation series or not?] anyhoo,...
Ive done a whole bunch of 26 and 52 part animation series and I always start with the theme and instrumentation first,..once you have a theme that works for the series or character this will give you the foundation to base all your variations on [stings/transitions/action/montages/pathos,..its endless what you can do with a good theme and alot of imagination. Then find the 'engine' that drives that theme..I mean the tempo and tone that fits the look and pace of the series.

Try not to rely too heavily on cheesy orchestral fx [woodwind/string thrills/brass crec/runs/graces,pizz strings played wall to wall] You can end up working on some of these [1/2 hour] series for 6 months or more 7 days a week,..so [where possible] try to put something into the music you love personally to keep you sane!

I saw an interview with Mark Mothersbough where he said he got interesting results when he performed some of his score theme ideas backwards [not literally]. You really have to think on your feet and be inventive when youre knocking out 1 or 2 [1/2 hour] episodes a week plus overlapping revisions,..animation series are like music bootcamps.
As you complete each episode keep some of the best cues from each ep and copy and paste them further down the time-line in your score template session,.[label them with markers] eventually you end up with a pretty vast library of cues you can then adapt and re-use throughout the series.

I also agree with playing it straight when you can, that plays off the comedy better most times [ala Bernstein doing 'Airplane' type deal] D


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## dgburns (Oct 7, 2017)

Comedy is the hardest genre imho. Comedy starts first and foremost with the target age group and demographics. At it's heart, it's about social values, so the better you are at being a socially aware individual, the better you'll navigate your task.

For the younger age groups, it's about creating the lighter tone. So the instrumentation choices need to be lighter, smaller and dryer, but anything is allowable so long as it puts a smile on the listener's face. Alot of composers tend to flourish the scenes and interact with literal onscreen movements and the dialog. It's not uncommon to see a penchant for explaining the punch line. Pizz string, for me, seems to come from the old italian style of opera. It CAN work, but it works best if you have an actual melody, tune you are running under the scene, so like being musical commentary. This can justify the pizz, but just writing vertical chromatic lines with no purpose can get called out by the ear, so be really sure what your trying to say. Woodwinds are also a staple, partly because they are softer and inviting, as are most of the orch key family, like xylo glock etc. It's a balancing act, where if you play it wrong, it's horrible, but if you've got a cool angle, it can fly past the producers. They tend to be expecting the orch as a possible 'staple' approach. This is a difficult genre to really stand out in, but like I said, most of this music comes from the old italian opera, so maybe go listen to some old italian stuff, and modernize the language. Any old euro folk music is also a source of origin.
Now for the housewives and girlfriends, it's a grownup version of the kid's approach. Heartwarming and folky, with the 'homecoming' autumn falling leaves, fireplace going small village vibe thing. Still soft, but you need to take the 'female' point of view. There is a real difference between the way men and women react emotionally, and I think producers/writers tend to want to push anything that'll make sure the audience knows this is a female story. Still there are those that feel the need to sync with onscreen movements. I prefer not to.

For the 'we are the cool now crowd', you are expected to fully understand the relevant social trendy way of looking at the world. They are the 'we are above comedy' crowd. But bad shit happens to them and the audience finds their failings and misery comic. The music sets a tone, like the ' music pop background to their life soundtrack' and rarely if ever interacts with the action. But it can be timed to cut out hard if there is a major 'fail'. But for the most part, you're relegated to looking at the gravitas, or the 'what's at stakeness' of the situation, so scoring the 'bad shit is about to go down' is ok. Also in this style, sometimes they juxtapose two opposing flavours, so bad stuff onscreen with a stupid light music from another era. Sometimes it's the contrast that makes it funny. Usually though, it's nearly impossible to watch somethng twice and find it funny the second time around-that's the holy grail, and for me, nearly unobtainable. Ultimately, the audience decides what is funny, you can't force it on them. Sometimes in this genre, you wonder for a while if the show is actually supposed to be funny. I guess that's the whole point.

They say that timing is everything is comedy. A badly timed start, end or flourish will call you out. What is funny? it depends on your world view, the collective world view of those who watch, and the collective agreement on how we see the world, at that moment in time.

Comedy, how I loathe thee. (you best me more then I return the favour)

-edit-

Spinal Tap is funny still to me. Sadly funny.


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## Jeremy Spencer (Oct 16, 2017)

JaikumarS said:


> What are some comedy scoring techniques that you've picked up? Any favorite comedy scores?
> 
> Thank you
> 
> - JS



I end up using a lot of xylophone and pizzicato patches to create a comical tone. Tuba staccato lines are also comical IMO.


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## fixxer49 (Oct 16, 2017)

JaikumarS said:


> What are some comedy scoring techniques that you've picked up? Any favorite comedy scores?
> 
> Thank you
> 
> - JS


Love & Death (Woody Allen) - I believe the entire music soundtrack is Prokofiev.


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## JaikumarS (Oct 25, 2017)

Dean said:


> Hey, [maybe you know all this stuff,not sure if this is your first animation series or not?] anyhoo,...
> Ive done a whole bunch of 26 and 52 part animation series and I always start with the theme and instrumentation first,..once you have a theme that works for the series or character this will give you the foundation to base all your variations on [stings/transitions/action/montages/pathos,..its endless what you can do with a good theme and alot of imagination. Then find the 'engine' that drives that theme..I mean the tempo and tone that fits the look and pace of the series.
> 
> Try not to rely too heavily on cheesy orchestral fx [woodwind/string thrills/brass crec/runs/graces,pizz strings played wall to wall] You can end up working on some of these [1/2 hour] series for 6 months or more 7 days a week,..so [where possible] try to put something into the music you love personally to keep you sane!
> ...


Thank you Dean.


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## JaikumarS (Oct 25, 2017)

dgburns said:


> Comedy is the hardest genre imho. Comedy starts first and foremost with the target age group and demographics. At it's heart, it's about social values, so the better you are at being a socially aware individual, the better you'll navigate your task.
> 
> For the younger age groups, it's about creating the lighter tone. So the instrumentation choices need to be lighter, smaller and dryer, but anything is allowable so long as it puts a smile on the listener's face. Alot of composers tend to flourish the scenes and interact with literal onscreen movements and the dialog. It's not uncommon to see a penchant for explaining the punch line. Pizz string, for me, seems to come from the old italian style of opera. It CAN work, but it works best if you have an actual melody, tune you are running under the scene, so like being musical commentary. This can justify the pizz, but just writing vertical chromatic lines with no purpose can get called out by the ear, so be really sure what your trying to say. Woodwinds are also a staple, partly because they are softer and inviting, as are most of the orch key family, like xylo glock etc. It's a balancing act, where if you play it wrong, it's horrible, but if you've got a cool angle, it can fly past the producers. They tend to be expecting the orch as a possible 'staple' approach. This is a difficult genre to really stand out in, but like I said, most of this music comes from the old italian opera, so maybe go listen to some old italian stuff, and modernize the language. Any old euro folk music is also a source of origin.
> Now for the housewives and girlfriends, it's a grownup version of the kid's approach. Heartwarming and folky, with the 'homecoming' autumn falling leaves, fireplace going small village vibe thing. Still soft, but you need to take the 'female' point of view. There is a real difference between the way men and women react emotionally, and I think producers/writers tend to want to push anything that'll make sure the audience knows this is a female story. Still there are those that feel the need to sync with onscreen movements. I prefer not to.
> ...


Thank you dgburns


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