Assignment A - Sitcom Essay.

Assignment A - Sitcom Essay.

A situation comedy, or as it is more commonly known, a sitcom is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment such as a home or a workplace and also involves the same characters appearing in the episode and the same sort of theme happening. A sitcom can be enjoyable for all of the family but there are certain time slots which make a sitcom popular. TV sitcoms shown during Prime Time - six to eight o'clock - will be most popular as most viewers would be home from work and school. Prime Time television generally refers to the block of the television programmes schedules that are set between six o'clock and eight o'clock. The programmes set during this time will be suitable for the whole family including children. Programmes set during this time usually have the largest numbers of viewers compared to programmes set after nine o'clock as most people will be home from work and school and, therefore, will be able to watch the programmes that are on during this time. This includes programmes like The Simpsons and Hollyoaks. No adult content would be shown on television during this time and the schedule would also affect what things are advertised on television and what gets broadcasted over the radio.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_time#Timeslot.27s_relationship_to_radio_and_television_revenue


TV sitcoms shown after this time, however, will be shown doing Watershed - after nine o'clock - the viewers to these sitcoms will mainly be adults and teenagers. The Watershed time schedule is the time where programmes, which content adult content, will be able to view on television. The time set for these programmes is nine o'clock and they can be viewed on any of the main channels. This is the dividing line between family television that is suitable for children and family television that is only suitable for teenagers and adults. Programmes that would be shown before nine o'clock include sitcoms like The Simpsons whereas programmes shown after nine o'clock would be sitcoms such as Mrs Brown's Boys. These programmes would include adult content such as swearing, graphic violence and gambling but may also include sexual scenes. But the Watershed Time schedule doesn't just apply to programmes shown on television, it also includes radio broadcasts and television adverts.
Source: http://www.watershedtv.co.uk/whatwedo.aspx & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watershed_(broadcasting)


To make a sitcom successful there are many factors that need to be considered. Theme tunes are considered to be an important part of the sitcom, they are often sung and the more catchy the tune is, the better. Locations must be easy to identify as it often sets the tone for the sitcom and it rarely changes throughout the series. Situation doesn't always refer to the location but there is often a sense of being trapped. When it comes to characters in a sitcom there are usually three main types: the main characters, the supporting characters and the transients who appear in an episode or two. The relationships between these characters in the sitcom create the ideal narrative strands. The dialogue is designed to be witty with impeccable timing to get the most laughs, with the pauses in the right places. Opening credits help to give the audience a taste of the show, showing the actors and their characters and often the writers. Humour is a vital piece in every sitcom, there needs to be steady flow of humour in action, situation and character within the sitcom. Actors should have a sense of comic timing that marks as a successful TV sitcom star. Storylines are key in every single TV programme, but for sitcoms they are extremely important as they are what draws the viewers in and are vital for making a successful sitcom. Class values in sitcoms are important as most of the humour in sitcoms is based on upper classes and lower classes.


The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom and was created by the producer Matt Groening. The show is based around the Simpson family and each episode starts off with a couch gag, which involves a scene of the family living room where the entire Simpson family will either end up on the sofa or backing away from it. This sitcom is shown on Channel Four during the primetime television schedule and starts at six o'clock. It is based around the dysfunctional family of the Simpsons that includes characters such as: Bart, Homer, Maggie, Lisa, Marge, Grandpa, Snowball and Santa's Little Helper. The theme tune to this sitcom is very modern and is performed by an orchestra; Alf Clausen composed the theme tune. The show has aired twenty-six seasons and has a grand total of five hundred and fifty nine episodes.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Simpsons


Mrs Brown's Boys is a popular British sitcom that was created by Brendan O’Carroll. The theme tune to this popular sitcom was created by Andy O’Callaghan and is very modern with the use of an orchestra. The show is aired on BBC One at nine o’clock. This sitcom is based entirely around the Brown family: Dermot, Mrs Brown, Granddad, Kathy, Rory, Mark, Bettie, Bono, Maria, Trevor and their friends: Buster, Winnie, Sharon, Father Quinn, Mr Foley, Mrs Nicholson, Father Damien and Mick O’Leary. The sitcom has three main settings: The Brown Family house living room and kitchen and Foleys’ pub. The show is based around problems that each member of the Brown family will go and talk to Mrs Brown about, finding humour in adult content. Famous actor Brendan O’Carroll plays Mrs Brown and the sitcom stars many of his other family members within the cast.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrs._Brown%27s_Boys


The Big Bang Theory is an American sitcom that was created by the producers Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady. The theme tune to this sitcom is very modern and was created by the band Barenaked Ladies. This sitcom is based around the five main characters that all live in Pasadena, California. Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter both share a flat in the programme, Penny who lives across the hall from them and their friends and co-workers Howard Wolowitz and Raj Koothrappali. Most of the show itself focuses on the theme of science as the four main male characters are employed at Caltech. But the show also focuses on many other science factors such as gaming, science fiction and comic books. The sitcom is often set in the flat that both Sheldon and Leonard share and the language used are mainly based on the elements of science and science fiction. The geekiness and intellect of the four guys is compared for a comic effect with Penny's social skills and common sense. The programme is normally shown on Channel four and occasionally E4 at nine o'clock.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Bang_Theory


Miranda is a popular British comedy created and starring Miranda Hart. The show is based around the life of Miranda who runs a joke shop with her best friend Stevie. The show was shown on BBC One and Two after nine o'clock and started in 2009. Miranda is a constant disappointment to her mother, Penny who just wants her daughter to get married and have a "proper" job. The theme music for this programme was composed by Alex Eckford and it extremely catchy and modern. There is a lot of adult humour in this programme. There are many themes within this sitcom: being a misfit in society, having an accent that’s different from everyone else and struggling to find love.
Source: http://www.comedy.co.uk/guide/tv/miranda/
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=UHjbOHLFcGoC&printsec=frontcover&dq=miranda+sitcom&hl=en&sa=X&ei=mNF9VIngMtGd7gaOkYD4Cg&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=miranda%20sitcom&f=false



The Inbetweeners is a British sitcom that aired on E4 after nine o'clock from 2008 to 2010. The programme was written and created by Damon Beesley and Iain Morris. The show is based around the character Will McKenzie and his three friends who attend Rudge Park Comprehensive. This sitcom focuses on the main problems that the characters have to face while attend school such as: bullying, broken family lives, indifferent school staff, male bonding and failed sexual encounters. The theme tune is in the style of an instrumental and was created by Morning Runner. The show focuses on making humour from adult making it more suitable for adults and teenagers than young children. The main characters are Will McKenzie, Jay Cartwright, Simon Cooper, Neil Sutherland, Carli D’Amato, Charlotte Hinchcliffe, Mark Donovan and Mr. Gilbert.
Source: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=PlobBAAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=the+inbetweeners&hl=en&sa=X&ei=NB5iVKGlI6KP7AaLvICACQ&ved=0CCMQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=the%20inbetweeners&f=false
 
   

Assignment A - Research Log of Sitcoms.

Assignment A - Research Log of Sitcoms. 

What is a sitcom?

A sitcom is also referred to as a situation comedy and it is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment such as a home or a workplace. Two examples of a sitcom would be Mrs Brown's Boys and The Simpsons. A sitcom also revolves around the same characters appearing in each episode and the same sort of theme happening.

Watershed Time: 
The Watershed time schedule is the time where programmes which content adult content will be able to view on television. The time set for these programmes is nine o'clock and they can be viewed on any of the main channels. This is the dividing line between family television which is suitable for children and family television which is only suitable for teenagers and adults. Programmes that would be shown before none o'clock include sitcoms like The Simpsons whereas programmes shown after nine o'clock would be sitcoms such as Mrs Brown's Boys. These programmes would include adult content such as swearing, graphic violence and gambling but may also include sexual scenes. But the Watershed Time schedule doesn't just apply to programmes shown on television, it also includes radio broadcasts and television adverts.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watershed_(broadcasting)
http://www.watershedtv.co.uk/whatwedo.aspx


Prime Time: 
Prime Time television generally refers to the block of the television programmes schedules that are set between six o'clock and eight o'clock. The programmes set during this time will be suitable for the whole family including children. Programmes set during this time usually have the largest numbers of viewers compared to programmes set after nine o'clock as most people will be home from work and school and, therefore, will be able to watch the programmes that are on during this time. This includes programmes like The Simpsons and Hollyoaks. No adult content would be shown on television during this time and the schedule would also affect what things are advertised on television and what gets broadcasted over the radio.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_time#Timeslot.27s_relationship_to_radio_and_television_revenue


The Simpsons:
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom and was created by the producer Matt Groening. The show is based around the Simpson family and each episode starts off with a couch gag which involves a scene of the family living room where the entire Simpson family will either end up on the sofa or backing away from it. This sitcom is shown on Channel Four during the primetime television schedule and starts at six o'clock. It is based around the dysfunctional family of the Simpsons which includes characters such as: Bart, Homer, Maggie, Lisa, Marge, Grandpa, Snowball and Santa's Little Helper. The theme tune to this sitcom is very modern and is performed by an orchestra, the theme tune itself was composed by Alf Clausen. The show has aired twenty six season and has a grand total of five hundred and fifty nine episodes.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Simpsons

Mrs Brown's Boys:
Mrs Brown's Boys is a popular British sitcom that was created by Brendan O’Carroll. The theme tune to this popular sitcom was created by Andy O’Callaghan and is very modern with the use of an orchestra. The show is aired on BBC One at nine o’clock. This sitcom is based entirely around the Brown family: Dermot, Mrs Brown, Granddad, Kathy, Rory, Mark, Bettie, Bono, Maria, Trevor and their friends: Buster, Winnie, Sharon, Father Quinn, Mr Foley, Mrs Nicholson, Father Damien and Mick O’Leary. The sitcom has three main settings: The Brown Family house living room and kitchen and Foleys’ pub. The show is based around problems that each member of the Brown family will go and talk to Mrs Brown about, finding humour in adult content. Famous actor Brendan O’Carroll plays Mrs Brown and the sitcom stars many of his other family members within the cast.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrs._Brown%27s_Boys

The Big Bang Theory:
The Big Bang Theory is an American sitcom that was created by the producers Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady. The theme tune to this sitcom is very modern and was created by the band Barenaked Ladies. This sitcom is based around the five main characters that all live in Pasadena, California. Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter both share a flat in the programme, Penny who lives across the hall from them and their friends and co-workers Howard Wolowitz and Raj Koothrappali. Most of the show itself focuses on the theme of science as the four main male characters are employed at Caltech. But the show also focuses on many other science factors such as gaming, science fiction and comic books. The sitcom is often set in the flat that both Sheldon and Leonard share and the language used are mainly based on the elements of science and science fiction. The geekiness and intellect of the four guys is compared for a comic effect with Penny's social skills and common sense. The programme is normally shown on Channel four and occasionally E4 at nine o'clock.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Bang_Theory

Miranda: 
Miranda is a popular British comedy created and starring Miranda Hart. The show is based around the life of Miranda who runs a joke shop with her best friend Stevie. The show was shown on BBC One and Two after nine o'clock and started in 2009. Miranda is a constant disappointment to her mother, Penny who just wants her daughter to get married and have a "proper" job. The theme music for this programme was composed by Alex Eckford and it extremely catchy and modern. There is a lot of adult humour in this programme. There are many themes within this sitcom: being a misfit in society, having an accent that’s different from everyone else and struggling to find love.

Source: http://www.comedy.co.uk/guide/tv/miranda/ & http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=UHjbOHLFcGoC&printsec=frontcover&dq=miranda+sitcom&hl=en&sa=X&ei=mNF9VIngMtGd7gaOkYD4Cg&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=miranda%20sitcom&f=false

The Inbetweeners:
The Inbetweeners is a British sitcom that aired on E4 after nine o'clock from 2008 to 2010. The programme was written and created by Damon Beesley and Iain Morris. The show is based around the character Will McKenzie and his three friends who attend Rudge Park Comprehensive. This sitcom focuses on the main problems that the characters have to face while attend school such as: bullying, broken family lives, indifferent school staff, male bonding and failed sexual encounters. The theme tune is in the style of an instrumental and was created by Morning Runner. The show focuses on making humour from adult making it more suitable for adults and teenagers than young children. The main characters are Will McKenzie, Jay Cartwright, Simon Cooper, Neil Sutherland, Carli D'Armato, Charlotte Hinchcliffe, Mark Donovan and Mr Gilbert
Source: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=PlobBAAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=the+inbetweeners&hl=en&sa=X&ei=NB5iVKGlI6KP7AaLvICACQ&ved=0CCMQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=the%20inbetweeners&f=false

Analysing Sitcoms.

Analysing Sitcoms. 

·     What is a sitcom?

     A sitcom is also referred to as a situation comedy and it is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment such as a home or a workplace. Two examples of a sitcom would be Mrs. Brown's Boys and The Simpsons. A sitcom also revolves around the same characters appearing in each episode and the same sort of theme happening.

Sitcom One – Mrs Brown’s Boys.

·      Theme Tune: The theme tune to Mrs Brown’s Boys is quite a catchy tune, but also very complex compared to most from earlier eras. It is filled with drumbeats and saxophones.

·      Location: The location of the sitcom Mrs Brown’s Boys is set in Dublin, Ireland. The programme is set in the Brown family house. The set, however, consists of the kitchen scene, the living room scene and Foleys’ bar scene. They are the only places in the programme that viewers get to see.

·      Characters: The main characters are made up of Mrs Brown, Dermott, Kathy, Buster, Granddad, Maria, Rory, Mark, Betty, Bono, Winnie, and the other characters of the Brown family and the pub owners, whom are not seen as often as the main characters.

·      Storyline: The whole story line is based on the Brown family and the problems from the other characters. Each time a character has a problem they go to see Mrs Brown to discuss it and get a solution to their problem. Mrs Brown’s character is seen as the mother hen, so to speak.

·      Dialogue: The dialogue is filled with jokes that only adults and teenagers would understand, therefore young children, should they ever watch this programme would not understand the jokes that are being said. But is also filled with answers to the other character’s questions and friendly conversations between conversations.

·      Humour: The programme is littered with adult and Irish humour.

Sitcom Two – The Simpsons.

·      Theme Tune: The theme tune to this sitcom is also quite catchy and complex compared to other sitcoms from earlier eras. It’s filled with music that is made from a orchestra. It has quite an upbeat and adventurous feeling to the tune. It can be linked in with the tune to Mrs Brown’s Boys.

·      Location: This sitcom is set in the town of Springfield in America. The scenes in this sitcom also include the Simpson family house, Moe’s tavern, Springfield elementary school and the Nuclear power plant but also load of other different scenes.

·      Characters: The main characters are Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie and Grandpa but there are other characters like Ned Flanders and Mr Burns, but they are not as popular or recognisable as the Simpson family.

·      Storyline: The storyline is based on the American family the Simpsons; it is based on all the problems that happens to the family. Especially if a character gets hurt, which Homer does constantly.

Sitcom Programmes.

Sitcom Programmes. 




What is a Sitcom? 
A sitcom is also referred to as a situation comedy and it is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment such as a home or a workplace. Two examples of a sitcom would be Mrs. Brown's Boys and The Simpsons. A sitcom also revolves around the same characters appearing in each episode and the same sort of theme happening.



Mrs. Brown's Boys. 

Mrs Brown's Boys is about an Irish family living in Dublin and is a popular sitcom. The programme is always based on the main characters such as Mrs Brown, Rory, Mark, Cathy, Grandad, Buster and Dermott. The programme has a target audience set between teenagers and adults to seniors. The programme has three different settings, the kitchen in the Brown house, the living room and the pub Foley's. It is, however, different to other sitcoms such as The Simpsons. It was scheduled for 9 o'clock on BBC One.


The Simpsons. 

The Simpsons is based on an American family and is a popular sitcom. It is based around the Simpson family: Homer, Bart, Maggie, Lisa and Marge. It is set quite often in the Simpson house but also in Springfield Elementary school, Moe's Tavern, the Flanders' house. The programmes also revolves a lot on the humour of Homer getting hurt quite often, that is what makes the programme quite funny. It's target audience is children and teenagers. And is a lot different to Mrs. Brown's Boys and is scheduled for 6 o'clock on channel four.


Both of these sitcoms have quite a modern theme made up from different instruments and the theme is very catchy. Both programmes also have many numerous characters that the show is based on and they are very funny for this generation.

Music Magazines: Contrast and Compare.

Music Magazines: Contrast and Compare. 


Kerrang! music magazine: 
The music magazine Kerrang mainly focuses on the rock genre of music and has quite a bold bright front cover. It focuses on many rock bands such as Black Veiled Brides and Bring Me The Horizon. The magazine covers a lot of interviews with the bands about new albums and tours that they plan to go on in the next few months. I would say that Kerrang mainly focuses on a readership made up of teenagers. The publisher of the magazine is a company called Bauer Media Group and their magazine has a very clear and appealing layout, as it draws the reader to look at the cover and then look inside.

Q music magazine: 

The music magazine Q also focuses on the rock genre of music and has quite a dull, boring front cover. It focuses on many rock bands such as U2. The magazine covers a lot of interviews with the bands about new albums and iTunes festival events. I would say that Q mainly focuses on a readership made up of young adults to adults. The publisher of the magazine is also Bauer Media Group. However this magazine has a more mature cover design.  

Radio Advertisements.

Radio Adverts. 

1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQIh8nVPSeE

This is a radio advert for Warburtons bread, there's no music played in the background but there is a child speaking and a beep quite alike an answer phone machine. This advert is used as a commercial for  Warburtons' bread.

2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRScPQzgxqg

This is a radio advert about the RAF airforce. It describes all of the positions on offer when you sign up to join the RAF. The SFX's are airplane jets roaring and soldiers marching. This advert is used as a form of recruitment for the RAF.

3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLvBRCyNHJs

This is a radio advert about the price drop in Tescos stores. It describes all of the products on offer and is used as a commercial for Tesco stores.

These radio adverts are well thought out and are clear and easy to understand what they are advertising. Each one uses different SFX and music to describe each item being discussed/ advertised. Radio adverts don't just have to be used for commercial reasons, like the advert for the RAF, they can also be used for things like recruitment into the army force.