I have recently started working on a idea for a black comedy im trying to figure out how over the top I should make the characters or situations.
can you give more details? (without giving too much away)... and, hmmm i don't know if this matters in the long run but are you black? i think if what you are working on is a parody/almost slapstick... than you shouldn't worry about going too over the top because that's the name of the game there. but if it's a comedy that comes from a more realistic place you might not want to go there... but i'm curious to know more details.
Try looking at existing black comedies, such as M.A.S.H and Bad Santa, and make a decision from there. In my personal opinion, cynicism is a must in dark comedies, but don't be too generous or you will make it depressing. Maybe have one cynical character, and make everyone else extremely optimistic or psychopathic. Mental illness is often played for laughs in fiction, even if its a completely different story in real life.
Well it depends on what you're going for, whether you want it to be surreal or realistic etc, and whether your idea is for a novel, short story, tv show. Comedy is usually generated from conflict so for the character vs setting issue you might want to choose between 'sensible character in a mad world' or 'mad character in a sensible world'. For your character/s you could start by thinking of what comic flaw each of them will have, and how they will interact with each other to generate comic moments- you might then be able to see how exaggerated you want those traits to be. Sorry they were some jumbled thoughts, hope they're of some help!
WHAT!??? no, try "Friday" or "Boomerang" or "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka". i don't know how M.A.S.H. and Bad Santa are considered "black comedies" unless Christopher was being sarcastic... but Bad Santa had like two black characters in supporting roles and i'm not sure that "M.A.S.H." has ANY black characters. so i would say don't watch those, but get into some of the actual black comedies -- and some of the actual black writers like early Spike Lee or The Wayans Brothers or something like that.
I agree with looking back at tother black comedies and getting a sense of how over the top their characters are. Another I can add is Death to Smoochy.
I always remember American Psycho although the subject matter was horrific it was played really well all the yuppies in the movie where so out of touch with reality. That they didn't notice weather or not Patrick was a murdering sadist sociopath one my favorite black comedies is In Brudge it was written by Martin McDonagh.
Black Adder would be quite a classic example of black comedy. Black humor is usually mocking, cynical, pessimistic or ironic or even an unhealthy mixture of all of the above and placed in a situation that is quite dark or twisted from the norm. For instance the scene in Pulp Fiction when Marvin gets shot accidentally is an example of black humor. A more recent movie that is all about dark comedy would be god bless america. Go watch it if you haven't seen it yet. Its really dark but its brilliant and funny at the same time.
Im more interested in watching seven psychopaths then god bless America Pulp fiction however is a classic black comedy in both nature and tone along with Burn After reading or a Serious man or Fargo. Of course im a Coen Brothers fan lol
I think black comedies work best when they're closer to reality. Stuff that is believeable but outrageous or cruel, the kind of stuff that would make you and your friends double over with laughter if you saw it while walking through the mall. It helps if it's the kind of stuff you would belly-laugh at, and then afterward say, "Man, that was really messed up." That's what I think, anyway.
To me its always been about exaggerated situations or plan's gone wrong in a humorous way I think black comedy shouldn't be afraid to address touch issues with humor.
OOOOOOOH!!!! black comedies... not comedies with a majority of black cast members, but black comedies as is dark humor. i feel like joey tribbiani now.
