Maria's Blog For AICE Media Studies: Genre Research: Dramedy

What is a Dramedy?

A dramedy combines elements from both the comedy and drama genres to create a seamless blend between the two. A dramedy is supposed to provide a balance of both drama and comedy and not veer too far in either direction. To do this, it needs to have a tonal balance and not make the audience feel totally lost at any point during movie, show, etc. Dramedy is one of my favorite genres because it plays to multiple emotions, and also because it is difficult to get right.

What is Typical of a Dramedy?

One dramedy can be very different from another, which is another reason why I love the genre. However, there are some conventions within films of the genre.

One of these is drastic character development and inner turmoil within the main protagonist to drive the plot forward. A character's inner turmoil greatly contributes to the dramatic elements necessary for a movie to be considered a dramedy, as it gives the movie a range of emotions to toy with. The great change within a character at the end of the movie is the result of the inner turmoil-driven plot and, in order for the ending to feel satisfactory, cannot be forced through minor incidents.

Lady Bird is a great example of this. Lady Bird is struggling to figure out who she is and where she belongs. Throughout the film, she is looking to escape her hometown of Sacramento. After going through the trials finishing high school in Sacramento, leaving for college in New York, and coming back to Sacramento, she discovers that she missed her hometown. She finds the beauty in a place that she hated not long ago. And it wasn't Sacramento that changed, it was her own mindset that had.

A lot of coming-of-age stories use the dramedy format because of how it allows the main characters to become three dimensional and fully-fledged through their inner conflicts (as well as humor to make the protagonist/s more likable).

Which brings me to another component of dramedies: the interwoven humor. The humor is needed to cut tension and add more substance to the story or character/s. A humorous undertone can often be present, even in darker or more emotional moments, to bring tonal balance to a film and make it a true dramedy. Humor can often even be the dominant driver of some scenes, as long as the emotion isn't undercut by it in later moments. The jokes that a character makes or the comedic visuals can add layers to a character give them an emotional connection to viewers. The jokes serve to make the character seem more grounded in reality.

Hailee Steinfeld in The Edge of Seventeen.

Nadine's humor and joking demeanor in The Edge of Seventeen endears her to viewers and makes her seem more real.

Another key component of many dramedies is the dynamic between two particular characters.

The Edge of Seventeen is, yet again, a great example of this. Nadine and Mr. Bruner have a complex relationship throughout the movie, and their banter and overall relationship helps to drive the plot as well as providing humor necessary for a dramedy. The pair's relationship ultimately proves to be a large reason for Nadine's growth. The dynamic between two characters often serves as a catalyst for the amelioration or the resolution to the inner turmoil of the main protagonist.

Another large part of dramadies is that they tend to be more grounded in realism. Considering that dramadies are shifting more to tell coming-of-age stories, the characters, plot, setting, etc. are trying to replicate the real world as much as possible. Even the tonal mix of humor with anger, sadness, and whatever else is needed to create the dramatic aspect contributes to the feeling of realism within the movie. Viewers are able to relate a part of the story or even the mix of emotions to their lives.

Conventional Production Techniques of a Dramedy

There are not a lot of defining production features of a dramedy. Most depend on the creativity of the director, especially when it comes to mise-en-scene and sound design.

But, two-shots regularly appear in dramedy films. The two-shots are utilized to emphasis the relationship between two characters and show how they are equal. The two-shot shows the intimate relationship between the characters and often communicates to viewers their close relationship (and maybe even showcase their banter). Longer close-ups are also used to show the characters' emotions and serve to complement the drama component. Long shots also used to present entirety of characters or their setting, and generally aid in comedic effect.

Dramedies also tend to utilize the depth of field, focusing in on one character as they are going through a particular emotion while keeping the background blurry. This can be consistent in a film, and is common when a two-shot is used. This keeps the focus on the two characters. The deep focus on the characters with the shallow focus on the background also allows viewers to bond deeper with the characters or to understand their relationship regardless of the setting. And when the background does have a deep focus, that makes viewers more attentive to the details and the film can direct their gaze to something that is important amongst the background.

Marketing

The marketing for dramedies typically differs based on the story that they put out. Coming-of-age dramedies are marketed more for teens and people in their early 20s. Dramatic comedy is typically consumed more by women, especially dramatic comedy that includes romance as a pillar of the story. The coming-of-age dramedies tend to attract viewers of both genders, and it really depends on the gender of the protagonist. The humor mixed with a deeper message and a wide range of emotions are now being marketed more towards women in their 20s or teenage girls. However, there many stories within the dramedy genre that are about people adjusting to their respective age, with the target audience around the age of the protagonist (because they can relate more).

The posters of a dramedy vary according to who they want to attract. The male or female protagonists are mostly front and center in a coming-of-age dramedy, and aim to attract their respective genders. The posters also typically show the two characters whose dynamic the movie relies upon. If it has a more romantic storyline, it showcases it in order to attract more older woman. Otherwise, it can be done to attract as many viewers as possible.

Film Sample #1:

The Farewell, directed by Lulu Wang, follows the story of Chinese-American Billie (played by Awkwafina), who is having growing pains of sorts trying to figure out who she is after graduating college. Her family finds out her grandmother (played by Zhao Shuzhen) has cancer and only has a few more months to live, but Nai Nai (the grandmother) herself doesn't know. Her entire family goes back to China to see their matriarch under the pretense of a wedding. Billie questions why the family does not want to tell Nai Nai that she has cancer, but wants to spend as much time as possible with her beloved grandmother. Like many dramedy movies, the dynamic of Billie and her Nai Nai are central to the plot. It also creates those humorous moments in between some very emotional scenes. Many two-shots are used to highlight the similarities between Billie and her grandmother and stress just how important they are to each other. The dynamic is also the reason why Billie grows as a character throughout the movie. The movie also has very little stylized edits/scene transitions and utilizes natural lighting with like many other dramedies. This is done to make the movie feel as real as possible to viewers and create that sense of connection between Billie's world and ours. The simpler edits also seem more seamless and help make the somewhat slower-paced movie seem to have a smoother flow (which a lot of other dramedies use, especially when they want to emphasize a mood or emotion within a scene). The movie also uses a lot of wide shots, especially during the scenes where the whole family is together (like the dining room scene and their slow motion procession to the wedding), to show their entire dynamic and just how close they are.

Film Sample #2:

Almost Famous, directed by Cameron Crowe, is set in the 1970s and follows William Miller (Patrick Fugit), a precocious 15-year-old who writes articles about rock bands. He lands an assignment writing about a band called Stillwater, an up-and-comer in the world of rock music. He ends up traveling with them on the road and meeting Penny Lane (Kate Hudson), a roadie who he immediately befriends. He also develops a bond with guitarist Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup). William gets to what happens behind-the-scenes and how life is like traveling with a rock band on the road in a small bus. He sees the trials and tribulations the band endures, how fame can change people, and how some bonds just won't break. He, as well as the band, realize what it means to grow up. This movie's focus is also the dynamic between characters, most importantly William and Penny, but also William and Russell. William and Russell ultimately improve because of their relationship. Two-shots play an important role in showing just how alike the two characters are. This film also uses some hand-held camera shots to seem as though William is recording and when he is taking photos. It also uses some simpler editing and natural lighting to make the world seem as realistic as possible. The costume designing, set design, and the more muted colors are done to make it as close to the actual 70s as possible.

I highly recommend both of the film samples to really get an understanding of the genre. They each have a unique style that incorporates dramedy conventions and reinforced my love for the genre. Lady Bird and The Edge of Seventeen are, of course, also staples of the genre (especially when it comes to the coming-of-age stories). But, there are even more that can be great introductions to the genre, and they are listed below:

Some Other Dramedy Recommendations

(2007)