Is "Dramadey" a real thing?

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  • Is "Dramadey" a real thing?

    Drama and Comedy are pretty well defined genres but is there really a middle ground where a script is both - and if so, is it usually more one than the other? Any 'best' examples?

    And what exactly is a 'smart' comedy? Something without Will Ferrell?

  • #2
    Re: Is "Dramadey" a real thing?

    The Apartment.

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    • #3
      Re: Is "Dramadey" a real thing?

      Things like Terms of Endearment, The Big Chill, The Family Stone...

      or even something like The Royal Tenenbaums and Charlie Kaufman movies.

      It might just be me but I think Dramedies are more dramas with some humor in them, than comedies with some serious moments in them. Most all comedies have some serious or "heartfelt" moments in them, but not all dramas have comedic moments in them.

      Basically, Dramedies deal with more serious issues while at the same time still have a lot of funny or amusing stuff in them.

      "Trust your stuff." -- Dave Righetti, Pitching Coach

      ( Formerly "stvnlra" )

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      • #4
        Re: Is "Dramadey" a real thing?

        The main thing to be aware of from a screenwriting and marketing perspective is you should try and put your script into a clearly defined single genre even if it is a mix of genres. Chances are it falls more into one genre than the other.

        The reason is this is how a majority of the industry functions: It functions on clarity and segmentation. Not just agents, managers and producers on the front lines, but casting directors, actors, directors, etc. all function according to the type of project they are working on.

        If you have a comedy script and you are a casting director... You're going to want to cast comedic actors, correct?

        If an agent gets a script for his client, and the actor wants to know what it is... Telling him/her it is a "dramedy" doesn't tell them much about the script does it? The actor needs to know what they might be considering because of their strengths, weaknesses and general interests.

        What if a director who has done action movies wants to try something new, but wants something that isn't as heavy as a drama? His agent telling him this new script is a "dramedy" isn't going to win him/her over versus one that is clearly classified as a comedy, or "lite action movie", etc.
        Positive outcomes. Only.

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        • #5
          Re: Is "Dramadey" a real thing?

          I enjoy them but Dramedy usually = "difficult to pitch". I personally wouldn't try to break in with one.
          "Take the thing you love, and make it your life"--Californication. [email protected]

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          • #6
            Re: Is "Dramadey" a real thing?

            Yeah, I imagine a dramedy would be pretty hard to break in with. That being said, yes, it's a real genre. It's pretty simple - a movie that aims to be both comic and profound.

            There are plenty of straight comedies around and plenty or dreary straight dramas. Dramedy rides the fence between the two.
            Sent from my iPhone. Because I'm better than you.

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            • #7
              Re: Is "Dramadey" a real thing?

              I love a good dramedy. The comic touches in them are often more memorable than all the gags in a pure comedy...esp. today's pure comedies.

              Sideways is the last good example of a dramedy I think.
              "I ask every producer I meet if they need TV specs they say yeah. They all want a 40 inch display that's 1080p and 120Hz. So, I quit my job at the West Hollywood Best Buy."
              - Screenwriting Friend

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              • #8
                Re: Is "Dramadey" a real thing?

                Originally posted by Naudikom View Post
                Yeah, I imagine a dramedy would be pretty hard to break in with.
                Juno?

                Seems to me that dramady is becoming an established genre, at least behind the scenes. A drama with a laugh a page. As far as I can tell, dramadies are really very funny dramas because if you just tell the story without the gags, it's not funny. "A plucky teen (or jaded or cynical or ... sassy) gets pregnant and decides to keep the baby." Not funny by itself, but the way it's handled... very funny.
                -- -- -- --
                fo co mo so

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                • #9
                  Re: Is "Dramadey" a real thing?

                  "Dramedy" is definitely an established genre, and the term was first coined in the 70's by television critics to describe shows like M.A.S.H and ALL IN THE FAMILY.

                  The term "dramedy" can be a useful pitching tool when describing your story, but only in the broadest sense. Like Naud said, the more profound your comedy is -- the more it becomes a dramedy, such as Woody Allen's CRIMES & MISDEAMNORS. Dramedy itself is not considered an easy sell, because it is generally a difficult genre to market. A marketing department can easily extract the elements of an action or horror film with a movie poster, but dramedy is much more difficult to articulate in a one-sheet. A studio tends to market those based on the cast names, festival awards, word of mouth, etc. and not on the concept alone.
                  Twitter: @WriterLe

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                  • #10
                    Re: Is "Dramadey" a real thing?

                    Originally posted by TheKeenGuy View Post
                    The Apartment.
                    I've rented that. Great balance of infidelity, romance, suicide and hijinks by Billy Wilder and Izzy Diamond.
                    "A screenwriter is much like being a fire hydrant with a bunch of dogs lined up around it.- -Frank Miller

                    "A real writer doesn't just want to write; a real writer has to write." -Alan Moore

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                    • #11
                      Re: Is "Dramadey" a real thing?

                      I'm writing a dramedy at the moment -
                      gritty story *plus* honest characters *divided by* warm humour *equals* dramedy.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Is "Dramadey" a real thing?

                        Originally posted by focomoso View Post
                        Juno?

                        Seems to me that dramady is becoming an established genre, at least behind the scenes. A drama with a laugh a page. As far as I can tell, dramadies are really very funny dramas because if you just tell the story without the gags, it's not funny. "A plucky teen (or jaded or cynical or ... sassy) gets pregnant and decides to keep the baby." Not funny by itself, but the way it's handled... very funny.
                        Yeah, okay. Go get a job as a stripper, create a blog where some producer gets his rocks off reading your personal confession stories and make him ask you to write a script.

                        Let me know how that goes.
                        Sent from my iPhone. Because I'm better than you.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Is "Dramadey" a real thing?

                          Originally posted by Naudikom View Post
                          Yeah, okay. Go get a job as a stripper, create a blog where some producer gets his rocks off reading your personal confession stories and make him ask you to write a script.

                          Let me know how that goes.
                          Well, I used to be a stripper, but I hate blogs and blogging so I guess I can only take that so far...

                          But, regardless of how she got heard, her script was a good, fast reading, dramady that spread around town like a wildfire and made a successful movie. Thats all about timing and the writing, not the stripping.
                          -- -- -- --
                          fo co mo so

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                          • #14
                            Re: Is "Dramadey" a real thing?

                            "Stranger Than Fiction"
                            "I just couldn't live in a world without me."

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