Genre Research - Spy Comedy

Definition of Spy Comedy

Spy Comedy is a genre which includes generic conventions of spy movies and comedies as well as showing elements of thrillers and other elements from normal spy films such as "James Bond" and "Mission Impossible" using normally the use of innuendo's and slapstick comedy. However, this genre is normally aimed at younger audiences as they normally take the mick out of things which seem very unrealistic in spy films such as the gadgets they are given (e.g. exploding pen, cars, gadgets etc...) such as "Spy Kids" and the "Johnny English" series.


Typical storyline in Spy Comedy

A typical spy comedy would focus on either a wannabe spy or an underdog which people look down on and see their missions as a attempt to redeem themselves and their action sequences are normally seen as very comedic in the film and something which a spy wouldn't do and as a result of this, whilst the audience find it really enjoyable and funny to watch, the people around him finally respect him and accept that he/she is different and therefore end up saying that they are fantastic spy. Such examples include Johnny English Reborn (See video 1 above) because the character is seen as a underdog and someone that not a lot of people respect because he fails a lot as a person and as his occupation of a spy but he is able to be given a chance to redeem himself and succeeds. This links to the idea as whilst the protagonist will be seen as a person who wishes to be a spy, he is someone who is not well respected and once again seen as a underdog in everything he does so because of this he is able to show his skills and that he can become someone and be respected as a person.

Characters in the genre

• The Protagonist: This character is seen mainly as an underdog and someone who fails at everything including the simple activities that everybody does everyday such as impressing someone. They are normally given another chance which is seen sometimes as the final straw for them to show off their skills and therefore ends up succeeding in not just only gaining a reputation but also saving the day and keeping the world a safe place. This links to the idea because the character we will create will be a nobody who feels to an extent like they are worthless and whilst they do end up saving the day they end up becoming someone very well respected.  Examples include characters such as Austin Powers from the "Austin Powers Series" as he is seen originally as someone who is an underdog and that is not important or relevant to the team that he works with. 

• The Love Interest: This character is seen as someone who without the protagonist, would be seen as weak and frail. They are normally seen as intelligent and someone who knows a lot about everything when it comes to books and ICT so therefore end up becoming a massive contrast to the hero as they are normally very physical and strong. As a result of this they are seen as weak. This contrasts to the film idea as we may decide to make her strong as a personality and not someone who is a side character to the protagonist. Examples include characters such as 

• The Antagonist: The villain is normally someone who is seen as very predictable and very popular as a person. They normally may seem like they are friends with the protagonist but because the villain is very clever and intelligent as well as skilled in martial arts and combat, they are able to outwit the protagonist and trap them as as result of this. However, like usual, the villain normally loses to the hero in a final battle. This links to the film idea as we intend our villain to be physically strong and very evil as a person but not as intelligent as the protagonist as would set up traps for the villain and would fall into them. 

• Head of the Organization: The head/boss is a principle character in spy comedies as they are seen as people who treat their life very seriously and come across with a serious and bossy attitude to the protagonist threatening them that their jobs are on the line and that if they fail they could lose their job. This links to the idea as in order for the film to work, we would need a character to her anger and attitude to the protagonist. Examples include people such as the character "Pegasus" from the Johnny English series as she comes across as someone with a 'No Nonsense' attitude and someone who treats the whole occupation of spying seriously.
  
   

Similar films to the film idea

• Spy Kids - Whilst this film doesn't contain the whole spy occupation, this film is very similar to idea as it not only show gadgets that the film would contain but also shows the age of what we would've picked for our protagonist as we would want to show an element of youth to the film and also the idea of dreams as the protagonist's dream is to become a spy and not live a boring life of going to school or college and be bored out of his wits. As well as that, we would wanted the idea that he is very unpopular at school so therefore the idea of becoming would be more appealing as he would enjoy it more than being at school or college.

• Johnny English - This film is very similar to the idea as we would depict the protagonist as someone who would get things wrong and as really unpopular. As well as this, the humour would contain elements of innuendo and also slapstick comedy. This is very helpful as the movie would contain those elements that would audiences of all ages laugh and find it funny. As well as this, we would contain the iconography of spy comedy including laser beams, diamonds, people in full suits and many more to take the rip out of the spy movies such as "James Bond", "Mission Impossible" and other films and because this film executes the humour so well, we would take the humour and use it for the film including corny moments from these movies.