adamedia

1. Here’s a set of revision notes for you: sitcom-revision.doc. I recommend you work your way through this.

2. I would also take a look at this list of useful media terms: http://www.mediaknowall.com/gcse/GCSEKeyterms.html  and this list of terms relating to sitcoms: 11glossary-sitcom.doc Try to use them.

3. Don’t forget to use www.youtube.com to look for clips of things that you read about and maybe want to check out for yourself.

4. If you are not sure about storyboards, this might help: http://www.filmeducation.org/secondary/StudyGuides/storyboard.pdf

5. Here is a set of useful links. Try to look through these:  

Definition and Conventions:

Use some of these sites to revise ‘What is a sitcom?’ and to make sure you understand the conventions of traditional sitcoms: http://www.newi.ac.uk/rdover/MED-STUD/situatio.htm

Sitcom Definition and comparison between US/UK – http://www.bustertests.co.uk/studies/sitcoms-comparing-uk-and-us-productions-general-notes.php  

Sitcom: What is it? How it works? Read more about Taflinger’s classification of sitcoms.http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~taflinge/sitcom.html  

Here’s a good definition of sitcoms (and their conventions) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitcom

Here’s a good overview (including history) of British sitcom: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_sitcom

Here’s a list of Britain’s Best 100 Sitcoms: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sitcom/ 

Researching individual sitcoms

You should be discussing some specific sitcoms in the exam. When you have chosen your sitcoms, you could use these sites to get more information and ideas etc…http://www.sitcom.co.uk/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/shows/index.shtml

http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/445368/index.html (click on different shows to read more about them.

Recent news stories on sitcoms

Here’s a good article on how ‘The IT Crowd’ is using traditional sitcom ideas. It’s an example of the survival of old style sitcoms: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2006/jan/30/mondaymediasection.news1

You might want to choose the Mighty Boosh to discuss in your exam. If you do, here’s some interesting things for you to consider in deciding whether ‘The Mighty Boosh’ is indeed a sitcom? http://www.teachit.co.uk/attachments/9011.pdf

Here’s an interesting article about a new generation of ‘webcoms’. First the sitcom, then the romcom. Now welcome to the webcom, written by you http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/jul/10/news.broadcasting

A new soap and a sitcom about how it was made? How devilishly  clever. Pity it’s not funny http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jan/11/television.tvandradioarts