I'm really surprised when people don't seem to grasp this genre. I've written a few and always get a handful of people who think it should be one or the other. Anyone else have this come up?

I tried to explain to someone, it's drama sprinkled with comedy or comedy sprinkled with drama: Silver Linings Playbook, Little Miss Sunshine, Juno, 50/50, Forrest Gump. They just couldn't grasp the concept and refused to accept it as an actual genre.

Curious what others think...

Think they call it dram/com now But yes...I love the genre to be honest. I have one dramedy script -- Doggone

I had this long diatribe typed out, but I deleted it. I'm trying to trim back on my dialogue. But, I stand by dramedys not being accurate. It's one or the other, in that case.

Quoted from Mr. Blonde I'm trying to trim back on my dialogue. .

Wise ass.  

Well I'll spare you from reading "Memories" then Sean, cus it's def a dramedy...or dram/com as Dena has informed me the kids are calling it these days.

I'm with you Dena, I love them.  

Quoted from mmmarnie Wise ass.   Well I'll spare you from reading "Memories" then Sean, cus it's def a dramedy...or dram/com as Dena has informed me the kids are calling it these days.

It hadn't occurred to me until I said that. Then, I finally got the joke. Lol.

Oh, trust me, I remembered that logline from the contest and knew it was nowhere up my alley. But, I can put aside small facts like that. It's not really that tough, because I typically don't read for content the first time through, anyway, I read more for grammatical and spelling issues plus dialogue then focus on story elements after.

I stick by my mini analysis of you gals and your "dram/coms"... =)

I think they're harder to pull off. Comedy as a rule is hard to get right and they're going to draw comments that may make a writer think twice, even though they don't need to. Couple that with a dramatic aspect, and for many, especially when reading (as watching something is easier), this can take a reader out of the script.

For writers too, it is difficult to get right. I wrote one and first of all I had mostly comedy, then on another draft I stripped most of it out and went more towards drama with slight comedy. It's all about balance, I suppose. The right amount of this and the right amount of that. I failed with my own, btw.

My main issue with this 'genre', is that there is no concrete parameters used to classify it. So what one person may view as a dramedy, another may view as a black comedy or a straight out comedy.

For example, In Bruges in funnier than most comedies and more dramatic than most dramas, but I have only ever seen this labelled as a black comedy.

Definitely no concrete parameters. Maybe that's what throws some people off their axis.

I checked out a few lists of movies people considered Dramedies and there was a WIDE scope. Breakfast Club, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Juno, Sideways, Silver Linings Playbook, The Royal Tenenbaums...

Personally, I love these kinds of movies. Great characters dealing with real life cr@p but it doesn't suck the life out of you to watch, like a full out drama. They show there's humor in life, even in bad situations.

I think of genres like a compass. NNW means it's closer to the north than to NW. Dramedy is closer to straight drama than comedy. Rom-com is closer to romantic drivel than comedy.  

I usually label my scripts thriller/horror or horror/comedy or such. Whatever it fits most closely, I put first and the secondary genre behind it. That's just me though. I don't know if there are any specific rules here.

Quoted from Grandma Bear I think of genres like a compass. NNW means it's closer to the north than to NW. Dramedy is closer to straight drama than comedy. Rom-com is closer to romantic drivel than comedy.

I agree with that view, completely. I've always viewed dramedies as dramas with a few laughs in them (compared to the purely heavy, melodramatic dramas) as opposed to comedies with some drama. The reason for this is that all good comedy has drama at its core, anyway.

Actually, adding a "drama" label to much of anything is sort of pointless as all stories regardless of genre, should be dramatic. The actual "drama" genre simply describes a story that doesn't possess enough elements to fit into a classification such as horror, thriller, comedy, etc, and sometimes just refers to a basic story in a particular setting. All comedic stories must possess a dramatic aspect or they aren't interesting. Drama is a series of events and is what drives the story.

In addition, any scene in a narrative work should accomplish one of three goals: move the plot, define character, or get a laugh (preferably all three, if you can get away with it). You'll find comedic moments in nearly every single movie ever made regardless of genre. If you want to have dramedy as a true genre, then you basically have to downgrade a "comedy" as a picture that possesses no plot, such as a stand-up routine.

Dude 1: I just saw a great comedy.
Dude 2: Really? What was it?
Dude 1: Bill Cosby Himself.

Good point George.  Really, everything is a sub-genre of drama.

I wonder if the people who have an issue with too much comedy in a drama would have an issue with other mixed genres. Can't imagine they could wrap their noggin around something like, "Shawn of the Dead".

Quoted from mmmarnie Can't imagine they could wrap their noggin around something like, "Shawn of the Dead".

Comedy. Lol. =)

Tee hee.    Well Sean, after you read Memories I'm going to count on you to label it either comedy or drama so I know what category to enter into for contests.       

Fine with me. By the way, with Pia's original five she listed, it's comedy, comedy, comedy, didn't see and drama. Lol. =)