Sounding Funny
Sound and Comedy Cinema
Edited by Mark Evans and Philip Hayward

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Book Presentation:
Comedy has been a feature of cinema since its inception. From mickey-moused accompaniments to slapstick scenes, ironic musical statements, clever musical allusions and jokes, well-worn sound effects, and even laugh tracks, sound has been integral to the development of the comedy on screen. This volume covers all aspects of sound (including dialogue) and music as they have been utilised in comedy film. The volume looks at various subsets of the 'comedy film' from the post-War period, including black comedy, romantic comedy, slapstick, dialogue comedy, parody and spoofs. This volume aims to explore the way in which music and sound articulate humour, create comedic situations and direct comedic identifications for viewer/listeners.
About the authors:
Mark Evans is Head of the Department of Contemporary Music Studies at Macquarie University and is co-editor of Perfect Beat - The Pacific Journal of Research into Contemporary Music and Popular Culture. Philip Hayward has taught film and popular music studies in Australia and the United Kingdom and is Professor and Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor (Research) at Southern Cross University, Australia.
Press Reviews:
Through analyses of franchises, films, and sequences, Sounding Funny successfully identifies numerous ways in which music and sound have been used to create on-screen humor across genres, cultures, and markets. Its coverage of these sonic moves is by nature diffuse, but the book nevertheless recognizes several primary methods for enhancing filmic comedy through sound, including playful incongruity, intertextual reference, and meaningful contrast between musical styles. The value of this book lies in its breadth, and its authors' many observations and detailed studies provide fertile ground for future research into the connections between music, sound, and humor.
Notes
See the publisher website: Equinox Publishing
> From the same authors:
The Singing Voice in Contemporary Cinema (2020)
Dir. Diane Hughes and Mark Evans
> On a related topic:
Making Stereo Fit (2024)
The History of a Disquieting Film Technology
Listening With a Feminist Ear (2023)
Soundwork in Bombay Cinema
The Auditory Setting (2023)
Environmental Sounds in Film and Media Arts
Listening Deafly and the Rhetoric of Sound (2023)
Voice, Silence, and Listening in Hollywood Films