‘We Have Ways of Making You Laugh’ Film Course at Hackney Picturehouse- new start date 18 June!

We’re delighted to announce we have a new film course at Hackney Picturehouse starting on Tuesday 18 June! ‘We Have Ways of Making You Laugh’  is a six week course on the ‘Methods and Mechanics of American Cinema Comedy’ led by Steve Pinhay who has previously led the popular courses ‘From JAWS to PROMETHEUS: The Rise and Rise of the Modern Movie Blockbuster’ and ‘From Maverick to Mainstream: American Independent Cinema’.See below for more details about what   ‘We Have Ways of Making You Laugh’ has in store for you- course places are available to book now and are sure to fill up quickly! WE HAVE WAYS OF MAKING YOU LAUGHThe Methods and Mechanics of American Cinema ComedySix week course Tuesday evenings 7.30-9.30pm from 18 June – 23 July 2013.Course leader: Steve Pinhay Book online for for the full course here.Hollywood and post-Hollywood comedy films are usually discussed in terms of genre (slapstick screwball spoof) period (silent post-war contemporary) performers (Chaplin Allen Carrey) or auteurs (Sennett Capra The Farrelly Brothers). But why do they make us laugh? This course whilst acknowledging all of the above will look at some of the characteristics that cut across the categories and eras. Using a century of cinematic comedy as material – SEVEN CHANCES WAY OUT WEST DUCK SOUP ROADRUNNER HIS GIRL FRIDAY THE BELLBOY ANNIE HALL AIRPLANE! GROUNDHOG DAY THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN JUNO – the course will explore the dysfunctional couples kidults authority figures and narcissists who people the American comedy universe. It will also look at the structures and techniques of comedy narrative and production and the joys of creating havoc and disharmony in a world too often restricted by convention and good taste. NB – the full films WILL NOT be shown during the classes but extracts will be shown to support the discussions.About the Course Leader: Steve Pinhay is a television producer film and television tutor and cartoonist. His TV credits include SMTV Live and Comic Relief and he is a Tutor at the National Film and Television School and Met Film School. Previously Steve was founder/director of Watershed Media Centre in Bristol where he taught adult education courses and summer schools as well as interviewing everyone from Russ Meyer and the Monty Pythons to Michael Powell and Daniel Day-Lewis.”