Front-facing camera comedy

Front-facing camera comedy is a comedic genre filmed on the front-facing camera of smartphones in which performers deliver in-character monologues while directly facing the camera, sometimes playing multiple roles. Early iterations of front-facing camera comedy went viral on Vine in the early 2010s, and now frequently appear on TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram.[1] Notable practitioners include Cole Escola,[2] Chloe Fineman,[3] and Megan Stalter,[1] the latter of whom has referred to the genre as "solo improv". While it has become a defining form for some comedians, others use it to workshop material that will eventually be polished for use on more traditional platforms.[4]

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the closure of live comedy venues and a subsequent "pivot" to front-facing camera comedy.[5][6] In March 2020, New York Times critic Jason Zinoman declared it "the dominant comedy form" of the pandemic.[1]

References
  1. Zinoman, Jason. "Now Playing Nightly on Instagram: Sketch Comedy’s Newest Star," The New York Times 29 Mar. 2020.
  2. Black, Chris. "YouTube Picks From the Cultural Cognoscenti," W Magazine 20 Mar. 2020.
  3. Squires, Bethy. "Who Got the Most Screen Time on SNL Season 45?" Vulture.com 18 May 2020.
  4. Martin, Clare. "The Rise—and Limitations—of Front-Facing Camera Comedy," Paste 31 Jan. 2020.
  5. Nuta, Sara. "Tweeting Through Quar With Rachel Sennott," Paper 11 May 2020.
  6. Gillespie, Katherine. "So You Want to Make a Quarantine Comedy Video," Paper 14 May 2020.


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