when there is a fight scene in a cartoon exaggerated kicks and punches with pow and kablam
popping up are expected or if you're watching a cartoon and there's a horror scene and the Monster
eats the cheerleader and her body is bloodied and gushing that's all right or you're watching
a cartoon of a detective standing over a dead body realizing a critical piece of evidence on the
crime scene and when he pulls off his glasses and says well I guess he died of a broken heart that
won't be too jarring however when these scenes are happening in a live action movie or television
show with actors portraying these exaggerated characters you can describe this experience as
campy cartoons are inherently over emphasized that is the nature of the medium a key principle of
Animation after all is exaggeration however when we watch real people in the real world behavior
and emotions are often dialed down generally speaking people are subtle subtlety is great
subtlety is the Godfather saying I'll make him an offer he can't refuse without causing us to cringe
subtlety is Gone With the Wind when Clark Abel says frankly my dear I don't give a damn and we
feel the pain subtlety is the snow globe falling out of Charles Foster Kane's hand and being in
emphasis without being exaggerated the refined nature of a subtle performance or design is often
regarded as high art and it can be associated with a bit of pretentiousness as you can already tell
campy is the opposite Cappy is not subtle can't be as flashy campy is exaggerated and because of
this it's often perceived as being in bad taste or ironic the argument against Camp is that it's
the result of incompetence and inexperience they can't do it well so they'll do it bad
to say you're trying to make something can't be is to say that you want to make something poorly
by being ostentatious Sensational and excessive that's why many cult classics are described as
being so bad it's good proponents of campiness will tell you that the style in fact challenges
the audience pushing them to experience the genre theme aesthetic and milieu in an unfamiliar way
it's not trying to replicate life it's attempting to stretch the boundary of our comfort and
security it allows us to lower the mask of seriousness we constantly hold up to the world
for many years Camp was a style adopted by the gay culture it was a catalyst to have a deeper
conversation about the narrow-mindedness that a middle-class Society could often trap itself in
in Susan sontag's essay entitled notes on Camp she describes Camp as the love for the unnatural it is
not fake Elegance but rather a surreal occurrence of beauty and it can be applied with intention
today there is a slight difference in usage between the terms campy and camp y describes
the misuse of an exaggerated element in a piece while Camp is a well-thought design emphasis or
aspect that offers an unconventional view it's this gray area that causes many campy Works to
be so polarizing was the room by Tommy Wiseau a masterpiece created by a Visionary of camp or
was it a troubled project built upon rudimentary plot devices and unfit performances yes while it's
common for critics to hate campy entertainments audiences often flock to them horror is one of the
most popular genres that thrive on Camp one reason is that we go in not taking it too seriously
we watch horror movies through a cartoon lens distancing ourselves from the actors on the
screen and accepting that those people aren't real and their certain demise will not be a
tragedy we can just sit back and enjoy the blood and gore of course not all Horrors rely on Camp
some resemble the anxiousness of reality slow and tense that's a psychological Thriller that Silence
of the Lamb that's not an amusement ride the way a campy horror movie is audiences love campy movies
because it's not serious it's fun and the moment you start analyzing it is the moment you kill the
spirit however people are smart and they can often tell if an element of Camp was intentionally added
or if it was a clumsy mistake a poorly dubbed movie and out of place romance and over-the-top
fight scene campiness can also ruin an experience when the audience's expectations are not met they
would wonder what's going on if the actor gives an exaggerated performance in a moment that was
supposed to feel real that's why campiness is best done with the audience in mind you cannot throw a
campy element into a piece and expect everyone to respond in the same way campiness in its nature is
a bright color or an eye-catching pattern so when you use it make sure it's pointing the attention
at the right thing because the viewers will notice so let's get back to the ultimate question
how do you make something so bad it's good there is no secret formula but being purposeful
with Camp is certainly one strategy when you're judging a piece of work ask what criteria you're
using to evaluate it those that will criticize a movie as campy are those looking for elevated
conventional traits anything outside of those bounds is deemed bad they're comparing it to
great movies of the past however a great campy movie isn't like anything they've seen before
those who appreciate a campy movie are analyzing it through a completely different lens they are
seeking something outside of convention a novel ride or the surrealness of beauty if you want to
reach this crowd ask what hasn't existed before and then bring it to life and make it fabulous
campy has a bad connotation and it's not fair because while something may not be your taste
it may also not be made for you so whenever you see Camp ask yourself what is the artist trying to
portray examine whether it's done intentionally to make a statement or to give you a surreal
experience or perhaps it was just a sloppy exaggeration entertainment is riddled with camp
the longer you search the more you will find by seeking out camp you begin to recognize your own
taste for genre and style how can you use Camp to highlight a point in your next story thank you for
watching if you enjoyed this video please give it a like and check out this playlist right here my
name is Elliot I make videos about writing and the creative process if that interests you subscribe