Cinema scholars speak on many important topics, such as the role of the concessions stand in the modern movie-going experience, say, or how a rise in drama reflects the current cultural worries.
But a chief subject for plenty of film profs? How watching movies, specifically comedies, is very much a communal experience. We viewers don't tend to make much noise during a sad movie -- perhaps a sniffle or two -- but we laugh together when watching something funny. And sharing the experience has a way of changing that experience, for the better.
Enter the LA Comedy Shorts Film Festival, which marks its half-decade anniversary in 2013. Yes, there has been a meteoric rise in the quality of Internet shorts, specficially comedic shorts, but you're usually enjoying that all by your lonesome, in front of a solitary computer screen.
This festival, which opens at the Downtown Independent on Thursday, April 4, is about ha-ha-ing en masse. And there are plenty of ha-ha-worthy things to watch over the course of the four-day fest. Comedy team Key & Peele are set to receive the fest's award, while newcomers will see their works screened (they'll vie for cash prizes, too).
For people wanting to break bigger in comedy, it's a chance to do so outside of LA's improv stages and stand-up. For people wanting to laugh with other people, and not pay a lot to do so, this is a fine chance.
And figure you may spot someone who'll be a star in a few years. That's pretty braggable. And that you saw them in person, and not just while visiting an internet site, gets you an extra gold star.