Much as every action movie needs its chase scene, and every romance needs its star-crossed lovers, in order for a comedy film to get the laughs, it will undoubtedly rely on a few touchstones for comedy gold.

So any film director looking to supply the perfect launchpad for some belly-laughs should investigate a few of these iconic comedy scenarios.

Toilet humour

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Movie history is littered with numerous examples of cinematically-enhanced bowel movements and it’s a failsafe option for any director to provide a cheap, but effective laugh. From Ben Stiller’s troubling moments in There’s Something About Mary, to the acute case of Brazilian food poisoning in Bridesmaids, it seems there’s no limit to the laughs that can be achieved through a little toilet humour. And with online casino site Lucky Nugget Casino revealing that the majority of users play their games whilst occupied in ‘other activities’, it seems that the humble toilet can offer all of us a little something extra.

Fighting for laughs

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The slapstick appeal offered by a good fight scene has not been unnoticed by the world’s filmmakers. From the perfectly choreographed Mexican wrestling mishaps of Nacho Libre, to the hilarious fighting gangs of newscasters in Anchorman, it provides the perfect recipe for providing laughs at the protagonist’s expense.

Romantic comedy

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Few things in life are more cringe-worthy than a particularly awkward love scene. And as a result, cinema history is littered with examples of numerous romantic dalliances going wrong to spectacular effect. Whether it’s Steve Carrell’s painful first attempts of love in the 40 Year Old Virgin, or even the amazing grossed-out sex scene in Team America, the simple act of love shows no limits in its ability to make our toes curl.

Bad dancing

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Everybody’s done their share of bad dancing in their lives, but sometimes you need Hollywood to show you how to really dance badly. Perhaps the pinnacle of bad dancing in recent years came with the Inbetweeners film, but most will have a soft spot in their hearts for Napoleon Dynamite’s heroic dance efforts.

Simple swearing

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Few things can cause as much spontaneous laughter as a well-placed swear word, and cinema history is littered with some excellent examples of well-crafted cursing. From the surprise use of the ‘C’ word in Bridesmaids, to the record-breaking swearing of The Wolf of Wall Street, there’s few better ways to grab an audience’s attention than by a good bit of swearing.

Can you think of other techniques which are easily used?