1. Unit 10: Video Production
Genre: Comedy
Comedy films can be set anywhere but the most typical setting for comedy films are
suburban areas such as schools, neighborhoods or small towns. The areas are usually sunny
and bright to reflect an upbeat mood. Sometimes these areas could be slightly more rural
(or even artificial). There tends to be a lot of establishing shots to show changed locations,
characters and themes. Scenes are usually well lit using natural lighting or atmospheric
lighting such as low-key lighting and smoke to give effect. You get a lot of close ups, mid
shots and long shots, these work well with the establishing shots; this range of shots is
effective as they can be used for conversation but also to see the character’s full body. The
visual style typical with comedy films is light/modern/normal colours to reflect a normal life.
Lighting is mainly natural and high key to highlight the characters. There are few common
props used by main characters such as beer bottles, bongs and possibly guns; drugs,
drinking and violence being common themes in comedy films. Common comedy themes
include: good against bad, idiocy, drugs, drinking, violence, friendship, and conflict.
There is always more than one character in comedy films that go through the story as
almost one-person, common archetypes of characters in comedy films are: the dumb naïve
character, the odd eccentric character and the mean insensitive character. The two films I
am going to be comparing are going to be Superbad (2007) and Project x (2012). Both
coming of age, comedy films follow a group of 3 teenagers from the American suburbs who
want to use house parties as a method in becoming more popular and losing their
virginities.
Superbad follows best friends Seth and Evan as well as their
friend Fogell as they set on a mission to buy booze for a
party which proves more difficult than it seems. The three
characters are based the archetype of being a nerd; each
character expressing their own traits however to separate
them. Evan being an awkward teenage boy, Seth being a
naïve and insensitive character with Fogell being the victim
of the three.
2. In the opening scenes of the film camera techniques are used in the aid of comedic affect.
Evan’s mother approaches Seth’s car that the boys are in and bends down to talk to them.
As she bends down the camera pans down to Seth’s eye level to indicate to the audience
that he’s staring at her breasts. This scene, being targeted at teenagers, has a relatable
sense of humor as most teenager boys may have been in this situation. The camera then
cuts immediately to capture Seth’s reaction which is comical as he portrayed as in a daze,
day dreaming over Evan’s Mother, which again would be relatable to the target audience.
Characteristically and themes wise project x pretty much follows the same codes and
conventions as project x. The story follows a trio of high school students as 2 friends Costa
and J.B. aimto host a party for the third friend Thomas’ birthday in aimto get them more
popular around the school. It has scenes set in the high school and surrounding suburbs and
neighbourhoods, mainly Thomas’s house where the party occurs.
Throughout the filmit contains pretty much the exact same themes as Superbad: Sex, drugs
and violence. this is because these are the themes that are going to entice and entertain the
target audience the most; especially in the setting of a house party.
One way project x differentiates itself from superbad and breaks codes and conventions is
the camera work. It is shot in the form of a pseudo-documentary based around the party
they throw for Thomas. The filmis primarily shot using a handheld camera. It is very rare
that a shot will be taken on a proper camera; this is rare in a comedy filmand would more
likely be seen in something like a horror filmas it adds another layer of realism. The shaky
camera work provides a sense of dynamic, immersion and instability.
3. Genre: Crime/Thriller
A crime thriller usually consists of a battle between a protagonist character and an
antagonist character, normally after a disruption in the equilibrium. The protagonist
character sets out to restore this equilibrium whilst the antagonist sets out to disrupt the
peace; the film usually consists of a chain of bad events to build up tension for the audience
that will eventually lead to a final confrontation between the two.
Lighting will be low-key to create a mysterious atmosphere
quick cuts and changes in angle of shots to imply energy and chaos as well as build tension
Shots of shadows to build a mysterious atmosphere
The use of music to build up tension
The protagonist is often a brave male with the goal of restoring the equilibrium, a common
character archetype for this role would be the rookie cop.
the antagonist will maintain a hidden identity from the audience that gets revealed as the
film progresses, they often seek revenge from past experiences.
The themes of a crime thriller: the storyline is set to seem realistic to give the audience a
sense of fear in they believe it could happen to them
There will normally tend to be a lot of close ups of the protagonist to show expression,
alongside close ups of props to aid the narrative. shots of the antagonist will be quick cut
and aim to keep their identity hidden, for example, a shot of their back or a low key shot or
a shadow.
Lighting will typically be low-key. The director will include a lot of jump cuts as and quick
cuts with changes in angles in shots there will be a lot going on that the audience might not
be unaware of, this is essential for the film to make sense but will also help give a sense of
chaos and build tension. Cross cutting is a key point in editing crime thrillers as it is used to
build suspense. Continuous editing is also used to help the film flow better.
music is essential in any film. it is used to convey the mood of the characters and to indicate
important parts of the film. in a crime thriller the music will start slow and eventually build,
this will create tension and make the shots seemmore dramatic for the audience.
4. The location of a crime thriller is important for the film because it helps the audience
establish a theme. lighting will be low key antagonists will be wearing dark clothes in an aim
to keep their identity closed
The narrative structure of a crime thriller is complex and can have a lot going on at once,
sometimes information is only discovered at the end which leads the audience to
understand the whole film. It will start of in act 1 by establishing the main protagonist along
side any other main characters that will work with said character. a disruption in the
equilibrium starts act 2, typically a murder, in which the main protagonist will be given a
task; this task may not essentially be to catch the killer, however, it will be the start of their
involvement in the case. by the midpoint of the film in act 2 the stakes will have raised, for
example another death or a new character is introduced. Act 3 features the confrontation
between the protagonist and antagonist. During this final climax the protagonist will
typically defeat the antagonist and restore equilibrium. there will be a period after the
confrontation of denouncement in which the protagonist goes back to the ordinary world
after these extraordinary events.
Silence of the Lambs follows many of these narrative conventions. It is based one the main
protagonist “Clarice Starling”, a rookie FBI agent who is assigned her first task to get
information from a well known yet already incarcerated cannibal serial killer “Hannibal
Lector” as his insight might prove beneficial in catching the psychotic serial killer who is on
the loose, “Buffalo Bill” who is going around killing young women and taking their skin; This
breaks codes and conventions as conventionally the main protagonist is a male, in Silence of
the Lambs they use a female protagonist, as all the victims are female a male protagonist
wouldn’t be as threatened in this situation; the female protagonist is used to add another
level of threat to the already shown levels of threat that are sexually thrown at her by most
males she encounters through out the film.
After a chain of events in the psychiatric ward, Lector tells Clarice to visit an old patient of
his, however, when she gets there all she finds is a mans severed head in a box with a sphinx
moth in it. She them returns to Lector for him to confirm Buffalo Bill and the man are
connected and agrees to profile Buffalo Bill on conditions he’s transferred. This is how
rookie cop Clarice gets involved in this case.
5. As the number of bodies discovered increases, Buffalo Bill kidnaps a senators daughter,
“Catherine Martin”, this follows the codes and conventions of a crime thriller as this is when
the stakes are raised. This one girl has a little more importance than all the rest as her
mother is a very important person in America. This puts more of a timer on the case as the
FBI need to find the killer before he kills the senators daughter.
They offer Lector a fake deal for his information promising a transfer to a prison island. After
giving the senator herself the fake name “Louis Friend”, Starling notices this fake name as
it’s an acronym for Iron Sulphide - Fools Gold. She visits Lector who is now in a Tennessee
courthouse and demands the truth; he responds by telling her it’s all in the case file.
Starling analyses Lector’s annotations to the case files and realises Buffalo Bill knew his first
victim personally. Travelling to his home town she discovers he was a tailor, with dresses
and dress patterns identical or those removed from the victims skin. She calls head
detective at the FBI to tell him, however, he is already en route for the arrest. Although, to
the audience surprise the house is empty. whilst this is going on Clarice is interviewing
friends of Buffalo Bill in his hometown; after ending up at a “Jack Gordon’s” house she
realises that this is Buffalo Bill due to a sphinx moth, a rare moth found in the victims
bodies. After a confrontation in the multi-room basement that Catherine is being held
hostage in, Clarice shoots Buffalo Bill and restores the equilibrium.
Just before this confrontation parallel editing is used to build up tension. As the FBI close in
on this house the audience get the idea that this house is where the killer is staying. As the
FBI ring the doorbell a doorbell can be heard in the killers house. However, once the door is
opened we can see it is Clarice who is at the door. This is done to create shock and surprise
in the audience as well as to indicate how much of a dangerous situation she is in.
6. Again following conventions, the final act, Act 4, shows Clarice back in ordinary life
graduating FBI academy. At the party she receives a phone call from Hannibal Lector, who
escaped his cell in Tennessee and is now in Bimini. He assures her that he is not going to
pursue her but he is having an “old friend over for dinner”. The camera then cuts to a shot
of “Chilton”, the man who ran the first psychiatric ward, walking through a crowd.
Se7en is the second film i have selected to analyse. It surrounds another rookie cop, “David
Mills”, unlike Silence of the Lambs, this filmfollows codes and conventions by having a male
protagonist. Although it still breaks them by having an additional protagonist, “William
Somerset”, an experienced cop about to retire. This character archetype adds contrast
between the two protagonists resulting in a diverse narrative. Silence of the Lambs follows
one federal agent as she uncovers the mysteries of the serial killer but Se7en follows two.
The pair investigate a group of murders that occur one after the other based on the seven
deadly sins. The first three they investigate are Gluttony, Greed and Sloth. The latter being
strapped to his bed, surrounded by pictures taken of the victim over the last year showing
that these killings had been planned well in advance.
7. At the midpoint of the filmgenre two then use library records to track down a certain “John
Doe”, this follows narrative codes and conventions because at the midpoint a new character
has been introduced. When investigating his apartment he returns to find them before
opening fire and escaping. Tensions rise as he gets the chance to kill rookie David, however,
he lets him live. We can see it follow the codes and conventions here as the killer is dressed
in all black. Despite the protagonists knowing of the whereabouts of the killer alongside a
name they believe he has, his identity is still kept secret and the audience don’t know what
he looks like. This keeps up the mystery surrounding the character despite his reveal.
The next two murders happen before the pair can get their to stop them: Lust and Pride.
However, when the two return to the police station Doe hands himself in, blood on hands,
under two conditions or else he will plead insanity, Somerset is weary but David agrees. This
narratively directs the story as well as breaks codes and conventions as the killer will rarely
hand themselves in, usually the film builds up to the moment the detectives catch and
arrest the killer however in this filmthey couldn’t do that, indicating to the audience how
good of a killer John Doe really was. All the victims in these crimes are killed in ordinary
8. places that could be found across most towns; this is supposed to give a sense of realism
and a sense of, “it can happen to me” to give the audience the feeling of fear.
The detectives follow Doe's directions to a remote desert location. Within minutes, a
delivery van approaches. Mills holds Doe at gunpoint while Somerset intercepts the driver,
who has been instructed to bring a box to them. Doe begins to taunt Mills by telling him
how envious he was of his life with Tracy, his wife. Somerset opens the box and, in a sudden
panic, warns Mills to stay back. This is where tensions rise as the audience have no idea
what is inside the box that could raise such panic in Somerset. This is done with the aim of
keeping the audience entertained whilst also keeping the mysterious atmosphere even tho
the killer has been revealed. Doe then says that his sin was Envy, and that Tracy died as a
result of this; he also states that her head is in the box, and that she was pregnant. Despite
Somerset's warnings, Mills fatally shoots Doe, completing Doe's plan by representing Wrath.
This filmbreaks codes and conventions because in a way the equilibrium has not been
restored. By killing John Doe, David Mills fulfilled his plan which had been set from the start,
meaning he has successfully disrupted the peace.
