Unit 10: Film Production (Fiction) Section 1: Comedy Film 1: Step Brothers (2008) Film 2: Superbad (2007) Firstly, Comedy is seen as one of the most enjoyable genres of films to watch and can be made in many different forms if it follows the appropriate codes of the genre, this allows us to have an opportunity to analyze the codes and convections. Most comedy films tend to follow the same patterns and can be seen as very predictable as the story is more lighthearted and almost always end with the main protagonist resolving a problem and having a happy ending and this can bug those who are waiting for twists and a very deep plot. Here I am going to compare two comedies that have been released within four years of each other, Step Brothers and Superbad Step Brothers, directed by Adam McKay, follows two lazy, unemployed step brothers that move in together, however their insane rivalry starts to pull their parents’ marriage apart, this forces them to work together and make amends. Superbad, directed by Greg Mottola, is about two high school friends plotting to kick start their sex lives and party before they start college, however when a plan to impress at a party goes wrong, they’re quest for booze becomes extremely complicated. Narrative Codes The whole purpose of comedy is to make the audience laugh and respond in a certain way and usually follow a certain pattern when it comes to telling the story, and this is by following Todorov’s theory. This involves 5 steps, 1. The film starts with the character/s happy and content 2. A problem occurs that disrupts happiness 3. Everyone realizes the problem 4. Characters repair the problem 5. Even better equilibrium. These codes apply perfectly to the two films and could easily be compared. At the start of step brothers, both main characters are alone, leeching off their single parents and are unemployed, however with their free time, they’re very happy with themselves despite having nothing going for them and as soon as their parents find love, they’re forced to live with each other and make a huge change in their lives by getting a job, this creates a huge disturbance within the characters and disturbs the peace, whereas in Superbad, the main characters are already well known to one another and the problem arrives when after they trust their friend to supply alcohol for them, he gets caught by the police and is stuck with them which means they have to also go out of their comfort zone and find another way to require alcohol for the big party. The ‘problem’ or ‘disruption’ happens in almost every comedy movie and is seen as the only way to make the story connect and to move it along, because if the characters were always at a happy point and if there was no problem that occurs then the film would be very plain, although it would be original, it still wouldn’t be a good idea for a film. Ref 1 For reference 1, the equilibrium’s problem occurs to the actor Will Ferrell’s character as he’s forced to move into his new step dads house with his new step brother, this problem affects him dramatically, acting extremely selfish and childish, just like he would’ve when he was a boy, which is also how he thinks as his mother is still very protective over him despite him being a grown man and the problem grows when the brothers meet each other and fight for the attention of the parents just like children. At the start the main characters are heavily reliant on the parents despite their age, for example relying on parents for money to order pizza whilst they work and the son stays at home, this is quite humorous to the viewer as they sit around and do nothing all day whilst the parents get old and work to support them still although it can be a problem, since the film is a comedy, it definitely works for the genre. Whereas in Superbad, the opening scene shows Jonah hill on the phone whilst driving, talking to his best friend about online pornography, whilst the other friend played by Michael Cera is said to have not been really interested in that activity, showing that Jonah hill is the most confident and outgoing of the two as he is very open and proud about something that is seemed to be private to somebody, whereas Michael Cera isn’t as confident and a lot skinnier and geeky and awkward than his best friend, this sort of relationship between two different personalities can be a pleasant and comedic viewing as both characters can both have a lot to say, having different personalities but they’re still quite similar when it comes to their comedy. This also works well in step brothers as both of the main characters want to be completely different from each other, however they are both the same with the same geeky tastes. Also, to match the characters descriptions to blend in with the story, both of the characters are both very similar in appearance to show that they are very similar people, almost brothers which is quite clever as they are very similar people but just by different parents and brought together by their love, “finishing” their childhood together and getting jobs and moving on with their lives. Both males are similar heights with the same brown curly hair and geeky t-shirts, having a similar fashion sense as well as a taste in comics, pornography and action films. Whereas in Superbad, the main characters have a difference in height, clothing style, pitches of voice, body size and personalities, one being the ‘funny guy’ and the other being the ‘smart one’ as the way he talks and gives ideas makes him seem like a very logical thinker and maybe that conflicts with social interactions. The reason for this in the narrative is to make the film a lot more complex with differences in themselves, making them quite unlikely friends whereas in step brothers, the similarities have a meaning, showing that the two men are in fact very similar to one another. Stylistic Codes As the comedy genre is a more light-hearted genre, the cinematography and codes all need to match the speed of the narrative. In stepbrothers and Superbad, both the films have little to no action elements and is fully reliant on the dialogue and the mise en scene to make the scene work, this means that both films have normal medium shots and two shots for the cinematography in order to keep the tempo and timing right and appropriate. Ref 2 In reference 2, most of the shots are focused on the characters, with the shots being eye level with the characters which keep them neutral within the scene, not being dominating or belittled, but on par with the audience. The exact same strategies are used in step brothers, however there is a scene where the characters are attacked by children and are beaten up, during that scene it is fast paced aerial shots looking down on the main cast to represent weakness, but most of the scenes from that comedy classic does involve the same cinematography The mise en scene within movies are very important, and within the two movies this is very crucial. In Superbad, the main settings used is high schools, house parties and stores, all very relatable for teenagers which made this film very popular with audiences from the age group as it is very familiar with the audience. Whereas in step brothers, the main settings are their house and a few other buildings such as offices, public areas etc. These areas are important as they focus on the characters lack of responsibilities and focus on their free time of doing almost nothing in their day to day life. These settings are very well chose for the movies narrative and necessary for the comedy genre for it to make perfect sense. Section 2: Drama FILM 3: FIGHT CLUB FILM 4: AMERICAN PSYCHO Firstly, the drama genre is seen as the most common of movie genres as the category can fall under any storyline as long as the cinematography and timing is delivered correctly, so for that, to make an original film is a very difficult, and fight club and American psycho are brilliant examples of that. Fight club tells the story of a nameless narrator and his newly found business associate and their tale of their underground secret fight club American Psycho is set in the 80s, following the hectic routine of Patrick Bateman who aside from his high-ranking jobs in wall street, is a psychopathic murderer. Narrative Codes However, in this film, some theories don’t apply to these films such as American psycho as the main character is the antagonist or the anti-hero as we are rooting for the villain and in fight club the main characters end up being the same person and the ending doesn’t end well on either of the films. This makes the films very original and extremely well done in terms of narrative. The story of fight club is based on the unnamed narrators’ interactions with a businessman named Tyler Durden, however after a fighting club has been discovered by the pair to fight against their anxieties, the narrator turns out to be Tyler Durden and his vision of his friend was just his imagination, and the film ends with him committing terrorism within a city. And in American Psycho, the film ends with him wondering if the crimes he committed throughout the film was actually reality. Ref 3 Another similarity is that both films use non-diegetic narration and has a restricted narrative where we only know what the main characters know which can lead to many effective twists by the end of the film. The narration speaks in the first person to the audience, almost as if it was breaking the 4th wall and speaking directly to you. This is effective to the genre as it uses original stories and ways of making the genre work. Stylistic Codes Ref 4 In both films, they use a lot of cinematography, especially American psycho which I will focus on. American psycho takes place in the mind of Patrick Bateman and needs to focus on him and how he deals with his psychotic needs. In one particular scene, Bateman brutally murders one of his coworkers, he gets him drunk and lures him back to his apartment which is all covered in plastic protective wrapping. He dresses in a transparent rain coat and equips an axe, distracting his victim with huey Lewis and the news on the stereo. The mise en scene takes a huge part in this scene, as his apartment was a safe and quiet place for him to lure him so he covered his whole apartment with wrapping so no traces of the victim can be found in Batemans apartment, his axe has a huge significance as this is his weapon of choice to dismember his victim and kill him to the beat of ‘hip to be square; on the stereo that doesn’t fit the scene at all but can be heard by Bateman, seeming to take a huge enjoyment out of killing his victim. However, in fight club, the mise en scene is mainly underground set inside the fight club, the lighting is dark and gritty, men are fighting each other and the place doesn’t look very pleasant, this could be all be how the narrator sees himself as he seems very depressed and dark throughout the film and the only place he finds enjoyment is through fighting underground. The lighting is usually very dark and quite yellow, mainly lighting up the focused characters to signify importance. Overall all the films fit the criteria’s of the genres very well and are very effective in showing the audience.