Sitcoms - Repeated Patterns

Sitcoms are characterized by many aspects such as being a half hour comedy, episodic, consist of the modified three-act structure, and that they cycle through repeated patterns. Repeated patterns are usually in the form of a daily routine the characters of the show go through. This provides a familiarity to the viewers even though the plot/conflict is different in every episode.

Season 2 Episode 21

For example, take the TV show, The Big Bang Theory. Physicists Leonard and Sheldon accompanied by their friends Howard (a mechanical engineer) and Rajesh (an astrophysicist) have several patterns that they cycle through in the majority of the episodes. After spending time on their own research, they all join together at Leonard and Sheldon’s apartment to each take out, play video games, watch sci-fi movies, and go to the comic book store…and of course talk about Penny, the blonde who lives across the hall. So even though each episode presents a different obstacle than the last for these characters, they still go through their repeated routines  that are characteristic to the show.

Film Shots and Camera Angles - A Walk to Remember

In film, there are three different main shots filmed – the long shot, medium shot, and close up. Each type of shot holds a specific meaning and message. There are also three camera angles – the eye-level angle, high angle, and low angle. To show these aspects of the film language I have taken pictures of shot from the film, A Walk to Remember (2002).

The Long Shot

The long shot is the orientation shot. It shows the object from afar to express the relationship between it and its surroundings and/or situation. It expresses sadness, loneliness, and isolation.

The long shot you see above is from the scene, “Not Going Anywhere,” which takes place after Landon’s dad says he is the wrong type of doctor and cannot help Jamie, Landon’s girlfriend, who has Leukemia. The use of the long shot here, represents how Landon is dealing with Jamie’s situation. He is sad that he cannot help her, he is sad that his dad will not help him to help her, and he is alone. In this shot, Landon is standing in front of open water, without any activity, showing isolation. The high angle takes power away from the subject – it is out of Landon’s power to help Jamie…at least medically.

The Medium Shot

The medium shot is the information shot. It shows information about the relationship between characters, usually who is the most important, the most powerful, or the leader(s)/follower(s). It is the most utilized shot in film.

The medium shot above is from the scene, “Appropriate Punishment,” which is the scene that shows the community service hours Landon has to complete. He is completing janitorial work when his friends walk in and poke fun at Jamie for being such a devout Christian and nerd. This shot shows the power lines between the group: Dean (in the middle) is the leader and Eric (left) and Walter (right) are the followers. Even just the fact that Dean is in the middle and closer to the camera, shows that he is in charge. The slight low angle gives the subject power – in this case the power Dean has over his friends and “victims.”

The Close Up

The close up shot show important details, especially about feelings and emotions.

In this close up from the scene, “Jamie’s Confession,” Jamie confesses to Landon that she has Leukemia and has stopped responding to treatments. After hearing this, Landon seeks help from his dad, who is a cardiologist, but is shot down. His solemn drive home is filmed using the close up shot. This type of shot allows the audience to see his emotional state, one of sadness. The eye-level camera angle allows the audience to identify with Landon and what he is feeling at this point of the film.

Star System

An important aspect of Classical Hollywood studio system was the star system, which was the “film studios’ use of stars’ popularity to promote their movies” (Media Now, 192). Studios would take young actors and actresses with promising potential and create a persona for them, and in many cases, even give them a new name. Studios used this system to make and control iconic actors and actresses to make as much profit off them as they could. I find that the star system is extremely important to take note of in order to understand how film studios of the Classical Hollywood operated.

The star system affected what kind of movies the studio made. Once the studios obtained actors or actresses and created a persona for them, they would then make movies in a genre to go along with the persona. If they had a beautiful young actress, the studio would make romantic films starring said actress.

A great example of the star system is the beloved Judy Garland. She was born Frances Ethel Gumm and was discovered as a young teenage girl with a voice by MGM. She signed with MGM and it was at the time that her name was changed to Judy Garland. MGM proceeded to give Judy the young, cute, “girl next door” look. MGM used this image to promote their films that they put her in, like The Wizard of Oz. The studio doctors even gave her pills to slenderize her figure and keep it that way. This only contributed to her life-long drug addiction.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000023/bio

Judy Garland 1941

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2085525504/nm0000023

All in the Family vs. Full House

Situation comedy (also known as sitcom) is a genre of comedy that has a cast of recurring characters and environment. It has been around for a long time and has seen the best of the decades since the genre was introduced to television. Some examples were “All in the Family” of the 1970s and “Full House” from the 1980s and 1990s. Even though almost a decade sets these two shows apart, they have similar qualities and yet are very different.

“All in the Family” and “Full House” share similar structures. Both are based on a family, primarily in the family’s home. Both have father figures, mother figures, a younger and older generation, and all problems in between. Both shows portray their time period and they mind sets of a range of characters.

However, these two shows greatly vary, primarily because of their different time periods. Take for example, the father figures. Archie Bunker, the father in “All in the Family” is a middle-aged, middle-class male of the 70s, who is cynical bigot. He speaks his mind about homosexuality in a blunt way, using language in what modern day would be considered too offensive. In contrast, take the father of “Full House,” Danny Tanner. He has an extremely different mindset in that he was conservative. In the 1990s, the type of language Archie demonstrated was no longer used on a family show. Instead of using Archie brutality to portray a controversial social issue, the 90s use Danny’s overprotective personality to breach the subjects in a conservative manner.

In “All in the Family” audiences experience all sorts of social issues like in the episode “Judging Books by Covers,” when Archie is irritated by Mike’s (Archie’s son-in-law) friend, who in Archie’s mind is homosexual. This is not a common subject since it is so controversial, but it is in fact seen in this show. However, the writers and actors made light of the situation by portraying Archie’s foolishness due to his mistaken accusations. In more modern shows like “Full House,” lighter subjects are typically used.  In this show, the audience sees the struggles of raising a family and unique personalities such as the rock-n-roll Elvis-inspired Jesse, and the lovable comedian, Joey.

http://www.amazon.com/All-Family-Complete-First-Season/dp/B002E58FT2/ref=sr_1_3?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1286162930&sr=1-3

http://www.ultimatedisney.com/fullhouse-season7.html