Me and My MoviesAdam Foster

Hot FuzzDirector: Edgar WrightYear of Production: 2007Hot Fuzz is a police comedy about a top cop in London who is transferred to a small village in the countryside and is paired with another cop who isn’t so smart, they encounter some suspicious accidents and events and have to solve the mystery behind them.

AnchormanDirector: Adam McKayYear of Production: 2004Anchorman is about a man named Ron Burdgundy who is the top Anchorman in San Diego but a new female anchor arrives with the intention of ruining him and becoming the next top anchor in San Diego.

American PieDirector: Paul WeitzYear of Production: 1999American Pie is about four teenage boys in their last year high school who make a pact to lose their virginity before prom as they are having no luck with women, they think making a pact is a good idea so they can spur each other to achieve their target.

The main elements of the comedy genre that attract me to it are mainly the stars, actors such as Will Ferrell, Seth Rogen, Simon Pegg and many more. They all star in a lot of my favourite comedy films and they make them a lot more enjoyable to watch. The story often involves the characters encountering problems on the way to achieving their goal which are often given a twist because of the nature of the genre and they always make the film more enjoyable and funny to watch. Also I find comedy films to be quite relatable, usually the characters have a problem which I and lots of other people can always relate to because people of the age who the film is aimed at may have similar problems and can often relate but with a humorous twist.

What attracts me to this genre?

Area of Analysis Example Technical feature (Camera/sound/mise en scene/ editing)

Conforms to genre? Y/N Breaks conformity? Y/NIf yes, how?

Codes and conventions

Appearance of the characters, funny clothes/moustaches. Characters pulling funny faces.

Characters talking in funny voices, lots of characters together talking and laughing.

Yes No

Setting

Set in San Diego, mainly in a TV studio. Typical American city.

Lots of large buildings, always sunny. A few establishing shots of San Diego are used.

Yes No

Character

Dressed in funny costume, all have funny hairstyles and unusual facial hair.

Close ups of characters so you can see the funny elements of the characters.

Yes No

Themes

Love – between Ron Burgundy and the female anchor.

The two characters are shown on screen together a lot and there is a theme of love at some parts even though mainly they dislike eachother.

Yes No

Narrative

Ron Burgundy is a very highly rated anchorman in San Diego but his place as top anchor is jeopardised when a female anchor aims to become top anchor.

The two anchors sat in the studio shows the rivalry between the two and the goal in common.

Yes No

Film title Anchorman trailer Director Adam McKay Year 2004 Genre Comedy

Iconography

Large bridges + buildings in San Diego – typical American city

Lots of establishing shots are used to show this.

Yes No

Anchorman Trailer Analysis

Area of Analysis Example Technical feature (Camera/sound/mise en scene/ editing)

Conforms to genre? Y/N Breaks conformity? Y/NIf yes, how?

Codes and conventions

Lots of references to rude scenes: parents catching their son watching porn, scenes of characters with few clothes on, characters watching girls on live streams.

Some comedy films often include rude scenes like the ones mentioned because it appeals to the target audience.

Yes No

Setting

Typical American high school, large American houses, parties.

American flags all around the school. Lots of scenes with people drinking and dancing to indicate it’s a party.

Yes No

Character

Four slightly geeky teenagers, one friend who has lots of luck with girls.

The four main characters all have strange fashion sense and unusual haircuts whereas the other friend has a slightly better fashion sense etc.

Yes No

Themes

Love – each of the characters has a love interest within the film.

The characters are often shown with their love interest and presented so you know there is something between them.

Yes No

Narrative

The four main characters enter a pact to lose their virginity by prom.

There is a scene where the four characters put their hands together and make the pact official so you know they’re all in it together.

Yes No

Iconography

Sunny American city. A few shots are used giving you a glimpse of what the city they are in looks like and shows it to look sunny and like a nice place to live.

Yes No

Film title American PieDirector Paul WeitzYear 1999Genre Comedy

American Pie Trailer Analysis

Area of Analysis Example Technical feature (Camera/sound/mise en scene/ editing)

Conforms to genre? Y/N Breaks conformity? Y/NIf yes, how?

Codes and conventions

Police uniforms, police cars, guns, criminals, gorey incidents.

All things you would expect to see in a police movie but there is the humorous twist to all of these things.

Yes No

Setting

Rural English village. Churches, country pubs, cottages are all features of a typical rural village and there are no particularly large buildings.

No Yes, usually an action/police film would set be set in a large city but the main policeman has been moved to this rural village.

Character

Typical highly skilled policeman and a slow witted companion.

There are lots of clips of him showing his ability and determination.

No Yes, usually the main policeman would be quite good looking and would be quite muscly but this policeman is fairly ugly and quite chubby too.

Themes

Friendship between the two policeman, at first it takes the main policeman a while to get used to the slow witted policeman but they develop quite a strong bond.

Lots of clips of the two together, looking like a great police partnership.

Yes No

Narrative

A highly skilled policeman is transferred to a rural village where it appears nothing is happening but there is a big mystery behind it all.

There are scenes of the main policeman doing lots of research and paperwork to uncover the truth behind the village.

Yes No

Film title Hot FuzzDirector Edgar WrightYear 2007Genre Comedy-Action

Hot Fuzz Trailer Analysis

What makes me go to see a film?

The main thing that makes me to go to see a film is the trailer of the film or if it is a highly anticipated sequel to a film series I have enjoyed. If the trailer makes the film look interesting or if it has a cast of actors who I really like then most of the time I will go to see the film. The genre can also influence me, generally I would be more influenced to go and see a comedy than any other type of film but action and horror films also appeal to me and if the film looks really good then I will usually just go for any genre. I would also go to see a film if it is a highly anticipated summer blockbuster, even if it doesn’t interest me all that much I would still probably because it has high expectations. Also I would see a film based on the director, if a director I like released a new film I would be more tempted to see it because I know that director generally makes films I enjoy.

Where I find out about my films?Quite often I find out about films from friends and family who would recommend a film to me based on what they know I like. Also social networking sites such as twitter and facebook sometimes help me find out about films, when people talk about them and hype them up it persuades me to go and see it. Quite often if I like an actor, I would use IMDB and look at films they have been in and watch a few of them and films similar. Also on IMDB, there is a list of similar films to a film I like and sometimes I choose to watch one of them because I know it would be good.

Reception Theory

Reception theory is the theory of people being interested in a specific genre or type of film based on their cultural background, what they like doing, life experiences and more. For example, I enjoy watching comedy films, particularly teenage comedies because it’s something I can relate to and I am interested in the kind of things they do in the films so they interest me more than other genres of film. But with other people, they may enjoy romance films because they are generally a romantic person and may have experienced break-ups similar to those in films so they can relate to it.

Active Spectatorship

Active spectatorship is looking at elements of a specific genre and researching why they attract people to that genre. For example in James Bond, we always see nice cars, nice looking women etc and that attracts people to watch it because they like to see that in films. In comedy films you see things such as parties which interests most teenagers because it’s what people of that age generally do and enjoy. These are typical things we see in certain genres and must be included in a film of that genre to attract as many viewers as possible.