Classical 3 Act Hollywood Structure: Mean Girls

The movie Mean Girls follows the 3 Act Hollywood structure Professor Ramirez-Berg described in his lecture.
The first part, the Introduction, takes place when we are introduced to Cady Heron, as the protagonist. The film takes us through her first few days at a real high school, after being home schooled in Africa her whole life. After a few rough days of trying and failing to make friends, Cady finally befriends some other outcasts, Janice and Damien, who teach her the dynamics of high school. The first plot point, or mini-climax, takes place when Cady, Janice, and Damien plot to sabotage the school's popular clique of girls, the Plastics.

This begins the Complication section of the movie, in which Cady becomes a part of the Plastics and reports all of her findings to Janice and Damien, as they plot their next move. Slowly, Cady gets wrapped up in living the life of a Plastic, and starts turning into the Queen Bee. After the group succeeds in taking down the original Queen Bee, Regina George, Cady herself becomes the new "Mean Girl." Plot Point number two takes place when Cady has a party at her house and skips Janice's art show. Janice and Damien then show up at her house, proclaiming her a "mean girl."

The Climax of the movie occurs when the Plastics' "Burn Book," full of mean things bashing the other girls, boys, and even teachers at their school, is turned into the Principal. Of course, this is after Regina has posted copies all around the building for everyone to read. The school then goes wild as girls fight with each other and accuse each other of writing the pages from the book. All of the girls are then called to an emergency assembly in which they discuss their feelings and try to work through the drama. Cady and Regina get in a fight and Regina ends up getting hit by a bus. People then spread rumors that Cady was the one who pushed her in front of the bus, and the whole school turns against her. 

The third act, or Resolution, occurs when Cady starts to come back to her senses. She takes all the blame for the "Burn Book" and joins the Mathletes as her punishment, where she actually ends up winning the competition. She goes to the Spring Fling dance and wins Spring Fling Queen and gives a nice speech trying to make it up to everyone. She dances with and kisses the "hottie" she had a crush on, and everyone learned their lesson about cliques and mean girls. 

photos from: 

http://images1.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Janice-Ian-lizzy-caplan-881369_1400_916.jpg

http://static.reelmovienews.com/images/gallery/cady-heron.jpg

http://l.yimg.com/eb/ymv/us/img/hv/photo/movie_pix/paramount_pictures/mean_girls/tina_fey/burnbook.jpg

http://img.listal.com/image/1341996/500.jpg

The Episodic Format of the Typical Sitcom

Last class, Colin Tait showed us the many different aspects of television shows, particularly sitcoms. I feel that the episodic format of the sitcom is a defining characteristic which sets it apart from other TV shows. Mr. Tait described this format as non-continuous from episode to episode, with each episode leaving the viewer with a particular message or lesson. This format is very attractive to many television watchers who don't have the time or the patience to keep up with a serial formatted show. This unique aspect allows the sitcom to gain a sporadic, but large, following based on convenience and simplicity. 

One of my favorite shows, Modern Family, is a sitcom which uses the episodic format. Each episode is different, and doesn't require information gained from previous episodes to be understood. Only the characters remain constant, but the situation constantly changes. This show also often ends with a lesson based on the characters' experiences within that particular episode. For instance, in one episode, two of the characters, Claire and Mitchell, learn the importance of being brutally honest to their loved ones as the struggle to reveal possibly hurtful, but helpful, truths. Through the episodic method, Modern Family has exhibited a variety of comedic situations, earning it not only awards, but the attention of the American public. 

Photo from: http://static.tvfanatic.com/images/gallery/modern-family-poster.jpg

The Notebook Camera Shots

Directors utilize different camera shots to convey different messages about the scene and character relationships. The Long shot usually shows isolation or sadness, the Medium shot gives information about characters and their relationships, and the Close up gives us an intimate look into the characters feelings and is usually used during an intense moment in a scene.
In the movie, The Notebook, all of these shots are used to better highlight the intense feelings going on throughout the movie. In the infamous scene where Noah and Allie take the boat out on the lake, we see all of these shots at work.
The scene begins with a series of long shots, establishing the setting and showing Noah and Allie's isolation from the rest of the world and their problems.

The shots then progress to medium shots as Allie and Noah begin to talk. The conversation is casual and lighthearted, showing the stiffness of their relationship and foreshadowing the explosion of feeling that is to come.

The shots then switch to close-ups as the conversation gets more emotional. The director uses these shots so that the viewers can better understand the intensity of the moment and connect to the character's feelings.

This is just one of many examples of the significance of shot variety. Each shot is chosen by the director to ensure that the audience is able to connect with and understand the story that the film is telling. 

The Star System in Classical Hollywood Studios

The Classical Hollywood Studios utilized the audience's captivation with movie stars to promote their films, and even certain products, making it a key aspect to the studios' success. This method, known as the "Star System" involved associating stars with specific genres or talents, giving the audience a consistency to expect and look forward to. The studios would use the stars as marketing tools, highlighting their presence in films in order to gain viewers.
Because this method was so successful in creating loyal fans and viewers, it led the studios to focus their films on the stars, rather than the plot or character development.  Also, because the stars we such successful marketing tools, the studios would often insert advertisements into their films, using the stars as endorsers. The example of Judy Garland used in class shows her endorsing another MGM actor, Clark Gable, in the middle of a film she was starring in. In this way, MGM was using the popularity of one star to increase the popularity of another. This was important, as the studios competed over how many stars they had under contract; the more stars they had, the more films they could produce using the successful "Star System."
In the following movie posters, it is apparent that the stars are the entire focus of the film. Not only is the illustration a close-up of their faces, but, in some of them, the names of the stars are larger than the title of the film. Highlighting the faces of the stars rather than including an illustration more relevant to the plot shows the "Star System" in action, as it promotes the stars over the picture itself.

Photos from: 

http://www.threemoviebuffs.com/review/postmanalwaysringstwice

http://filmjournal.net/clydefro/category/blogroll/1930s/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/20348545@N05/3132505701/

http://baldmtpress.com/posters/movie_posters_hollywood_posters.htm

The Emmy award winning sitcom, "Modern Family," is the latest family-based television sensation. It's similarities and differences with "All in the Family" show how shows like this have evolved over the decades based on issues that are important at the time.

"Modern Family" shows a variety of different family types all within one family. This difference from "All in the Family" shows the acceptance of the intermix of cultures and beliefs that have become part of today's society. Both shows bring out controversial issues like being gay. They also both use comedy to better deal with these issues so that the audience feels less tension when they are confronted. These differences show how issues in America have become more prominent as they are displayed more openly in "Modern Family"; however, both sitcoms show how America utilizes entertainment media to convey the importance of certain issues to the public. While "All in the Family" used the character interaction to express issues, "Modern Family" addresses the issues of the family itself, thus displays them directly showing how the issue has grown from being talked about, to being put into action.