Full film analysis

The Other Half

This film complies with Propp’s character theory as it contains many of the fairytale characters e.g. the Villain of the narrative is the man in Mark’s
head who tempts the hero into going to the games despite what he is risking by doing so, the Hero of the narrative is Mark who struggles against temptation and the Princess of the narrative is Holly. The characters of which are very stereotypical e.g. Mark is stereotypical working class English male who is obsessed with football and has no airs and graces about him. Holly is also quite stereotypically female; she hates football and loves sight seeing. The use of stereotypes helps the audience to relate to the characters as they are easily identifiable.
The narrative of the film is in a linear fashion but does use imaginary scenes in-between the narrative, such as Mark’s imaginary tempter. These scenes are clearly distinguished from the rest of the film due to the intense glow around the characters and the use of bright colours.
The main scenes in the narrative are: The introductory scene, Holly and Mark are the first seen in the storyline, represented in a two shot to show their relationship. A close-up on their hands reveals that they are holding hands therefore establishing that they are in a romantic relationship. The lighting is bright and sunny which connotes happiness and new love.
The next major scene which influences the storyline is Mark’s first conversation with the villain; this scene is clearly defined by the use of bright light and colours as imaginary or a dream.
The next important scenes are the ones where he actually finds a way to sneak to the football matches, the use of non- diegetic football crowd sounds cheering connotes his happiness in being able to go to the match.
Then the next important scene is after Mark has told Holly that her passport and cards have gone missing in order to go back to Lisbon where the next football match will take place. In this scene she finds that the cards were hidden in a bag in the closet, the lighting in this scene is dimmed which creates a tense atmosphere and reflects the emotions portrayed on Holly’s face through the use of closeups.
There is then the confrontation scene, the lighting in this scene is still very dim and in contrast to the first scene of the two, they are now shown in separate shots rather than in two shots. Holly storms out into the street and Mark loses track of her.
There is then the reunion scene where Mark and Holly ring Holly’s parents at the same time and they put them on the line together. The weather in this scene is sunny at both ends of the phone line in America and Lisbon which connotes the happiness in their reunion.
Throughout the narrative the characters are dressed casually which is reflective of the characters going on their honey moon and makes the film accessible to more people as their clothing is reflective of themselves. The use of football paraphernalia such as football shirts and painted faces solidify the film’s football based narrative.
The creators also have used computer generated animation in order to create scenes that would have been difficult to film e.g. going into the football stadium and watching the world cup match. The use of non diegetic football sounds creates the atmosphere of the game and the simple yet bold animation keep the part of the narrative interesting to the audience.
Football is referenced to throughout the film throughout the use of CGI, the film integrates the use of a scoring system between Mark and Holly. It also has a time played box in the corner exactly as you would see during a football match on television. The playful use of replays and slow motion replays creates a football atmosphere, also the use of two commentators as characters in the piece help to keep even the parts of the film that are not about football with a football sense.
This film is quite a good representation of the comedy genre as it has been successful in creating a romantic comedy which both men and women alike can enjoy. The film also complies with Bulmer and Katz uses and gratifications theory as many of the audience will be able to relate to the characters and see parts of themselves reflected in the narrative. However they are quite rigid stereotypes so not all people will be able to relate.

Hot Fuzz

This film also complies with Propps narrative theory e.g. The hero of the narrative is PC Angel as he is the one who seeks to re-establish the equilibrium by finding out who is murdering the villagers. Danny who is Angel’s best friend is the helper as he tries to aid Angel on his quest. The Villains are the Elders who are secretly murdering those who do not comply to their rules and the Princesses are the unsuspecting villagers. The false hero is the police department who believe that they are doing their job when infact they are hindering PC Angel. There is also a use of stereotypes in this film, PC Angel and the other officers from the city are portrayed as uptight and straightfaced through both their appearance and manner towards the job, where as the officers from the countryside are depicted as untidy in appearance and laid back towards their job. The police officers are clearly given status over the other characters in their uniform and other character types are set up for example. The police officers who are rouges and rude where aviator sunglasses which connotes these kinds of tendencies, the reporter is quite stereotypically geeky with glasses and untrendy clothing.
There is also a clear definition between the two settings that the film is based in, the city is depicted as cold and clinical with dully lit interiors that aare boxy and plain. The countryside s a little more rustic whith picturesque scenery and historical landmarks, the lighting is bright and airy which connotes the seemingly “perfect” place.
The main scenes in this narrative are : The initial introductory scene, the back lighting from the street creates a dark silhouette in the background of the frame, the figure is central which gives the impression that this is the main character. The doors ahead of the character open swiftly, which gives the character intense dominance over the room. The intensified diegetic sound creates impact which immediately gets the viewers’ attention. The use of non diegetic police sirens signals to the viewer that the film is about police, but also that this character is a police officer. The drum beat as the silhouette approaches the doors gives a sense of foreboding. The use of voice over allows the character to introduce him self, and give the audience an insight into his background.
The editing is fast paced with a choppy representation of different angles of the same scene which is reflective of the action genre with which this film is a spoof of. The fast pace and editing with the non diegetic beat over it creates a sense of impending action.
The next important scene is the scene which influences the whole of the storyline, the one in which Angel discovers that he will be being relocated to a sleepy countryside village. The office is very clinical looking, and makes use of the colours blue and black. The lighting is very low which helps to create a sense of verisimilitude.
Initially when PC Angel gets to the countryside the lighting is very dark and the shadows of trees reflect onto the streets which gives a very eerie feel to the community. This creates a sense of foreboding events and makes the village seem very sinister.
Each murder is very important as they further make Angel look crazy as he continues to stress that they are murders not accidents as everyone else believes. Dramatic Irony is created in that the audience know and have witnessed the murders yet the characters don’t which hooks the readers as they want the characters to figure it out.
PC Angel seeing a murder for him self is also an important scene as it is the first time that he actually has his suspicions solidified. The lighting is very dull which creates a suspenseful atmosphere. The fact that PC angel sees the murderer fall over and cut his leg allows him to follow up on who the murder might be.
The next important scene is where PC Angel witnesses the Elders at their annual meeting, It is night time and they are all dressed in black hooded coats which connotes evil. They are all portrayed in a group shot around a large round table which shows their unity as a group.
The film makes use of film stereotypes in creating humour, recreating scenes from famous action films in order to do so.
I think this film is a very good example of the genre as it has ben one of the most successful British comedies to date. However, the film could be considered more of an action spoof than a comedy in its own right. It could very useful if we decide to create an action comedy ourselves, but even if we don’t we can still use some aspects of it to help us create a piece which will appeal to British female and male teenagers. This film also complies with the uses and gratifications theory in that the film allows audiences to escape into the film because they are unrealistic events.


HOTCHICK

This film also complies with Propp’s narrative theory, the Hero is Jessica, a cheerleader who takes her life for granted, the villain of the story is the thief or arguably the earring which the thief finds and puts in his ear. There are many helpers, most of which turn out to be people that Jessica has wronged in her life.
Teenage stereotypes are evident of nearly every character, the Goth – cast spells, curses, wears black, dark makeup and generally doesn’t fit in. The geek overweight, wants to be a cheerleader, gets picked on by the cheerleaders and the cheerleaders – pretty, popular, every boy wants them. These stereotypes allow audiences to relate to the characters and see a part of themselves reflected in the narrative which is a part of uses and gratification theory. The magical element of the narrative allows the audience to escape the mundanity of their own lives which is also a part of the uses and gratifications theory. The costume of the young popular girls throughout is very stereotypically girly, bright pinks and pastel colours, skirts and crop tops. The setting is in California therefore the lighting is continuously bright and sunny which connotes the “perfect” life that the main character has.
The story line is linear from a historical first scene about the history of the earrings and their power. This scene is Egyptian and the audience can tell this from the period costumes that the characters are wearing and the exotic colours and lighting give the impression of an exotic warm place such as Egypt.
A close up shot of the fireplace in this scene fades into the shaking of red pom poms and the diegetic sound of cheerleaders chanting and the crowd cheering acts as a sound bridge over this scene transition. This scene introduces the main characters. The first character to be seen is Jessica in a medium close up, the camera zooms out to reveal a group shot of Jessica on top of a pyramid of cheerleaders which immediately gives her status. The cheerleaders are wearing red glittery cheer uniforms. Thisgives them a glamorous edge, it also gives the impression that this is an important match. In contrast the geek is dressed in a dull green and grey cheer uniform which reflects how un-glamorous and unbeautiful she feels in comparison.
The next important scene is the meeting of the villain and hero, the villain is a stereotypical thief, his hair is dishevelled and his clothes soiled. Which in contrast to the girls in their shiny, brightly coloured car which connotes youthful vitality and spirit, he seems quite old. It is this scene which gets the plot moving as in this scene the thief finds one of the earrings on the floor, the earring has a glow about it which gives the impression that it is both important and magical.
The next important scene is the one in which after trying to deal with her new body and convincing her friends that she really is Jessica they finally find her real body. It is night time which reflects the evil things that the thief has been doing with her body such as robbing people. It is in this scene that they manage to trick the thief into switching bodies, the use of a group shot shows the deep connection that Jessica has developed with the girls she used to pick on in school.
This film is a good example of the comedy genre but I feel it will fail to appeal to both males and females and due to its American setting it would appeal far more to American teenagers. However we could still use aspects of the film when creating our own piece such as the humour used or the character types expressed as these appear across both societies and variations appear across Western culture.