Sex and the City

The three act structure is widely used over the movie industry according to Professor Ramirez Berg.  It is a structure that the majority of viewers are very familiar with.  It consists of a beginning (introduction), middle (complication), and the end (resolution). The movie Sex and the City has a lot of inner conflicts taking place, but the main issues revolve around a three-act film structure.

The introduction helps establish who the main characters are and what the storyline is about.  The introduction usually last around thirty minutes.  The intro of Sex and the City gives a brief background of the four best friends, the main one being Carrie. Carrie could not live without her three girls, but the film is mainly concerning herself and her lover Big who decide to get married.

During the complication, the audience’s relationship is strengthened with the characters as they see a conflict arise.  The conflict in Sex and the City is when Carrie is stood up by her lover Big at their own wedding.  The complication is Carrie dealing with her grief.  This segment last typically somewhere between thirty and sixty minutes.  I particularly remember this section of the movie lasting a little too long to remain in the audience’s comfort zone. 

The third and final act known as the resolution usually takes up about the last thirty minutes of the movie.  The resolution follows the climax and is the solution to the conflict.  In the end of Sex and the City, Big and Carrie both realize they made mistakes and decide to get married once again and live happily ever after. J

sitcom

The concept I find most interesting and relative to the shows I watch is the mini resolutions concept.  A mini resolution comes to life when the characters in the show face a difficulty.  The characters spend the remaining time of the sitcom trying to resolve their issue, and by the end of the show, the issue turns into a lesson learned.

A sitcom is usually a 30 minute show that gets the audience smiling.  A sitcom is very convenient for someone who is on their lunch break and needs a quick laugh while relaxing for a bit.  A mini resolution fits fabulously into a sitcom because it’s the concept of fitting the moral of an hr long show into a compressed 30 minute one.  Instead of having a drawn out full resolution, a mini one takes its place. 

Just the other day I was watching an episode of My Wife and Kids.  An issue arose where Clair was caught faking sick so she could stay home from school and have her boyfriend come over.  Mr. Kyle is a comical character so I could not wait to see how he handled it.  Though I knew he was going to be mad and make a big production of punishing Clair, I knew that by the end of the 30 min sitcom everyone would be smiling.  Because of Colin Tain’s lecture, I now understand that the ideas behind the happy endings of sitcoms are a part of mini resolutions. 

Cinderalla Story Shots

                          

Before Professor Ramirez-Burg’s discussion, I had no idea of the significance of the different types of shots during movies. I chose to use “Cinderella Story” as my example because it is one of my favorite movies and I can clearly see how the variety of shots makes the emotions clear. The first type of shot discussed was the long shot. The bottom right picture on the collage is the best example of the long shot because it is taken from a distance and gives an overview of how the love story ended with the two main characters riding away together.

The next shot discussed was the medium shot. The tope right photo on the collage is a good example of the medium shot because it lets the viewer know that Carter was Sam’s best friend, her go to guy, also a big part of the movie. Another example of the medium shot would be the sixth picture in the third column. This picture shows the cheerleaders and the two evil step sisters coming together to ultimately bring down Sam. All of the characters in this picture are the antagonists in the movie.

The third type of shot would be the close up. The best example of a close up shot would be the seventh picture in the first column. In this picture Sam’s emotions are expressed so clearly. She is extremely hurt by the skit that was just displayed by the cheerleaders for the whole school to see. It was about Sam and she was shocked, angry, and clearly upset.

SUPER stars

                               

How often do people go see a movie just because a certain actor or actress is a part of it?? I know I catch myself doing it all the time. Take the Twilight Saga for instance. Do millions of girls go see the movie just for the intriguing love story, or do they really just want to see Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson on the big screen? The star system helps describe why directors choose certain actors.

The star system is a method made to promote movie stars in the light where they are most promising. This system puts more emphasis on image rather than on the celebrities’ acting skills. It did have an effect on what types of films were produced because most actors or actresses became associated with certain genres, and directors would shape the plot around those genres to keep the targeted audience coming back for more of what they love from the celebrities. 

Someone who was a part of the star system was Joan Crawford. Joan started as a dancer and one day signed a contract with MGM. After a lot of hard work and campaigning, she found fame. She was constantly playing the role of a hardworking young woman who found fortune and romantic success in the end. Her targeted audience loved what she brought to the screen especially during the Depression- era.

                                               

Dad's show vs. mine

All in the Family is an American comedy that started in 1971 and ran until 1983. The show is based on a working class racist who argues with his family over issues of importance during that time. An interesting comparison to All in the Family would be Reba, a show staring Reba McEntire that ran from 2001 to 2007.

Something that both All in the Family and Reba have in common is that the main characters in both shows are very stubborn and wise cracking. Both Reba and Archie always believe they are right about everything, and they use their outspoken sarcasm to make the shows comical, which keeps the targeted audience coming back for more. When my father was younger he would watch All in the Family with his family to get a good chuckle, and today my modern day family watches Reba for the same reason. Another similarity between the shows is that the kids, even though married, lived for a good while with their parents.  This fact also brings a difference between the two shows to my mind. In Reba, Cheyenne is pregnant and marries the father, Van. This was not something that Reba and her divorced husband Brock had in mind for their oldest daughter, but they accepted it and made the best of the situation. If Gloria, the daughter of Archie and his wife Edith, had gotten pregnant during high school, all hell would have broken loose. It is more common for teens to get pregnant in today’s society, and the shows demonstrate the difference in the beliefs between 30 years. During the time of All in the Family, issues of race and sexuality were huge, and it showed throughout the show. In the episode we watched in class, Archie assumed a male friend of the family was gay, but he couldn’t even bring himself to say the word. During an episode of Reba, Van’s sports agent was homosexual and came on to Reba, but it wasn’t portrayed as anything absurd.

Although these two shows were made 30 years apart, both comedies are hilarious and recommended by many, including myself.