From A Mime To A Cowboy.

These are the two short films that our group created for our media class's video project. Both were based on a 'T.G.I.F' (Thank goodness it's Friday) and 'S.H.I.T.' (Sorry honey it's Thursday) joke. I really like both films and I truly think that they present the joke in humorous ways. In terms of analysis, the films differ in how they are presented visually.

 The primary focus of the Charlie Chaplin-esque mime film, La Boite, is the use of line throughout the piece. The establishing shot at the beginning of the movie reveals a pathway that leads to not only Mime as he enters but also to the Pretty Girl who is seated on the bench at the end of the path. The bench itself is also an effective use of line since it signifies the initial place of security and intimacy that eventually leads to the punch line of the movie. La Boite differed greatly from our second film, Hey There Harry, in that it presented a heartwarming yet comical atmosphere that added to the overall humorous conclusion. Tension and release was evidenced after Mime realized that Pretty Girl was not showing up for their date as she promised she would. The tension was felt when Mime ignored Pretty Girl when he saw her at the bench on later that day while the release happened when he realized that it was only Thursday and the date was scheduled for Friday. Overall the primary intention of this film is to provide lighthearted entertainment and evoke feeling from the audience through the actor’s carefully thought out actions and facial expressions.

The second film, Hey There Harry, is an old western ‘shoot ‘em up’ that relies heavily on the use of space. The shot that introduces the two main characters, Harry and Randall, shows the existing tension as evidenced by the amount of space between them. Randall and Harry are separated from the very start, foreshadowing the tragic events that are destined to occur. There is also a significant amount of space between Caleb and Harry at the end of the film. Hey There Harry also contains text and subtext in the plot. Although Caleb appears to have complete and utter confidence in shooting Harry, he keeps his distance from him and takes precautions in the case that Harry makes a sudden counterattack. The text is that Caleb is intending to get revenge on Harry for the death of Randall yet the subtext is that Caleb is still unsure about carrying out the orders from the Townsperson. I was very satisfied with the way that we were able to make this film visually appealing since it was a little harder to call the shots and capture the intensity of an old western all the while without breaking any of the filmmaking rules.

Overall the hard work of the crew and the actors for both films really paid off. I think that the joke worked a little bit better for La Boite since the T.G.I.F. joke is presented in a more direct and emotional way. Besides portraying the same joke in a silent film approach, the two videos contain a character who appears more confident than he really is; Mime is almost positive that he will win Pretty Girl’s heart while Caleb is focused on taking care of Harry for his wrongdoings.

I hope you enjoy our short films and find them funny!