Disturbia as a Three-Act Structure

The three-act structure is the most common formation used in filmmaking. The type of structure places the climax at the end of film. The example I have chosen is the movie Disturbia starring Shia Labeouf. This movie starts out in a very peaceful way with a nice father son fishing trip. Although, when the father and son are returning home they get into a severe car accident. This accident kills the father and the son now goes on an angry spree and is put on to house arrest. This ending scene with the car accident concludes the first act and provides the audience with a mini climax and the first plot point.

            The second scene of this movie involves the main character Kale, played by Shia Labeouf, meeting the girl next door and falling for her. The two become very close and together discover that a serial killer lives behind Kale’s house. The second scene is dedicated to providing the audience with the background knowledge they need for the upcoming third scene climax. During the second scene little thrills occur that get the audience's heart racing. Including the scene where the neighbor threatens Kale’s love interest in a parking garage after she had been spying on him in a hardware store. At the closing of the second scene the killer is on to Kale and his fellow partners and they are becoming worried.

            The third scene concludes the movie and provides what the audience has been waiting for all along. This part of the movie is the most important because it contains the all-important climax. This type of movie leaves the audience guessing until the end, which is the goal of a three-act structure. During this scene the killer is is now gunning for Kale’s mom and he is not happy. After Kale believes that he must go search the killer’s house he disobeys his house arrest rules and his mother goes over to apologize to the killer, Robert Turner. Although, she does not return resulting in a battle between Kale and Robert Turner. This is the climax of the story and involves peaking around corners, scary music, intense noises, and no sudden movements. In the end the killer is demolished and Kale saves the day. This ending is what is known in a three-act structure as a happy ending. All problems have been resolved and the characters may go back to living normal lives. 

Mini Resolutions in a "Full House"

There are many aspects of a television sitcoms but the one that stands out to me is the mini resolutions. These are a part of almost every sitcom on television today. A mini resolution occurs when the characters in a sitcom face a problem during an episode. Once the problem evolves the characters then spend the rest of the episode trying to resolve the conflict. If the conflict is resolved within that particular episode then it was a mini resolution. A mini resolution occurs towards the end of an episode in order to assure the viewer that the show will end on a somewhat good note.

A mini resolution functions within the sitcom genre in many ways. A sitcom is a show that is usually thirty minutes and contains a good amount of humor. Viewers who watch these types of shows are those who are looking for a quick bit of comedy and do not want to watch a show for possibly a whole hour. A mini resolution ties into a quick sitcom because it is the idea that instead of having a full resolution a mini one occurs. It is at the end of the episode and it assures the viewer that happy endings do exist.

In the late 80’s early 90’s television sitcom Full House, the characters face problems in almost every episode. This show contains family oriented humor and was very popular during its airtime. Families gathered around their TV’s every week to watch as the “full house” worked together to live and solve problems.  Almost every episode has some sort of humorous problem that is solved with a mini resolution. The min resolution served as relief to a sometimes panicked audience.

The Holiday From a Screen Shot Perspective

Professor Ramirez-Burg discussed three different types of shots during his lecture on Monday. The first one being a long shot, which is used to show the audience, the big picture.  It shows who is in the room and gives an overview of what is to come. In the Movie The Holiday, the director uses a long shot when showing Amanda Wood’s (Cameron Diaz) house. The long shot was most likely chosen to show the audience a quick overview of the kind of life she lives, which is one of luxury and sophistication. The second type of shot that was discussed is a medium shot. This shot is used when the director would like to give the audience a better idea of who the characters are in the scene without actually showing emotion.  An example of this in The Holiday is when Amanda and Ethan are arguing after he has cheated and the camera cuts in just enough to where you can see that they are both angry but not enough to really get the full effect. The last type of shot we discussed was a close up. This is where the camera is zoomed in really close in order to show the characters real emotions.  An example of this in The Holiday is when Amanda is in the limo after leaving Graham for the last time and she is crying. It is her first time to cry in years so it is a very important moment. The camera is using a close up angle in order to show the importance in her first crying experience in years. 

clip from the movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2hPpn4_Kcw&feature=related

The Star System influences the Studio System

An important aspect of the studio system was the star system. This is the idea that big names in Hollywood controlled what people watched. The type of movie did not matter as long as the person’s favorite big name star was going to be in it. As the studio system was created in the 1920’s so was the star system.  It helped production companies such as Fox or Disney decide exactly what kind of film people wanted to see and who they wanted to see starring in it.

The star system had a huge impact on the kind of films that were produced in 1920’s Hollywood. Studios discovered that the type of movie did not matter as long as a big name star was making an appearance. People were not choosing their movies based on the plot line, rather who was going to be in it. The popularity of stars and not movie genres led to companies adding the actors and actresses names on to the billboards in order to attract more viewers. Even without spoken dialogue, movies were still visually powerful enough to influence audiences.  In the end, it was not about the content of the movies, it was about who was in them and how big their name was in Hollywood.

            Examples of the star system were plentiful in the early 1900’s. Big names such as Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin appeared on billboards everywhere. Big name stars still attract moviegoers today. Stars such as Will Smith and Jennifer Aniston attract audiences just because they are big names and people enjoy the characters they play. The movies they are starring in are not as important as the people themselves and the characters they are playing. People will always want to see a Will Smith or Jennifer Aniston movie because they are reliable actors who always put on a good show. 

"All in the Modern Family"

 All in the Family started in 1971 was one of the first shows that’s plot was surrounded by controversial issues. It explored racism, sexuality, and women’s rights all at the same time. Its characters were some of the first in America who spoke their mind and discussed topics that were otherwise seen as untouchable.

            All in the Family could be compared to the contemporary show, Modern Family. Both shows exhibit the American Family during their time periods. Also, both shows deal with issues that other shows dare not touch.  The characters in Modern Family are centered around personas that some may feel uncomfortable with such as two gay men raising a child. In the episode of All in the Family that was shown in class, Archie and his family discussed human sexuality and how controversial the subject is. Modern Family is centered around controversial issues and family which is a similarity between the two.

            Although All in the Family and Modern Family have many similarities they do have some differences.  For instance, the issues are not always the same because there is about a 30-year time difference.  Also, Modern Family always ends the show will a family hug showing that conflict has been resolved.

            Some of the issues discussed in All in the Family that are not discussed in Modern Family are special to the time period. On All in the Family women’s equality is an issue. Archie’s wife stays at home and doesn’t work which is a persona created by the 1970’s. Today many families are set up where both parents are working and women’s equality is not an a conflict. Sexual orientation is an issue that All in Family touched on and seemed to be very controversial. Although, two of the characters in Modern Family are gay and have a child and there doesn’t seem to be as big of a problem. This is because times have changed and many people have become more accepting of the gay lifestyle.  All in all, the shows are very similar and seem to have the same overall plot line.