The romantic comedy How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days follows the three act structure. The first act introduces the characters (rising action) and the main characters being "fake" dating one another. In act two, one character fights to keep the relationship together, while the other strives to break it apart. In the third act, the characters fall in love (resolution), despite their finding out of each other's intentions.
Act two is mostly dealing with Andie and Ben's faux relationship and their complications. Andie calls Ben "boyfriend" on the second date, befriends his mother, calls him obsessively, and buys him a plant as a symbol for their relationship. Ben desperately tries to stick with the "relationship", even though it is practically ruining his life. This act is a bit longer, approximately 60 minutes. The midpoint occurs when Andie begins to think that nothing will get Ben to break up with her. She is facing major complications in her plan and begins to question her job. Soon, both Ben and Andie begin to have real feelings for one another, even though they each know it's a fake relationship. They put them aside, though, especially when plot point number 2 occurs. Plot point number two happens when the characters figure out they are each using one another. Andie tells her boss that she cannot write the article anymore because she truly fell for Ben. The question the "swinging door" leaves us with is "will Ben and Andie reveal their true feelings for one another?"
Mr. Tain spoke about two specific aspects which categorize television sitcoms. These aspects include serial and episodic episodes. Serial television shows have a long term plot and are normally not as lesson centered. It picks up exactly where the show left off in the previous episode and some have a recap of the previous show to catch viewers up to speed. The show is usually longer and more complicated, usually containing more drama. Episodic shows are a bit simpler and the show is more predictable. Viewers can easily watch one episode without seeing the previous one and understand the plot. There is usually less character arc and a more familiar plot development. Each episode tends to raise a central question and it is answered at the end. An example of this would be I Love Lucy. Within the sitcom genre, episodic shows are usually associated with dramas and more serious shows such as Lost or Desperate Housewives. Episodic shows are associated with comedies and classic sitcoms like All in the Family.
Gilmore Girls is a serial television show which fits the genre of drama. The show has two protagonists: a young mother and her teenage daughter. They are each other's best friend, so the show highlights their life together and the troubles that come along. The mother has a difficult relationship with her own mother and that would not be understood unless the viewer watched all the episodes. The show also highlights Rory's (the daughter's) early teenage years all the way up to when she graduates college. It is easy for viewers to become immersed in this witty show because it is relatable on many levels. Although it does contain some comedy, it deals with serial issues and contains more realism. The narrative progressively becomes more complicated and is much easier to understand when the viewer watches from the very first episode. The characters are all extremely unique and amusing in different ways. They each have a special relationship with each other and each episode follows the story line from the previous. Thus, Gilmore Girls can be considered a serial drama.
To help grasp the idea of Professor Berg's lecture, I chose Pride and Prejudice as an example. The movie centers around two diverse, yet extremely similar characters, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. They are from entirely different backgrounds and each carry a certain pride and prejudice. Elizabeth thinks that Darcy is arrogant and Mr. Darcy thinks that Elizabeth is from a lower class and socially embarrassing family. Despite their differences, they eventually fall in love in the end. The film includes a variety of shots, including long shots (which show an overview of the scene), medium shots (an informational shot showing who is in the scene), and close up shots (show important details like what the character is thinking).
Here, long shots set the scene and gives us an overview of the place. In this long shot, Mr. Darcy is appearing through the fog and is on his way to proclaim his love to Elizabeth. It is difficult to tell who the person is though until the medium shot.
In these medium shots, the character of Mr. Darcy is revealed and it is also evident that Elizabeth is waiting for his arrival. This shot reveals who the characters are and gives visual information of what they are doing.
Lastly, the camera zooms in on a close up. This tells us what emotions the characters are feeling and what they are thinking. Close ups give us a better idea of what is truly going on in the film. It is evident that Elizabeth (Keira Knightly) is contemplating her love for Mr. Darcy. In the second picture, Mr. Darcy is sincerely interested in what Elizabeth has to say. The shot of them together thoroughly shows their love and passion for each other.
Can you imagine being the star face of movies and having your name plastered on theater marquees? This was the case for many stars during the Class Hollywood era. Film studios began discovering that certain actors and actresses would attract a larger audience, and thus "the star system was born" (Straubhaar, 192). Simply the names of certain stars would cause a rise in ticket sales. Studios would discover and contract the stars, so then certain actors and actresses would be associated with those studios. For example, Humphrey Bogart was the face of Warner Bros. Stars became the best representation of what studios did. Stars also began to be tied to a certain genre, such as Bogart and his "tough guy" roles. Since the studios revolved around the stars, the studios would then mold the film's genre to a star's reputation. The rise of the studio system was linked to the importance of the star actor or actress (Straubhaar, 192).
One actress who was the face of many films and associated with genres was Judy Garland. She was discovered as a child by MGM and was then used in the majority of their films. She was their star actress. She had a consistent set of character traits: naive, innocent, little girl who usually sung and danced and always saved the day. Her most identified film was The Wizard of Oz.
"All in the Family" vs. "Desperate Housewives"
Before the early 1970's, issues such as homosexuality and racism were deemed too controversial for television. Then in 1971, All in the Family aired on CBS and included issues that had been considered unsuitable for TV in previous years. Today, these problems that Norman Lear brought to the surface are considered normal and are becoming more and more popular in prime time television.
One contemporary family based TV comedy aired on prime time television is Desperate Housewives. Desperate housewives deals with the some of the same issues as All in the Family, except on a much larger scale. All in the Family introduced questionable material such as homosexuality, racism, rape, cancer, and women's liberation on a family television network. Desperate Housewives covers all of that material and more. For example, they introduced teen homosexuality early into the series and now they have a gay couple moving into the neighborhood. The first male desperate housewives barely caused a commotion with the audience. They also bring in major story lines dealing with abuse, cancer, murder, racism, drugs and sexual promiscuity. On the other hand, when All in the Family first began bringing up issues just dealing with homosexuality, it brought a large commotion with audiences. Another difference between the two is that Desperate Housewives follows the lives of five to six families which provides more diversity. In addition, Desperate Housewives is a bit more dramatic and far fetched. Issues such as murder do not normally occur in the average household. All in the Family is more realistic. Overall, the main difference is that issues that were extremely controversial during the time of All in the Family has now become the norm and are not thought about in the same way.
The shows are the same in many ways as well. Both obviously deal with families during that time period in society. You can tell the differences in society by watching each of the shows. They also both incorporate humor into it. Both shows have also been aired on prime time television and have had high ratings. All in the Family ranked number one in the Nielsen ratings from 1971 to 1976. Desperate Housewives has won multiple awards and was reported to have 120 million viewers and is the most popular show in its demographic worldwide.
The shows also incorporate different issues into each. All in the Family dealt with homosexuality in the episode viewed in class, but it also deals with racism, miscarriage, cancer, rape, and women's liberation. The theme of masculinity and sexual orientation are also shown in Desperate Housewives, but not in the same degree as it is shown in All in the Family. Masculinity in particular is not shown on Desperate Housewives. It deals with homosexuality, but does not dwell on the fact that men need to be masculine and tough. Desperate Housewives brings more drama into the picture, with murders and mysteries in the neighborhood. Sexual promiscuity is also dealt with a lot, along with sicknesses, divorce,and teen pregnancy. Many of the neighbors are manipulative and sometimes evil, which brings more controversial topics up. All in the Family does not deal with as many strong issues as Desperate Housewives since society is not the same as it was during the 1970's.
Overall, both shows have similar qualities, but they are also very different due to the time period and society. It is obvious how much our entertainment has evolved by comparing and contrasting the two shows. What was once too controversial for television is now considered normal.
