Month: March 2018

PROMPT 3: Opening minute of Brooklyn Nine-Nine

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Journal Prompt #3.

  • Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a comedy which premiered in 2013 to critical and popular acclaim. It was created by Michael Schur who has created and written some of the most successful comedies of the decade including The Good Place and Parks and Recreation. He cut his teeth written for 6 seasons of Saturday Night Live. The SNL influence and training is clear through the fast-paced and confident pace of the dialogue, almost like a sketch in this opening scene’s form/feel.
  • There are 27 hard cuts in the opening scene of Episode 3! It was hard to count because they happened so rapidly and we are now so used to it that we don’t notice. The show has a single-camera layout.
  • The camera work is handheld, shaky, rapid zooms in and out. The camera work gives it an urgent, handmade, mockumentary-like feel.

21:40

21:39 (1 sec)

21:35 (4 secs)

21:33 (2 secs)

21:23 (10 secs)

21:20 (3 secs)

21:17 (3 secs)

21:16 (1 sec)

21:14 (2 secs)

21:12 (2 secs)

21:10 (2 secs)

21:08 (2 secs)

21:07 (1 sec)

21:01 (6 secs)

20:57 (4 secs)

20:55 (2 secs)

20:51 (4 secs)

20:50 (1 sec)

20:48 (2 secs)

20:45 (3 secs)

20:44 (1 sec)

20:43 (1 sec)

20:42 (1 sec)

20:37 (5 secs)

20:34 (2 secs)

With shots that go for more than 3 seconds before each cut, the camera can rapidly zoom and/or pan between characters. It might also be because of a longer line/s of dialogue per character. Shorter shots that go for less than 3 seconds are either quick single-liners, interruptions, or facial reactions.

It is established that the scene is unfolding in real-time. The setting is a busy morning at a police station – and the characters are having a quick personal discussion that may be at threat of being cut off – so the rapid pace appears characteristic.

The cuts are crucial in perfecting the rhythm and pace of the scene’s comedy. In this scene, the viewer receives only two or three moments to “breathe” or even “catch up
(where the shots go for more than 5 seconds). It’s used as a release after the single-second -or-less shots. The cuts build and release tension.

VIDEO ART: Journal Prompt 2.

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Watch some TV and try to observe and note some of the formal conventions at work- instead of being a passive receiver, I want you to think about how TV is constructed:
What is the news? How is a story constructed?
The news appears to be an hourly notification of what is happening outside the world. What I find most amusing is the changeover between a very serious news story about something violent and then moving on to sports or entertainment. There is a moment between the ending of the horror and beginning of the “lighter” content in which the news reporter tries to be respectful whilst still maintaining ease.
What are the timings, how do they change over a program?
One of two things happen to announce the upcoming show that will replace the news: the anchor will tell viewers what is on, or a lower third will advertise the the “Up next” show.
The program changeovers are very smooth, with the next show always being advertised in the last 15 minutes of the previous show. It is almost eerie that we always know what it on next , that we are constantly being told to stay and watch so frankly.
How do the images and words interrelate?
The text that appears on screen are minimalistic key words that emphasise certain qualities or summarise a story. Much of the detail in the news is delivered through sound/speech. The accompanying visuals can be quite varied and are not always the best. If they cannot get quality footage  of the action, they use images of people from social media or images of the setting (those usually appear innocent without context).
Are there invisible conventions that you take for granted, that you may not have noticed before?
The announcing of the next show and the effect that has on the viewer. I haven’t watched television in a while and sometimes found it difficult to peel away from the television.
When we finish a show on Netflix or something, we have to choose the next thing we watch and if we cannot think of anything suitable enough, we stop. With television, because the next option is presented, there is a weird moment where we would stay to watch a show we would only moderately enjoy just because it’s playing. That is similar to the Youtube autoplay that now happens, making it much harder to end your viewing session. Of course that is all related to networks’ objectives of making us watch as much advertising as possible so they can gain capital.