Short Film Research: JIM

Camera Angles/Movements: The most prevalent camera angles in this film were medium shots and close ups, like most comedy films. The medium shots showed various students, but mostly Charles, reading the book and the teacher patrolling the classroom. Close ups also mostly featured Charles and the janitor as well, highlighting their faces and skin. These shots made for an average collection that leaves the scenes up to the characters to command. 

Sound: The sound in this film was mostly diegetic but had a score slowly fading the classroom noise away when Charles was focused on the janitor. The dialogue had a heavy focus in this film, especially the teacher and her condescending yet amusing attempts to appeal and praise Charles.  

Mis-en-scene: As is typically for comedies, the costumes, make-up, and set are kept rather average and simple. The simplicity of these features leaves focus on the characters and comedy they create for themselves. The only notable costumes were the colorful shirt Charles wore that stood out from his classmates and the straw hat the janitor wore in reference to traditional straw hats worn by Africans and slaves centuries ago. Lighting was also kept simple, but featured the contrast of bright, clear lighting in the classroom and very low lighting in the hallway, surrounding the janitor. The light from the classroom shone through the door on the janitor, showing focus on him for the scene. Props were a bit more important than the costumes, but still kept rather normal for the set. The main props were the copies of Huckleberry Finn each student read from. The acting, on the other hand, has the most focus and importance, especially in Charles. Throughout the film Charles is seen acting exasperated, bored, and sarcastic towards his teachers patronizing treatment of him. The teacher herself uses a common comedic tactic of overexaggerating her acting by treating Charles as if he was ridiculously special. 

Editing: The film fades in from a quote to the classroom as does a clever reveal with the teacher moving to the side revealing Charles. Another trick included the cut away to Charles every time he was called to read and showing the exasperation present on his face. This editing did a lot to exemplify the sarcasm and exasperation of the situation.  

Film Examples: 

• The Ref 

• Radical Honesty 

• Every Other Week 

• Pixied 

The best elements of Comedy: Comedy short films make for a lot of lighthearted fun in a short amount of time. The short time is perfect to introduce a concept, make a few good jokes around it, and close the concept without wearing the jokes out. This short had a great way of leading the viewer into the concept with typical horror tropes being overplayed and an unusual situation being treated normally. We love the focus given to the characters so they may create their own comedy and funny dynamic. 

The worst elements of Comedy: On the other hand, comedies can be awkward or dry if poorly written. They can also be confusing or muddled if not backed up with an interesting or funny concept. Another possible downside of comedies is the lack of variety in editing, costumes, and sound. These leave a lot of pressure on the characters to perform and the story to sell itself.