Short Film Research Blog: See Saw

Greetings and salutations!

Welcome to Media TL;DR, the series where I break down my greatest projects so you can easily dive in and understand my original ideas. I'm your host Jaydon Smith! And today's topic is on researching short films made by other creators. And today's title is See Saw! Listed below will be my observations of the comedy genre as a whole! And I will reference how this film used such traits.

Common sound

Mostly natural noises and background noises in this short, like a phone ringing or dinging from messages. As well as TV or just the main guy talking. There’s some upbeat music that fills in the silent moments as the character does stuff.

Common mis-en-scene

The costume is just basic clothing, an at-home outfit, because throughout the movie he was home. However, in other comedies, they may change more often. There’s not a lot of makeup, at least not prominently, in comedy unless you’re trying to dress up as something—maybe a monster or such. The lighting really helps show how the main character feels throughout everything happening in the short film. The only props may be the clock, the phone, and other items around the house, maybe even the car at the end. This would be the same for any comedy—just everyday items around the area would be props. The set was really only the house overall. Sometimes the character is in the bedroom and sometimes he’s in the living room, no real in-between, as the character transitions trying to adjust to what’s happening to him. This would be the same in other comedies, where there may be multiple sets but not always.

Common editing

The editing zooms in on the main character’s face while critical moments happen—sometimes it can make you laugh as you see their expression. Editing will zoom in on things you can’t see so you can better understand the running jokes or what’s happening in a scene. Like in other comedies, the background sounds get quieter when a joke or moment is about to happen as well.

Which elements I enjoy

I like the comedy of everything going on, but there are still the simple moments. Sometimes the person may pop out a joke, and it may not be funny until the meaning hits you later on. Comedy also has those funny moments happening in the background, which can make you enjoy it so much more.

Which elements I dislike

What I dislike about comedy is that some things aren’t funny to joke about. This can make certain people uncomfortable, and that’s a bad thing, especially if it’s labeled under comedy and not a mix like dark comedy. You think you’re going in there for comedic relief and come out disgusted and disappointed.

That’s all!

That’s it for this short film research blog, everyone. This film had such an interesting look at how humor interacts with everyday life. I hope I made at least most of my descriptions and intentions clear. Thank you for reading! And until next time, stay cool and attractive.