Sitcoms: How I Met Your Mother

Colin Tain discussed sitcoms as half hour long shows that are comedic, hyperbolic and absurd, and tend to be episodic. This episodic nature of sitcoms allows viewers to have a foreknowledge of what they are about to view even if they miss an episode, unlike serial shows like Lost where the viewer must see every episode to fully understand the plot of the television series. Episodic sitcoms have repeated patterns, especially in jokes and character traits and lessons that can be learned in each thirty minute episode.

How I Met Your Mother is a sitcom about a man telling his children about how he met their mother. He feels as though he has to explain this through describing the relationships and friends he had (and still has) before he met their mother. One character in particular, Barney, is obsessed with women and only having them for a short time. The viewer expects him to sleep with or attempt to sleep with at least one woman per episode, as well as tell his friends rules and hints about women. In one episode, for instance, he explains the “cheerleader effect,” where a group of multiple women can look beautiful but if one looks at them individually, they are not so attractive. Each character in this series has expected patterns and life lessons are learned for at least one character in an episode.

Moulin Rouge!

Moulin Rouge! contains various shots that portray the characters' identities, their power, and lack of power.

This eye level shot is of Christian when he finally accepts that he will never be with Satine.  Altough he feels hopeless and is still in love with her, he has control over his life and somewhat has the will to move on.  It shows his identity at the end of the film and displays his neutral power.

This low angle shot of the Duke portrays his power over the Moulin Rouge and his ability to control Satine and Christian's future.  He is seen this way through out most of the film until Satine admits her love for Christian on the stage of the finale of their show "Spectacular, Spectacular." 



 This shot is of Christian and Satine when Satine dies at the end of the film.  The high angle shot portrays her lifelessness and Christian's lack of power to take away her illness and ultimately death.

Studio Systems in Classical Hollywood

One of the aspects that allowed the studio system to work in classical Hollywood was the star system.  Stars were considered “tangible products of immaterial production” (guest speaker), and they were associated with genres and studios.  Studios used the discovery of and contractual agreements with stars to portray what studios did and the types of films they created.

Because stars were associated with genres, studios became associated with genres.  Genres give audiences ideas of the type of movie they will be watching before they actually see the film.  Warner Brothers, for instance, used Humphrey Bogart to help establish who they were as a company during the breakthrough of the crime genre.  The Maltese Falcon, Bogart’s defining role, helped Warner Brothers develop a new character for their crime films that was not considered a valorized gangster.  Even during the shift to war production, Bogart’s character in Casablanca was similar to those he had played in previous films.

"All in the [Modern] Family"

“All in the Family” was a television show that easily related to its viewers while at the same time portrayed controversial views of various topics, specifically in the episode we watched, those pertaining to sexual orientation.  The struggles and joys of the Bunker family in this sitcom can compare with those pertaining to the contemporary series “Modern Family.”

“All in the Family” and “Modern Family,” however, have differences that depict the separation and ideologies of dissimilar generations.  While “All in the Family” shows the very beginnings of the acceptance of gayness, it seems as though the writers of “Modern Family” expect their viewers to have already acknowledged that is merely a way of living life.  “Modern Family” does show controversial realities of our society; however, it differs than those shown in “All in the Family” because of the change in culture between generations.

These TV series are similar in that they relate to families of their time in the U.S.  The characters in “All in the Family” must deal with living with each other on a day to day basis while trying to figure out who they are in the process.  The much larger family shown in “Modern Family” must deal with the same issues and concerns including how to raise children, etc.   Both shows take the audience on the characters’ life journey, allowing them to relate to and enjoy the ups and downs of family life.

Because of changes and culture and ideologies, each show dealt with different issues.  “All in the Family,” like mentioned before, depicted gayness as a more controversial issue, and it also dealt with concerns of grown children living with their parents.  “Modern Family” does have a gay couple; however, they are depicted much differently than those in “All in the Family.”  “Modern Family” also portrays issues like older men marrying younger women, raising three very different children, and dealing with living closely to relatives.