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1. Read the following synopsis adapted from the Film Education (UK) Study Guide:
Written by and starring Steve Martin,
Bowfinger features co-star Eddie Murphy. The film is a comedy
directed by Frank Oz.
Bobby Bowfinger is a nearly bankrupt aspiring movie
producer/director who is about to take one last shot at fame
and fortune. Desperate to hit the big time, the hapless dreamer
recruits a crew of aspiring misfits, including an eager nerd,
an ambitious ingenue and an over-the-hill diva. With their
help, Bowfinger embarks on a radical, ingenious scheme to trick
the biggest name in the movies into becoming the star of his
ultra-low budget film.
Bowfinger is a film about the film industry and is in a long
line of tradition of films depicting elements of the film
industry. Other movies in this genre include The Player,
Hollywood Shuffle, Swimming with Sharks, and Singin' in the
Rain.
The humour in Bowfinger draws on the tradition of slapstick or physical comedy. Both Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy are known for their skill at physical comedy. Slapstick comedy relies on exaggerated, nutty, often silly characters and broad physical comedy: madcap chases, outrageous mock violence, items falling out of closets, characters tripping over each other. Plots revolve around absurd and silly situations, desperate, yet foolish schemes, and staying one step ahead of being found out. A dog or other animal often plays a small but important part in the scheme.
2. Based on the synopsis above, list four Slapstick Comedies you have seen. For each movie, list two scenes that fit with the conventions of Slapstick Comedy.
3. Using an Internet search engine such as Dogpile.com, go2.com, or google.com list four other actors associated with Slapstick Comedy. For each actor, list one Slapstick Comedy in which he or she has performed.
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4. During the movie, Bobby Bowfinger tells another character about the economics of movies:
INT. BOWFINGER'S HOUSE
BOWFINGER
When I was ten years old, I knew I wanted to make movies, but I knew no one was going to give me that. So I started putting away a dollar every week of my life. If I missed a week, I made it up later, from age ten. Now, you're looking at enough to get us started. Two thousand one hundred eighty four dollars.
SLATER
But movies cost millions of dollars to make.
BOWFINGER
That's after gross net deduction profit percentage deferment ten percent of the nut. Cash, every movie costs two thousand one hundred eighty four dollars.
Really? Movies only cost $2,184? How much did Bowfinger cost to make? Go to Box Office Mojo and use the search box to find the movie, Bowfinger.
Answer these questions.
Answer sections B, C, D, E in complete sentences
Total 34 marks + 6 marks style and mechanics= 40 marks
A comedy about the movie business involves several stock (standard) characters. Fill in the chart below for the stock characters in Bowfinger. Leave up to four squares blank (character name and your overall impression must be filled in for each character).
| "wannabe" producer | egotistical Hollywood star |
aging leading lady | ambitious starlet | eager nerd "discovered" actor | |
| character name | |||||
| style of dress | |||||
| style of language | |||||
| personality: habits and interactions with others | |||||
| methods of achieving goals | |||||
| body language: posture, habits, mannerisms | |||||
| your overall impression of the character |
One of the characteristics of slapstick comedy is the use of exaggerated facial expressions to create humour.
(adapted from Barb Rager, A Media Literacy Resource File, Ottawa Board of Education)
Media audiences can be thought of in two ways. The first is as consumers of media products (target audiences). As we are consuming media texts, however, media audiences are also actively participating, making sense of the text in our own way.
Each of us is an individual, with different ages, backgrounds, different interests, and different perceptual strengths. These differences cause each of us to respond to the same text in a different way.
If you are watching a film which is starring your favourite actor, your attention will be drawn to that person every time he or she makes an entrance. Likewise, if you are a fan of car racing, your eyes will be riveted on the screen during the chase sequence. If someone has told you about a particular scene, you will watch for it and pay special attention.
Film makers are masters at making sure we look where they want us to. In Honey I Shrunk the Kids, the extreme small size of the children was used as a contrast with other items such as grass and lawn sprinklers, to draw the attention of the audience. In one memorable scene from Prizzi's Honour Jack Nicholson wears a bright lemon coloured suit jacket that stands out against everything else in the scene.
Our prejudices, our principles and our morals greatly affect our perception of films. Our own feelings about religious, cultural, gender, or moral issues will affect our response and the attention we pay to particular scenes
On the second or third viewing of a film, you will pay attention to different scenes than on the first viewing, and you will respond differently. Knowing the conventions of a genre can change your response because you know what to expect.
After viewing the film write a 1 page typed double-spaced composition in which you discuss your favourite scene or sequence of scenes. Describe the scene in detail, indicating the action, the characters, any dialogue that struck you as interesting and any technical or symbolic codes you noticed. Explain how two of the four factors listed under the heading The Audience as Participant affected your enjoyment of the scene you have chosen. Use the outline on the next page to help you organize your ideas.
A day will be set aside to rerun specific requested scenes in class.
Give the scene a title that indicates the scene's main action
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Why is it your favourite scene?
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Details of setting
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Characters present
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Details of action
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Impressive dialogue (good lines)
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Technical codes: camera angles, lighting, music, sound
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Symbolic codes: props, setting, clothing, body language, etc.
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Factor A: connection to your life
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Factor B: colour, contrast, size
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Factor C: prejudices, principles, morals
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Factor D: previous experience with film or genre
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document
revised 11 Aug 2005
Lessons created by Nancy Faraday and posted on this site are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.