The Fly

 The Fly

Narrative > the structure keeps an intended POV of the main character and the development of his frustration. It follows a linear chronology and has cause and effect: The fly appearing consistently leads to the rising emotions and tension, its persistence makes him more and more agitated and annoyed – this is awkward for him because he is trying to sty calm and focused so that he is ready for when they finish robbing the bank. This cause and effect create a comedic yet volatile act of entertainment.

Three Act Structure = the set up > catalyst being the fly appearing and beginning to piss of the character the climax is the turning point of events where we can really see that its all become too much, and he goes a bit crazy. However, its hard to argue what the resolution is in this scenario as it ends with chaos still having been ensued.

Genre > For this film the fly comes under comedy, conventions of comedy = slapstick, clumsy characters which causes them pain but is made to be laughed at, funny duos, drastic stunts (again usually painful ones for entertainment or very over-the top), rude jokes and humour. Conventional costume may be something nerdy = clumsy and silly or daft, maybe even complete opposite being a confident guy who gets the ladies, thinks he’s cool and has a rude sense of humour that people find funny, relatable more to a certain stereotype of men maybe?

The fly does inherit these conventional comedic forms > specifically stunts which include the joke aiming towards the ridiculous over reaction to the pesky fly that wont leave him alone. Its funny because it's supposed to be relatable – audience are made to align with him because they align with his frustration of the fly that won't leave him alone. This simple occurrence being blown out of proportion really details that comedic genre.

Representations > Could be suggestion towards anger/violence and men > stereotypical ideas of how men behave when angry and agitated. Not sure what else…

Micro Elements >

Cinematography > close up of the fly on his face after the tantrum of outrage. Really dramatizes the moment and the emotions, again, relatable in ways to the audience and it adds to their expectations – the knowing that this means he is really gonna be pissed off now and even though we have already seen him go mad already, we (audience) know the climax has arrived and all hells is going to break loose now. An action match shot is used as we are made to look at the sky and hear his screams from below as they echo through the location – this is also a stylistic conventional feature of comedy as a genre – the shot then matches o the action as we see he has inured himself as he attempted to smack the fly off of his face, in the process he managed to pierce his lower lip with the cocktail stick he was consistently chewing on.

Editing > It is very fast paced, cut shots are used when it appears on the fly after we believe and the character believe it’s gone. Again, adds to the comedic effect.

Sound > it is all diegetic sound in the fly. Added sound effects of the fly’s buzzing being really loud – adds to the characters frustration, it like its in his head almost. It also makes it annoying for the audience that way hey feel more related to the character and align with his feelings. The added noise of everything going on around him in the beginning also sets the tone of the characters tension and worry/ anxiety as he sits there waiting to hope it will be over quickly and that they won't get caught. The noise of dogs barking in the background, the use of a helicopter above, which we see panicky him a bit as he moves to look out the windscreens and check its not for them. As well as, the actual illegal act being committed inside the bank, and the scared victims and shouting. When he set the horn of the car off, we can hear his struggle to stop it, not only see it, his jacket can be heard as he quickly moves about, his heavy breathing suggesting his panic to stop the noise, and the persistent cutting of the air bag, his grunting noises as he struggles with the car.

Mise En Scene – Costume > very stereotypical British guy who does some illegal activities on the side. This costume design gives context to the audience and prepares us for his actions and personality. Props > the coffee and donut also add to his personality and plays on stereotypes a bit, the car may be an ad on to the gangster kind of vibe as well as set us up to believe he I some cool get away driver maybe? And of course, the gun - that’s what really starts the whole break down, collateral damage.

Setting/location > Outside a bank (more context) and set in a very typical British looking town/city – may just be a way to create that effect with the audience, aligning them to the film maybe the target audience are British.

Performance > serious showcasing of physical agitation and anger – hitting himself, smashing the mirror, bashing his head into the steering wheel, ad the shotgun scene all of his body language right from beginning to end really tells us as an audience his emotions. His performance through body language and facial expression showcases his worry, fear, panic to furious anger and then shame and embarrassment right near the end.

Influence > I am influenced by the use of sound in this film. The directional sound of the fly itself is an interesting way to portray how irritating and annoying this little creature can be. It’s relatable which makes it funny. And it’s a good way to describe it.