The document summarizes four films that the author enjoys: Hot Fuzz, Anchorman, American Pie, and analyzes elements of each film based on genre conventions. It also discusses what attracts the author to comedy films, including relatable characters and storylines. The author finds out about new films through trailers, recommendations, and researching actors and directors they like on IMDB.

1. Me and My Movies
Adam Foster

2. Hot Fuzz
Director: Edgar Wright
Year of Production: 2007
Hot Fuzz is a police comedy about a top cop in
London who is transferred to a small village in
the countryside and is paired with another cop
who isn’t so smart, they encounter some
suspicious accidents and events and have to
solve the mystery behind them.

3. Anchorman
Director: Adam McKay
Year of Production: 2004
Anchorman is about a man named Ron
Burdgundy who is the top Anchorman in San
Diego but a new female anchor arrives with the
intention of ruining him and becoming the next
top anchor in San Diego.

4. American Pie
Director: Paul Weitz
Year of Production: 1999
American Pie is about four teenage boys in their
last year high school who make a pact to lose
their virginity before prom as they are having no
luck with women, they think making a pact is a
good idea so they can spur each other to
achieve their target.

5. The main elements of the comedy genre that attract me to
it are mainly the stars, actors such as Will Ferrell, Seth
Rogen, Simon Pegg and many more. They all star in a lot of
my favourite comedy films and they make them a lot more
enjoyable to watch. The story often involves the characters
encountering problems on the way to achieving their goal
which are often given a twist because of the nature of the
genre and they always make the film more enjoyable and
funny to watch. Also I find comedy films to be quite
relatable, usually the characters have a problem which I and
lots of other people can always relate to because people of
the age who the film is aimed at may have similar problems
and can often relate but with a humorous twist.
What attracts me to this genre?

6. Area of Analysis Example Technical feature (Camera/sound/mise en
scene/ editing)
Conforms to genre? Y/N Breaks conformity? Y/N
If yes, how?
Codes and conventions
Appearance of the
characters, funny
clothes/moustaches.
Characters pulling funny
faces.
Characters talking in funny voices, lots of
characters together talking and laughing.
Yes No
Setting
Set in San Diego, mainly in a
TV studio. Typical American
city.
Lots of large buildings, always sunny. A few
establishing shots of San Diego are used.
Yes No
Character
Dressed in funny costume,
all have funny hairstyles and
unusual facial hair.
Close ups of characters so you can see the
funny elements of the characters.
Yes No
Themes
Love – between Ron
Burgundy and the female
anchor.
The two characters are shown on screen
together a lot and there is a theme of love
at some parts even though mainly they
dislike eachother.
Yes No
Narrative
Ron Burgundy is a very
highly rated anchorman in
San Diego but his place as
top anchor is jeopardised
when a female anchor aims
to become top anchor.
The two anchors sat in the studio shows the
rivalry between the two and the goal in
common.
Yes No
Film title Anchorman trailer
Director Adam McKay
Year 2004
Genre Comedy
Iconography
Large bridges + buildings in
San Diego – typical
American city
Lots of establishing shots are used to show
this.
Yes No
Anchorman Trailer Analysis

7. Area of Analysis Example Technical feature (Camera/sound/mise en
scene/ editing)
Conforms to genre? Y/N Breaks conformity? Y/N
If yes, how?
Codes and conventions
Lots of references to rude
scenes: parents catching
their son watching porn,
scenes of characters with few
clothes on, characters
watching girls on live
streams.
Some comedy films often include rude
scenes like the ones mentioned because it
appeals to the target audience.
Yes No
Setting
Typical American high school,
large American houses,
parties.
American flags all around the school. Lots of
scenes with people drinking and dancing to
indicate it’s a party.
Yes No
Character
Four slightly geeky
teenagers, one friend who
has lots of luck with girls.
The four main characters all have strange
fashion sense and unusual haircuts whereas
the other friend has a slightly better fashion
sense etc.
Yes No
Themes
Love – each of the characters
has a love interest within the
film.
The characters are often shown with their
love interest and presented so you know
there is something between them.
Yes No
Narrative
The four main characters
enter a pact to lose their
virginity by prom.
There is a scene where the four characters
put their hands together and make the pact
official so you know they’re all in it together.
Yes No
Iconography
Sunny American city. A few shots are used giving you a glimpse of
what the city they are in looks like and shows
it to look sunny and like a nice place to live.
Yes No
Film title American Pie
Director Paul Weitz
Year 1999
Genre Comedy
American Pie Trailer Analysis

8. Area of Analysis Example Technical feature (Camera/sound/mise en
scene/ editing)
Conforms to genre? Y/N Breaks conformity? Y/N
If yes, how?
Codes and conventions
Police uniforms, police cars,
guns, criminals, gorey
incidents.
All things you would expect to see in a
police movie but there is the humorous
twist to all of these things.
Yes No
Setting
Rural English village. Churches, country pubs, cottages are all
features of a typical rural village and there
are no particularly large buildings.
No Yes, usually an action/police
film would set be set in a
large city but the main
policeman has been moved
to this rural village.
Character
Typical highly skilled
policeman and a slow witted
companion.
There are lots of clips of him showing his
ability and determination.
No Yes, usually the main
policeman would be quite
good looking and would be
quite muscly but this
policeman is fairly ugly and
quite chubby too.
Themes
Friendship between the two
policeman, at first it takes
the main policeman a while
to get used to the slow
witted policeman but they
develop quite a strong bond.
Lots of clips of the two together, looking like
a great police partnership.
Yes No
Narrative
A highly skilled policeman is
transferred to a rural village
where it appears nothing is
happening but there is a big
mystery behind it all.
There are scenes of the main policeman
doing lots of research and paperwork to
uncover the truth behind the village.
Yes No
Film title Hot Fuzz
Director Edgar Wright
Year 2007
Genre Comedy-Action
Hot Fuzz Trailer Analysis

9. What makes me go to see a film?
The main thing that makes me to go to see a film is the trailer of the film or if it is a highly
anticipated sequel to a film series I have enjoyed. If the trailer makes the film look interesting or if
it has a cast of actors who I really like then most of the time I will go to see the film. The genre can
also influence me, generally I would be more influenced to go and see a comedy than any other
type of film but action and horror films also appeal to me and if the film looks really good then I
will usually just go for any genre. I would also go to see a film if it is a highly anticipated summer
blockbuster, even if it doesn’t interest me all that much I would still probably because it has high
expectations. Also I would see a film based on the director, if a director I like released a new film I
would be more tempted to see it because I know that director generally makes films I enjoy.

10. Where I find out about my films?
Quite often I find out about films from friends and family who would recommend a film
to me based on what they know I like. Also social networking sites such as twitter and
facebook sometimes help me find out about films, when people talk about them and
hype them up it persuades me to go and see it. Quite often if I like an actor, I would use
IMDB and look at films they have been in and watch a few of them and films similar. Also
on IMDB, there is a list of similar films to a film I like and sometimes I choose to watch
one of them because I know it would be good.

11. Reception Theory
Reception theory is the theory of people being interested in a
specific genre or type of film based on their cultural
background, what they like doing, life experiences and more. For
example, I enjoy watching comedy films, particularly teenage
comedies because it’s something I can relate to and I am
interested in the kind of things they do in the films so they
interest me more than other genres of film. But with other
people, they may enjoy romance films because they are
generally a romantic person and may have experienced break-
ups similar to those in films so they can relate to it.

12. Active Spectatorship
Active spectatorship is looking at elements of a specific
genre and researching why they attract people to that
genre. For example in James Bond, we always see nice
cars, nice looking women etc and that attracts people to
watch it because they like to see that in films. In comedy
films you see things such as parties which interests most
teenagers because it’s what people of that age generally
do and enjoy. These are typical things we see in certain
genres and must be included in a film of that genre to
attract as many viewers as possible.