An essay written on May 21st, 2023 for Film Theory based on clips shown in class. Below is the clip I have chosen.
Comedy is subjective as well as its process in deliverance. Whether it be in different mediums such as stand-up or film such as The Step Brothers (2008), every punchline must be given a cycle to form and develop with the use of theories such as those created by Hugo Munsterberg. By using the Hierarchy of Mental Processes, Step Brothers (2008) establishes its comedic punchline by grabbing the attention of the audience with the promise of a positive interaction between employees and their employers, the imagination of where the conversation has been and will continue, and the emotions of comedy and aftermath as the act of passing gas is committed through dramatic irony. The scene commences with the ending of a previous conversation seeing characters played by Will Farrell and John Reilly participating in what is inferred to be a successful hiring process for their party. It allows spectators to fill in exactly what is going on despite not being present at the beginning. According to Musterber’s Mental Process, this conversation combines the process of gaining the spectator’s attention as the boss communicates in a convinced manner that these characters are to be hired after complimenting both of the character’s qualities in appearance and behaviors. The conversations also build imagination as spectators are led by the boss’s words “Let’s do this, you know. You guys are hired. You’re in unless you two are the weirdest guys ever.” will proceed with the two working alongside the boss. This sets up for the comedic punchline delivered by John Reilly: passing gas for an elongated period of time. This creates dramatic Irony as the conversation is interrupted by his character farting for an unusual duration and completely ruins the interview that was going well for Ferrell and Reilly. This closes the mental process as this leaves the audience with a sense of comedy as this was unexpected to the audience’s perception of where the scene would conclude.
Attention can be observed first with a dirty single shot created with Will Farwell’s character listening to his employer’s feedback about being hired, this attention is then shared with the interviewees through a sequence of parallel shots that juggle from the boss to both employees, to a wide shot of everyone as the camera pans left and back to the boss. The audience is led to the second part of the hierarchy, Memory and Imagination. Imagination is necessary for interpreting this scene as the whole conversation has not been demonstrated. By observing characteristics such as the attitudes, body language, and blocking of the actors; it can be interpreted through the satisfied boss and joyous interviewees confirming the scene in a positive light In this, Munsterberg explains this shared attention works as “the unity of action.” (Pg 187 The Means of The Photoplay) The action here is the inferred success these characters are given in the scene. Despite not observing the entirety of the conversation, this part of the whole gave the connections needed through the attention given to the conversation’s characteristics. Comedic emotions are influenced soon after as Reilly’s character passes gas. In this, Munsterberg reminds filmmakers are “expected to add something which is entirely unnatural, namely a kind of artificial demonstration of his emotions. (pg 177 The Means of The Photoplay)” The immature and unnatural duration of the fart completes the scene as it creates a 180 of what success has come out of the interaction. Closing the scene, the boss can be observed regretting his past notion and taking back his words and actions. This in turn transforms that comedy into irony.
As dramatic Irony settles the scene, the mental process is closed successfully grasping the attention of the viewer through the use of parallel editing, creating an inferred image that manipulates the audience on the path of the scene and completes the processes theorized by Munsterberg.
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