Mini-Analysis

The American Sitcom has been around for generations. From I Love Lucy to Friends, they have become a staple in many homes. As of recently, some of the most popular ones have been Ted Lasso and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu have increased popularity for older shows, like The Office and Parks and Recreation. However, I believe that there is an underrated sitcom that is better than them all. A hidden gem. That show is Community. I watched it on Netflix during quarantine, and I truly think it is one of the most clever shows I have ever seen. The episode I will be analyzing is the iconic paintball episode. In this episode, the central characters are competing in a paintball fight to win first priority for picking their classes. This episode is uses many techniques that we have gone over in class.

This is one of the first shots shown in the episode. This is what is called an establishing shot. This shot shows how much destruction has been caused by the paintball fight. The entire school is in ruins. The average watcher of the show will see this and realize that the setting has changed drastically. The paintball game is something that Greendale Community takes very seriously. 

 

This next shot is a point of view shot. It is from the three of the main character's point of view. Troy, Jeff, and Abed just tricked them into getting hit.  This shot shows how severely they hit the victims. Not one, but multiple paintball marks. They had to make sure they were hit. This emphasizes how seriously the game is being taken. 

This is a close up shot of the character Abed's face. Abed adds a lot of comedic relief to the show. While his face is serious in the shot. the fact that it is serious is adding comedy to the show. The paint marks in the back and the goggles on his head add to his character. All of the small details add up and develop the idea that Abed puts his entire heart into everything he does. He tries hard so he makes it to the end. 

This is a low angle shot of the character Chang. He is an antagonist in this season. In the context of the shot, he is attempting to end the game. The dean decides that it is gone too far and it must come to an end. Chang tries to save the day by bringing in huge paintball guns and shooting the final competitors. The low angle adds to his intimidation. 

This is an extreme close up of Jeff's gun. This is taken in a moment of desperation. Jeff quickly grabs the gun. This shot creates an image larger than the audience would usually see. This emphasizes how much he needs to gun in the moment. It is very important that he wins, he is one of the only people left. It is all resting on his shoulders.