The second film I chose was the wrong trousers because I have seen it in the past when I was little so I wanted to re-watch it from a new and more informed perspective.

Narrative

Firstly I would say that The Wrong Trousers has a very typical narrative arc and includes the basic three act structure as well as Propp’s narrative theory. Propp’s narrative theory is divided into six stages which can be matched to moments in the film. The first stage is preparation, I would say this is when the penguin moves into the house the first time. Next it’s the complication and I would say this is when the penguin moves into Gromit’s room and almost takes his place completely. Then I would say the transference is when Gromit is forced to move out due to the penguins disruptive and suspicious demeanor. I think this struggle is when the Penguin uses Wallace as a tool to steal the diamond as well as when Gromit is trying to catch the penguin on the trains set. Penultimately, the return is when Wallace and Gromit march the penguin to the police station and there is a shot of him locked up in the zoo, before the recognition, which is when Wallace and Gromit are sat in the living room eating cheese and crackers as they were before.

I would say the narrative in general is fairly simple as Park has followed a very common structure which is the basis to almost every film, he has just filled in the gaps with an unusual and funny story. This is especially common in family or children targeted films as its a narrative structure everyone can grasp easily. I think sticking to this type of three act structure is the best and safest thing to do when making a short film as you don’t want it to be too complicated as you will run the risk of it no longer being a short film. The Wrong Trousers is a perfect example of this, simple but very effective.

Cinematography

The cinematography of this isn’t the main focus of the film due to the incredible stop motion. Most of the shots are just simple mid shots or long shots of the characters and lots of establishing shots of the surroundings. There is the occasional zoom into the characters face for dramatic effect. There are a lot of shot-reverse-shots, especially when Gromit is Watching the penguin get up to his tricks. I would actually say that the sound adds more dramatic effect than the cinematography.

Sound

In this film there is obviously use of foley but it is very well done and almost accentuated which really adds to the atmosphere and helps to build tension. The musical score is also very effective at building tension as it has very ominous and dramatic tones to it which put the audience on edge. Throughout the film there are several musical stings matched with the action on screen like quick zooms etc which exaggerates the tensity of the moment. As well as that the film contains lots of incidental music which suggests an impending startling event and primes the audience. Overall I think that sound is the main thing that enhances the dramatic qualities of the film, this going hand in hand with the very impressive stop motion.

Meaning and Effect

I don’t think this film is very deep in terms of its meaning and I wouldn’t want to risk reading into it too much as I feel that would defeat the point of a more light-hearted and funny film. If I was to look at it in a more analytical way I would say there is a meaning of not overlooking something you’ve got right in front of you or not taking anything for granted. I think that is really the extent of the meaning. If you are in the mindset that children are the primary audience, you could say that the story line and meaning would have more of a moral impact on them than it would with a more mature audience as this is something they will already have grasped the concept of. I would say that for an older spectator the appreciation lies more with the skill of the stop motion and subtle mature jokes than the meaning and morals of the narrative.

The effect on the audience is just pure enjoyment and satisfaction because of the conclusive and happy ending. Also this film is accessible to all because of the different jokes aimed at different people and its just entertaining! I would also say this film has a nostalgic effect on the audience, especially an adult audience because something about it seems to be retro and almost kitsch. For people in my generation it is nostalgic to watch as it just reminds me of my childhood which impacts how people view it because they already have a prior knowledge and are expecting something that they saw when the were little. Watching it again was great because I found that I understood all the subtle details and jokes that a small child just wouldn’t see let alone remember.

How will this influence my screenplay

The use of sound in this film was the most influential thing to me as I really saw how much of a difference it can make when building tension. I would like to really think about the sound when writing my screenplay. I also thought the general dialogue was effective because it wasn’t over complicated, it just did what it needed to do which was to entertain. I liked the subtle jokes in the dialogue which young children wouldn’t notice but older viewers would, it almost made the little jokes funnier. The stop motion was very impressive and clearly must’ve been very painstaking which I have much respect for, this adding to my appreciation of the film as a whole.