"A Funny Thing" Scene Analysis

Intro Scene:

Camera Technique:

• Wide Variety of Shots
• Long shots, medium shots, close-ups
• Spectrum
• Long shots associated with people going about their business
• Close-ups show more embarrassing/comedic things 
• Shaving, eating, horsing around
• All occur at random
• Helps establish the setting and tone
• Not meant to be taken seriously
• Overall cluttered field of vision throughout the whole scene
• "In a less fashionable suburb of Rome"
• Unlike our other films, the scope of the setting is much smaller.
• Panning shot only of the three houses
• In previous films, panning shots were usually used to show a vast landscape.
• This slow panning is used to show the intimacy of the setting
• Pseudolus is always either central to the camera or at eye-level to the camera.
• Pseudolus moves towards the camera, rather than the camera zooming into him
• Adds to the breaking of the fourth wall.
• Pseudolus is telling the audience his story.

Editing

• Cutaways during the first and third minutes.
• Edits seem to happen at random.
• All of the cuts show random snippets of everyday Roman life.
• Scenes that occur in the film are shown at random with no context.
• Editing syncs up with the music with fitting scenes near the end.
• Emphasizes how non-sensical the rest of the film will be.

Costumes

• Pseudolus
• Brighter colored clothing
• Perhaps not as flashy as the soldiers, but it is more unique.
• It makes him distinguishable among those in the crowds.
• This helps let the audience know that he is the main character (before he even declares it).

Acting

• Most over-the-top acting than any of the previous films
• Exaggerated facial expressions from Zero Mostel
• Joyful to disgust to serious, back to joyful.