Genre Research: Overboard

One of the movies Hannah and I reviewed was called, “Overboard.” We viewed the newer version that came out in 2018. We believed that this was a good movie to choose because we had easy access to it and its genre was comedy, which were the two things we were looking for. Also, the movie is within our time restraint because it was released in 2018. The following information is the conventions for this particular movie.

Camera, Angles, Shots, and Movements:

Angles: The main angle used in the film is eyeline because there is a lot of dialogue and it helps the audience feel as if they were a part of the conversation.

Shots: Throughout the movie, there were establishing shots to show the audience the location of the characters. For example, there was an establishing shot of a yacht to show that the next scenes will take place on it. There were also over-the-shoulder, wide, medium, and long shots. The over-the-shoulder shots were mainly used during the characters’ conversations.

Movements: Some movements the film included were pans and tracking shots. For example, there was a pan on a car while it was passing by. The tracking shots were used to make the film flow better.

Mis-En-Scene:

Costumes: The film included a range of costumes, from beachwear to formal wear. In the beginning, one of the main characters is seen wearing a swimsuit, while the other is in a work uniform. The different outfits at the start of the movie demonstrate the different lives the two characters lived. A little after it shows one of the main character’s families wearing expensive clothing. As the movie continues the characters start to wear more casual, everyday clothing.

Lighting: There was a great use of bright and natural lighting throughout the movie. This type of lighting was used to make a more realistic environment. The lighting also makes it easy for the audience to observe the actors’ emotion and reactions, which can further the impact a joke has on the viewers.

Acting: In the film, the main characters, Kate and Leonardo, were played by Anna Faris and Eugenio Derbez, who both have experience in playing comedic roles. Eugenio Derbez is also a comedian. These backgrounds meant that they both knew how to be comedic and tell a joke, which is needed in the film. In the beginning, Leonardo’s character acts privileged by doing things such as firing the people who work for him without a second thought. In the middle, his character becomes confused and clueless which the actor portrays well by making mistakes that the audience laughs at. By the end of the movie, Leonardo acts betrayed because he was lied to. In the beginning, Kate is portrayed as someone who has to constantly work and is stressed. This can be seen by the audience when she is working multiple jobs and is getting annoyed at things such as when her mother tells her she can’t watch her kids anymore after promising she would. In the middle, she starts acting deceitfully by making Leonardo do all her work for her and to be another paycheck. In the end, her acting becomes more regretful because she is feeling guilty about lying.

Makeup: Very little makeup was used in the film; however, it did include natural makeup and makeup that made some of the characters appear to be exhausted. For example, after Leonardo’s first day at work, makeup was used to make his character look sweaty and dirty.

Props: There were different props used during the duration of the film. The type of props used depended on the scene. For example, Leonardo gave Kate frozen yogurt, which is what Kate claimed to eat with him before his amnesia, when he was talking about being a better husband. Other props that can be seen in the movie are cleaning supplies, construction supplies, paper, pencils, and a first aid kit.

Set Design: The main locations at the beginning of the movie was a yacht and one of Kate’s workplaces. The inside of the yacht was set up to look expensive. The furniture is extremely nice, and everything was super clean. At Kate’s pizza workplace the set design included many tables, chairs, and kitchen supplies. Towards the middle of the film, the main location is Kate’s home. The set design of the inside of her home is very disorganized. For example, there are boxes everywhere. Other locations included a hospital, grocery store and Leonardo’s parents’ house. The parents’ house is set up to look very luxurious. All the furniture in the house looks very expensive, there is also a piano and crystal chandeliers.

Editing:

The movie included types of editing an audience would usually see in a film with lots of dialogue. For example, the film included shot reverse shot and reaction shot techniques. These two shots were mainly used during the dialogue scene so the audience could see the characters' reactions to each other. For example, these techniques were a part of the two main characters' argument scene where they are yelling at each other. The techniques allow the audience to see the characters’ anger during the disagreement. There was also a use of a fade in and out in the production. These were used when Leonardo fell unconscious and when he woke back up again. The film’s editing also included action matches and jump cuts.

Sound:

The film mostly consisted of dialogue between characters. The dialogue was used to create the story and to mainly add humor. Ambient, diegetic and non-diegetic sound were also included in the movie. An example of ambient sound is the noise coming from a car driving by. One use of diegetic sound is noise coming from the main characters’ television. An example of non-diegetic sound is the music that was playing at the start of the movie.

Elements We Like:

The main elements we enjoyed in the comedy were the unnecessary dramatic reactions and occasional random jokes. An example of an unnecessary reaction is when Leonardo got a small cut on his hand, so he started to panic saying that he was going to faint and asking if he needed a hospital.

This is the movie poster for "Overboard".