Slapstick soundtracks

http://www.loudtronix.me/search/Slapstick-Soundtracks

Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin

When I hear slapstick, I instantly think Jerry Lewis (and/or Dean Martin). Lewis' facial expressions are unrivaled, in my opinion, and I love Martin's ability to remain utterly serious in the face of such ridiculousness. This is something that I have noticed in much of the slapstick I've watched - that insanity can unfold, but the victim of the 'violence' reacts in a very understated manner.

Titles/narrative in slapstick

 

 Another Chaplin classic. Really like the use of title inserts in this one, breaks up the action a bit and gives it a humorous tone. In the more classic examples of slapstick such as this, the dialogue is either very limited or non-existent, and I feel that these titles help to tell a bit of the story, without interrupting what should be fast-paced, funny action.

Slapstick - Charlie Chaplin

Low-tech, mostly long/medium shots (showing all of the action), fast motion (+ shaky camera), B+W

Slapstick is about the action within the frame, more than the way that frame is shot. It is about simplicity, not gimmicks, and the shots used are purely functional, as opposed to being used to create tension in a scene. The camera placement is purely chosen to make the action taking place within easier to see, and laugh at!

Bernard MT Condensed... Well, sort of...

1960s Moodboard

Narrowing it down.

Okay, I've narrowed it down to what I think encapsulates the 60s for me: the mods and the early skinheads.

I know that I want to capture the female sides of these subcultures, because they were centred mostly around males at the time (ie gangs, rivalry) and I want to try to capture the underside, the reality and the way the styles applied to the female body. I like the fact that there was a female side to one of the 'hardest' youth subcultures of the day, the skinheads. It was about music, the working class and a simple life - something which couldn't be further from the mod culture, which was very much about consumerism and the latest fashions. Both are instantly recogniseable styles, but they allowed for individuals to express themselves.

Mods:

Skinheads:

The female body in the 1960s:

"The 1920s and 1960s both bucked the trend of the curvaceous woman. Anthropologist Ann Bolin says that “during periods of liberation, like the 1920s, when women had just gotten the vote, and the 1960s, when the Pill became available, the ideal shape for women de-emphasized their reproductive characteristics–the nourishing breasts, the wide, childbearing hips.”

The Diet Blog

Images for publication

Too cute not to keep...

Source images for back cover