Journal+Entry+1+-+John+Hughes

=Journal Entry 1 (John Hughes):=

John Hughes’s comedic and humorous methods and techniques could very well be applied to our film, “The Blind Date”. I will focus on his strongly defined themes, his use of mise-en-scene and the performance of his actors.

As I have often stated in my exploration of this director, J.H. told the stories of (young) people finding themselves, their identities, and each other. //Ferris Bueller’s Day Off// is all about Cameron finding himself and Ferris helping him with this. Due to his shy and somewhat submissive nature, Cameron finds it hard to stick up to his dad and follow his own dreams. Ferris notices this and through their journey with Sloane, Ferris aids Cameron in his quest for independence and finally brings out his true, steadfast, and determined identity. In “The Blind Date”, Lauren and Frank would occupy these positions. Frank is the Cameronesque character in this scenario, with a mission to stand up to his own insecurities. This theme would be made evident through Frank’s awkward demeanor and his frequent bouts of minimal self-esteem. Lauren is Ferris, not directly helping Frank (as a friend), but rather indirectly bringing him to face his own troubles and change his ways in a positive manner.

Particular mise-en-scene and tiny details were frequently used by Hughes to add humor and comedy while building the themes in his works. The party-hat-business-men in //FBDO// are fun juxtaposition in mise-en-scene, throwing the viewer off. The same could be done in our film, with small details that may only be seen by extremely observant viewers. A simple contrast in the main characters’ costume colors may not be obvious to viewers, but, as Freud would say, may resurface in their unconscious and shape their feelings during the film. Lauren wearing bold bright tones and Frank sporting a duller, faded look is something that we could try out.

Actor performance was one of Hughes’s preferred methods. He allowed his actors to improvise where he felt they could work their characters more, he let them use their own techniques, he frequently had them break the fourth wall. All of these brought the audience much closer to the film characters and added more to the comedic feel of his movies. As a romantic comedy, it would be extremely beneficial for us to make use of these methods in our film. Breaking the fourth wall is a possibility and may work to bring in some laughs, but, if done incorrectly or too forced, might feel gimmicky and unnatural. However, some improvisation could never hurt and, as I am acting in this film, I will use Hughes’s more awkward characters as inspiration.