For my week 3-4 project I chose to analyze a few scenes from Limmy's Show, a Scottish television comedy that aired it's first in 2010. Dipping into the absurdism often, Limmy's show is presented as a series of disjointed sketches and skits that point out the odd ways in which we function in society if the skits have any point at all. This original take on millennial culture demands original perspectives in the form of camera angles. I have picked out a few scenes to detail the way in which camera angles were used to match the mood and point of the scene.
Scene 1: This scene begins with a medium-long shot, establishing Limmy as the subject of the sketch. The camera cuts to a close up of the paper airplane that Limmy is folding, further focusing the attention of the audience to where the subject is focusing. The close up then tilts to a close-up shot of Limmy's face, where the audience can see him get an idea. The camera cuts to a cameo-like shot of the dog on the floor. The sequence of the shots in which Limmy gets an idea and the cameo of the dog clue audiences into what might be going through the mind of the subject. This notion is further reinforced by successive close ups of Limmy and cameos of the dog, until Limmy finally bring the paper airplane up. The next shot, which would have been a dog cameo, is now a POV shot, with Limmy's hand and the airplane visible in the shot. Once the airplane is thrown, Limmy is shown at another medium-long shot, the paper airplane flying in a circle, before quickly cutting to a POV / head-on shot of the plane flying directly at the camera. The next angle is a choker of Limmy with the paper airplane in his eye, his karma catching up to him.
Scene 2: This scene begins with an establishing shot of a bus. The symmetrical rows of people really help direct a viewer’s eyes to where Limmy is seated. The camera then cuts to a cameo of Limmy, speaking directly to the audience. The cameo makes the aside seem even more direct. The shot then goes back to the original position. As Limmy stages his temper tantrum, the bus riders all look back, reinforcing the geometric focus that the rows of the bus give Limmy. Once his fit is over, the camera cuts back to a choker shot of Limmy gasping, realizing what he has just done.
Scene 3: This skit begins with an over the shoulder shot of the
businessman Mr. Mulvaney looking through a glass window into his office. The camera
tracks with Mr. Mulvaney as his chair swivels and moves back to keep him in focus.
The new shot is a close shot, bringing us into Mr. Mulvaney’s conversation as
he begins to speak. As he takes on alternating roles in the conversation he has
between himself and a fictional police officer, the camera angles also change
based on his persona. When he is himself, the camera is an eye level shot, which
shows us that he is leveling with the police officer. When the police officer
is talking, the camera returns to the original close shot. At the end of the
conversation, Mr. Mulvaney leaves his chair, and the camera tracks back and
forth as he walks to go pull the fire alarm.
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