Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Modern Family - Analysis of Opening Sequence

Modern Family
Analysis of Opening Sequence


The opening sequence of the ABC mockumentary Modern Family is a very short one. It is merely an 18 second sequence of each of the main families holding a large picture frame displaying another family that appears in the show. This is called the Droste effect, which is used to show a picture within a picture, and how the families all interact with each other in quirky and comedic ways. The cinematography is simple. It features each of the families for about 2 seconds, appearing to pose for a portrait in front of their homes, which also gives the audience an insight on the lifestyle of them. The camera quickly pans away from the family into another scene with the next family holding a picture of the previous family. The sequence is very simple, but also very interesting in that it tells the audience exactly what they need to know about the series before the episode. The families are quirky and weird in the way that they interact with each other, their poses tell the audience what kind of family they are, and even the music, which is an upbeat big band jazz tune tells the audience that this is a comedic and satirical show, not to be taken seriously.


Though obvious to anyone who has previously seen the show, the title sequence is directly modeled after each and every episode. The title sequence is split into four different acts, returning to the status quo by the end of the episode. These acts which all coincide with each other show the audience the segmented nature of the series, in the way that each of the families have their own subplot in each episode, but all somehow affect each other’s subplots. This also explains the use of the Droste effect in the pictures. The end of the sequence shows a large portrait of all of the families standing with each other in front of a white background, perhaps to represent purity of the serenity of the normal, holding a portrait with the title of the show.

The sequence even shows a little bit of development of the characters, though it is not at all thorough, or even entirely noticeable, perhaps to represent the spontaneous nature of the series. The first family appear a normal family, all smiling pleasantly, which perhaps even looks fake and forced to the audience, maybe representing how they are a dysfunctional family who happens to know how to behave in public. The second family is two men and their adopted child making strange facial expressions at each other, while returning to a rather annoyed face upon looking away from each other. This might represent how different they are in personality from each other and try to hide this fact upon interaction. The third family is a mother, a father and their son in the middle. This family appears normal at first glance as well. The mother appears very well dressed and is posing ostentatiously for the camera, showing how she is perhaps a well-mannered and classy woman with an abundance of self-confidence. The man is showing what appears to be forced, slightly annoyed smile, which perhaps shows how he is detached from his family and doesn’t feel interested is being pleasant. Their son also appears to be very well behaved, showing a wide smile while holding a picture frame, showing how he may be the intelligent and reasonable part of the family.


1 comment:

  1. Can you comment on the ideology, values and beliefs present in the text? This will strengthen your analysis.

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