I chose this selection from Bridesmaids because it’s absolutely hilarious, and it makes me laugh, EVERY time I’ve ever watched it. Melissa McCarthy, Megan, is a brilliant comedian, and her character is so wild, and well developed.
The shot begins with a mid shot with all three women in the shot, Megan, Annie, and Lillian. Soon Lillian exits the shot, leaving fresh acquaintances Annie and Megan to chatter.
Immediately, the camera cuts, displaying Annie and Megan in a mid-wide shot, showing the two women, essentially alone in a crowded room, emphasizing the awkward moment between them when the small talk begins.
Then, the camera begins to switch between Megan and Annie during their respective moments of dialogue, emphasizing Annie’s reactions to Megan’s outlandish story.
After one of Annie’s reaction shots, Megan begins to describe the event in detail and the camera cuts in to a medium close-up. After hearing the extremities of Megans injuries the camera cuts into a medium close-up of Annie’s unsure-of-how-to-handle-this reaction face.
The camera bounces back and forth using medium close-up shots of Megan and Annie as the conversations progresses. Suddenly, the camera cuts out, back to a mid shot, revealing a tall man standing beside Annie.
The shots ends with yet another awkward reaction face from Annie.
The sound of the crowd around the girls is relaxing, and the elevator music in the background almost intensifies the awkward feeling, as if they were two strangers awkwardly meeting in an elevator. The colors of the scene are pretty light, lots of creams and shades of blue, generates a pretty relaxed, normal feeling atmosphere.
Nickolette L. Lannan 