Research into wider media: Television Shows

‘How I Met Your Mother: Pilot’

Narrative • Ted’s best friend Marshall

proposes to his girlfriend Lily. Ted realises that he is wasting his life and gets help from Barney to score TV reporter Robin.

• They go on a date, where Ted misses the signal to kiss her, so he goes back, stealing a blue French horn where he goes to kiss her, but ends up saying “I love you.”

• After a lingering goodbye, Ted thinks about whether or not he missed the signal.

Ted spots Robin from across the bar.

Ted has stolen the horn.

Key/Compelling Shots

• This close up two shot is a key shot because it shows the pair engaging in happy romance before Ted messes it all up. It creates juxtaposition between the two months strengthening the humour given off.

Music/Sound

• There is no incidental music. This creates verisimilitude within the diegesis.

• There is a laughing track to help identify the humorous moments and make them appear more funny.

• There are a few diegetic sounds like doors opening closing, to create verisimilitude in the diegesis.

Editing

• The editing is used to make the episode flow as a narrative story. The pace of the edit is relatively slow.

• Jump cuts are also used a lot, like to go from 2030 to 2005 and this helps the story start.

• The entire story is also a flashback.

How Mise-En-Scene adds to the atmosphere

• The use of an apartment location creates a comedy atmosphere as it is a normal location for a sitcom to be set in.

• The costumes create verisimilitude as they look real and this helps create a sitcom atmosphere.

• The lighting is also aimed to create verisimilitude.

The apartment