2ND FILM ANALYSIS: 'HAPPINESS' TODD SOLONDZ
Media Language:
Cinematography:
On this page i will be discussing the use of Cinematography within a scene from the Black Comedy feature film 'Happiness'. Furthermore, i will be discussing how the techniques used within the scene will influence my own film.
Caption for image below:
This image depicts the blurred introduction of the character Bill Maplewood and also the location he is in.
When introducing the location of the park during'The Dream Sequence' the camera pans from right to left, this placing the scenario/location in the audiences point of view, as though they are witnessing the events in 'real time'. The main male character (Bill Maplewood) within the scene, when introduced in filmed in a medium close-up, audiences although viewing him at a relatively close angle are prevented from seeing his face, therefore immediately creating intrigue and also preventing somewhat of an emotional connection between audience and character. 'Bill Maplewood' also appears to be, initially, more blurred than others within the park, and although the camera is seemingly focusing on him, he is not the clearest to visualise. This creating the effect that audiences should almost not be focusing their eyes on him and instead, still be exploring the location and other characters within the location, almost attempting to distract them from the male character himself.
Through presenting this man in a more blurred and impersonal way, it conceals the characters identity till the last possibly minute, when his face is shown.
Through presenting this man in a more blurred and impersonal way, it conceals the characters identity till the last possibly minute, when his face is shown.
Caption for image below:
Here is an image depicting the more 'Hollywood' use of a crane shot which is immediately contrasted by the imagery of dead bodies seeping with blood almost defying 'Hollywoods' ethics.
The idea of the scene being shown from the audiences point of view is then continued, after a gun is revealed the camera somewhat emulates a humans visual tendecies, the camera immediately tilts down as if it is following the eyes of the audience whom would be looking up and down at the gun. Through the tilt of the camera, it also raises the somewhat abnormality of the scenario as we should be scared of the gun and his easy attitude with it, however we are not.
Whilst the character 'Bill Maplewood' begins shooting, a majority of long shots are used, again as though these events are being viewed from the audiences perspective, through the use of a long shot, it almost distances audiences from the shooting as though they are unable to do anything about it.
To finalize the scene, a crane shot is used which begins with a close-up of the male characters face, and then proceeds to raise upwards revealing numerous dead bodies scattered across the ground. Through use of this crane shot, not only does it contrast to the more independent and eclectic nature of the film itself by adding a more stereotypically 'hollywood' camera technique, but it also alludes to the idea that from raising upwards someone of a higher power is looking down on these events, possibly still even the audience immediately attaching a higher status to them, making them seem superior to this man.
Whilst the character 'Bill Maplewood' begins shooting, a majority of long shots are used, again as though these events are being viewed from the audiences perspective, through the use of a long shot, it almost distances audiences from the shooting as though they are unable to do anything about it.
To finalize the scene, a crane shot is used which begins with a close-up of the male characters face, and then proceeds to raise upwards revealing numerous dead bodies scattered across the ground. Through use of this crane shot, not only does it contrast to the more independent and eclectic nature of the film itself by adding a more stereotypically 'hollywood' camera technique, but it also alludes to the idea that from raising upwards someone of a higher power is looking down on these events, possibly still even the audience immediately attaching a higher status to them, making them seem superior to this man.
How this will influence my film:
Within my own film i intend to, like 'Happiness' play with the idea of the audiences perspective. Within my own film, where my character loses control, intend to reverse what 'Happiness' does and place the audience in the character shoes whilst he is shooting.
Within my own film i intend to, like 'Happiness' play with the idea of the audiences perspective. Within my own film, where my character loses control, intend to reverse what 'Happiness' does and place the audience in the character shoes whilst he is shooting.
Mise-En-Scene:
Here i will be discussing the Mise-En-Scene within the park scene of 'Happiness', furthermore i will be discussing how the techniques used in this scene will influence my own film.
Caption for image below:
This image depict the 'garden of eden' like location shown within the scene and how it serenity and peace ultimately contrasts with the actions that are about to occur.
Audiences are presented with a lavish and 'garden of eden' like park, immediately a peaceful and somewhat idyllic atmosphere is illustrated, something which contrasts to the black comedic and dark nature of the films genre. The extremely saturated colors of the scene interplay with this original idealistic atmosphere, almost reminding audiences almost enhancing the idea that this scene is in fact representing a dream. Through displaying these events within a dream, audiences are almost encouraged to make an emotional connection with the character as he is not actually committing a massacare, he is only envisioning it in his mind. This idea is then furthered by the slightly abnormal colors seen on the characters within the scene's clothing, more specifically of the main male character's 'Bill Maplewood'. He is seen wearing a bright orange and red gingham collared shirt, paired with a pair of slightly oversized belted trousers, the bright colors mixed with the more normal items of clothing almsot conveys the clash of a dream and reality, this clash almost presents a social and emotional context to the scene itself, raising ideas that although possibly not to the extent of the way illustrated within the scene, the everyday person probably has come to the stage where they, although would never do it, want to kill someone due to anger and frustration.
Caption for image below:
Bill Maplewood's clothing within the scene it relatively normal, yet something about is seems slightly unusual due to the almost over exaggerated color scheme.
Through this 'shooting' being a dream, it almost removes the more serious tone of the dream away from it as it is seemingly not meant to be reflecting a true reality. This contrasts to the entire film of 'Happiness' itself which due to it's black comedic nature looks to present horrific things in a comedic way, whereas within this one scene is almost looks to allow somewhat of a 'break' for audience where they are directly being told that this is a 'dream'. A wedding ring is also seen, immediately provoking ideas of a family man into audiences head almost presenting the binary opposite type of person who would commit a massacare. The costume of the characters as a whole reflect an upper middle class society, again alluding to the idea that this man is somewhat of an unlikely villain, also a somewhat unlikely place for a massacare to be committed. The time of day in which the scene is being filmed also comments of the somewhat 'dream' like nature of the scene. The daylight somewhat exposes all who are in the scene, especially 'Bill Maplewood' therefore almost providing the most unlikely setting for a massacare, alluding that it was not planned or carefully and cleverly constructed again making the character seem like an unlikely villain. Within the somewhat family orientated park, there are no ice cream vans seen despite the clear summers day, this presenting again ideal that this is a dream. The non consumer, peaceful, litter lacking and lavish park contrasts greatly to those in reality. Within the scene, a sense of dramatic irony is also continuously conveyed. 'Bill Maplewood' is seen almost admiring the serenity of the park before he causes havoc, whilst members of the public in the background are seen playing with somewhat abnormal things such as a frisbee, something which is not stereotypically popular. The use of the frisbee almost adds a 'commercial' like sense to the scene, almost attempting to popularise something which is not realistic.
Caption for image below:
Another example of the put together and upper class clothing seen within the park scene.
How will this influence my film:
Within my own film i intend to, like 'Happiness' use somewhat of a familiar location such as a school to immediately have audiences identify with the scene and believe it to be realistic. In addition to this, much like the way the costume within 'Happiness' reflects the stereotypical background of the character i indent to have my leading character who is a teenage boy dress in baggy, plain clothes and look slightly unkempt, immediately reflecting the stereotype of teenage boys.
Within my own film i intend to, like 'Happiness' use somewhat of a familiar location such as a school to immediately have audiences identify with the scene and believe it to be realistic. In addition to this, much like the way the costume within 'Happiness' reflects the stereotypical background of the character i indent to have my leading character who is a teenage boy dress in baggy, plain clothes and look slightly unkempt, immediately reflecting the stereotype of teenage boys.
Editing:
Within this section i will be discussing the use of editing within the park scene of the feature film 'Happiness'. In addition to this i will be discussing how the techniques used within this scene will influence my own film
Caption of image below:
This image depicts when the gun itself is introduced, as soon it is seen by audiences a loud noise of a gun being loaded is heard whilst a quick cut is used.
When 'Bill Maplewood' is initially shown holding his gun, and when the gun is introduced, to enhance the somewhat unexpected nature of the scene a cut used on the sound of the gun being loaded. This sudden and almost unexpected cut somewhat attacks the audiences senses, this directly contrasting to the original slow paced and calm pan that was used to open the full scene. The fast and unforeseen nature of the cut also is indicative in the change of mood within the scene, it removes the peaceful atmosphere and almost prepares audiences for what they can expect to be a more violent and hysteric ambience.
Caption of image below:
This image shows Bill Maplewood walking whilst shooting people in stead of running, in addition to this the scene some what defies black comedic conventions and does not utilise slow motion whilst shooting.
When showing the gun being loaded a close-up and a jump cut are used at the same time, almost disorientating audiences, again immediately changing what was once a steady, slow paced visualization of events. Through 'The Park Scene' lacking a stereotypical establishing shot, this idea of almost disorientating the audience is furthered, not allowing them to be 'sure' of the location and surrounding being shown, this also conveying that the atmosphere is ever-changing.
The shooting scene almost ignores the more stereotypical conventions of editing within the black comedic genre, traditionally one would expect a shooting scene to be done in slow motion with the calm orchestral music being layered on top of the scene, however the more fast paced and frantic nature of the shooting itself is successful at creating a comedic effect as 'Bill Maplewood' is walking slowly whereas everyone else is frantic and running different directions, this almost highlight the over exaggerated mixed with the underplayed.
The shooting scene almost ignores the more stereotypical conventions of editing within the black comedic genre, traditionally one would expect a shooting scene to be done in slow motion with the calm orchestral music being layered on top of the scene, however the more fast paced and frantic nature of the shooting itself is successful at creating a comedic effect as 'Bill Maplewood' is walking slowly whereas everyone else is frantic and running different directions, this almost highlight the over exaggerated mixed with the underplayed.
How will this influence my film:
During the shooting scene within my own film, i like 'Happiness' do not intend to follow the Black Comedic convention of slow motion. In addition to this i intend to use the sounds of gun re loading and shooting to like 'Happiness' almost disorientate audiences whilst the shooting is shown in 'real-time'.
During the shooting scene within my own film, i like 'Happiness' do not intend to follow the Black Comedic convention of slow motion. In addition to this i intend to use the sounds of gun re loading and shooting to like 'Happiness' almost disorientate audiences whilst the shooting is shown in 'real-time'.
Sound:
When the character 'Bill Maplewood' begins to shoot, the scene almost ignores the more Black Comedic film conventions of this particular scenario, stereotypically when 'Bill Maplewood' begins to shoot audiences can expect the only sound being heard is the shots of the gun, the characters and natures reactions are muted and the gun shots are raised in volume, in addition to this the event would probably be edited into slow motion. However, despite 'Happiness' following the Black Comedic genre, when 'Bill Maplewood' begins shooting audiences are able to hear the gun infused with the screams of the public, splattering of blood, trees rustling and the tweeting of birds in reaction to the event. This cacophoany of sounds almost exposes the audience to a more violent display of events than they were expecting, and due to the almost 'over the top nature' of the sound effects altogether, the scene immediately becomes comedic instead of difficult to witness.
The use of ambient sound it present within this clip, audiences are able to frequently hear the rustling of leaves and birds tweeting throughout the duration of the scene, almsot sounding unaffected by the shooting that is happening providing a comedic sense of irony, this also reminding audiences of the unrealistic nature of the scene, due to the fact that birds would most likely react to what is happening. This continuous use of diegetic sound is reflective of the use of continuity, this attempting to make the scene as natural as possibly (birds and people talking), this directly contrasts to the more abnormal nature of the shooting. The use of 'normal' sounds contrasted with the more abnormal nature of the clothing and the park increase the idead that there is something not 'normal' about the park itself as well as the people. Throughout the entire scene a slow orchestral, song is played it immediately suits the peaceful and idyllic atmosphere, but then proceeds to contrasts to the more violent closure of the scene. The use of music to contrast events is something stereotypical of the comedic/black comedic genre, this is something that we intend to implement within our film, in addition to this we would like to use the technique of having multiple sounds playing at once to, like in 'Happiness', enhance the hysteria as well as the comedic nature due to the over the top feeling it creates.
How this will influence my own film:
Unlike 'Happiness' i intend to not have the noises coming from those being shot heard by audiences, i feel that this will suit my own film better. However, i do intend to use a mixture of Diegetic and Non-Diegetic music within my short film in order to fully convey the story at atmosphere to audiences.
The use of ambient sound it present within this clip, audiences are able to frequently hear the rustling of leaves and birds tweeting throughout the duration of the scene, almsot sounding unaffected by the shooting that is happening providing a comedic sense of irony, this also reminding audiences of the unrealistic nature of the scene, due to the fact that birds would most likely react to what is happening. This continuous use of diegetic sound is reflective of the use of continuity, this attempting to make the scene as natural as possibly (birds and people talking), this directly contrasts to the more abnormal nature of the shooting. The use of 'normal' sounds contrasted with the more abnormal nature of the clothing and the park increase the idead that there is something not 'normal' about the park itself as well as the people. Throughout the entire scene a slow orchestral, song is played it immediately suits the peaceful and idyllic atmosphere, but then proceeds to contrasts to the more violent closure of the scene. The use of music to contrast events is something stereotypical of the comedic/black comedic genre, this is something that we intend to implement within our film, in addition to this we would like to use the technique of having multiple sounds playing at once to, like in 'Happiness', enhance the hysteria as well as the comedic nature due to the over the top feeling it creates.
How this will influence my own film:
Unlike 'Happiness' i intend to not have the noises coming from those being shot heard by audiences, i feel that this will suit my own film better. However, i do intend to use a mixture of Diegetic and Non-Diegetic music within my short film in order to fully convey the story at atmosphere to audiences.
Genre:
Within this page i will be analyzing how the genre of Black Comedy is seen within the film 'Happiness' by Todd Solodnz and what conventions are used to place this film under the genre of Black Comedy
Black Comedy:
'A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor, which, in its most basic definition, is humor that makes light of otherwise solemn subject matter'. (definition)
The typical conventions of a Black Comedy film include:
The clip i am analyzing from 'Happiness' itself follows the clear conventions of a Black Comedy, the music within the scene reflects this. The use of orchestral music that is playing throughout the 'massacare'. In addition to this choice in music, traditions of the Black Comedic genre are again utilized through the use of excessive, spurting blood from the bodies, immediately creating and unrealistic and humoros depiction of 'death'.
Black Comedy within 'Turkish Delight':
Our film will be located in the black comedy genre, like Happiness, in order to attract teenage / young adult audiences. Although Happiness is targeted for an older audience than our film, we will still use some of the same generic conventions found in that movie in order to combine them with conventions from movies targeted at younger audiences.
How will this influence my own film:
The conventions we will use from Happiness include:
Black Comedy:
'A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor, which, in its most basic definition, is humor that makes light of otherwise solemn subject matter'. (definition)
The typical conventions of a Black Comedy film include:
- Dark natured and controversial topics such as death, sex, pain etc..
- Irony
- Melodrama
- Storyline's which make audiences mildly confused or having feelings of anticipation
- Storyline focusing on the character of 'The Outsider'
The clip i am analyzing from 'Happiness' itself follows the clear conventions of a Black Comedy, the music within the scene reflects this. The use of orchestral music that is playing throughout the 'massacare'. In addition to this choice in music, traditions of the Black Comedic genre are again utilized through the use of excessive, spurting blood from the bodies, immediately creating and unrealistic and humoros depiction of 'death'.
Black Comedy within 'Turkish Delight':
Our film will be located in the black comedy genre, like Happiness, in order to attract teenage / young adult audiences. Although Happiness is targeted for an older audience than our film, we will still use some of the same generic conventions found in that movie in order to combine them with conventions from movies targeted at younger audiences.
How will this influence my own film:
The conventions we will use from Happiness include:
- Our character will have unusual likes and dislikes (for example, going into the girls' bathroom), which establishes the idea of dark themes and controversial topics.
- Our character does not like popular things, like Family Guy, which will establish him as an outsider.
- Our character envisions killing everybody in his video game, again establishing the idea of controversial topics.
- There is a weird comic-ness to the writing and performance (for example, exaggerated facial expressions) in our film, which will give a sense of comedy and black comedy to the film.
Representation:
On this page i aim to discussing the representation of the upper middle class within the film 'Happiness' and how the social stigma attached to the 'upper middle class' affect how they are viewed within society.
Caption for image below:
This image is a clip from the park scene displaying the clear upper middle class 'stereotypically' clothing and idealistic idea of a day at the park.
Within the 'Park Scene' of 'Happiness', immediately audiences are presented with an upper middle class environment. The put together and well dressed nature of those within the public (two piece jogging suits) reflect this. This is then furthered by the family orientated nature of the park indicated by the families shown, well dressed, sat with a fully and extensively equipped picnic basket.
Caption for image below:
In this shot, the character Bill Maplewood's wedding ring is seen, immediately indicating to audiences what kind of a 'life' he has besides what he is envisioning happening at the park.
When audiences are introduced to the protagonist/antagonist 'Bill Maplewood' immediately audiences are drawn to the prominent, gold wedding ring seen on his finger, almost imprinting the idea that he is a 'family man' into the audience's mind, ultimately influencing the way audience view the character. The put together, color co-ordinated appearance of 'Bill', mixed with the 'materialistic' nature of the gold wedding ring reflects the idea that he is wealthy and reasonably respected within society. This presenting the idea, due to his supposed income, clothing and 'family man' persona, that he should not and does not have any worries or problems. Through contrasting his alleged 'persona' directly due to showing him commit a massacre, it presents a social comment to audiences saying that, no matter what your living situation is, everyone can 'snap'.
How will this influence my film:
Much like 'Happiness' i would like to play with the idea of stereotypes, my leading character is a teenage boy at school, his physical appearance ultimately has nothing dominating of frightening about it and his clothing is typical of a teenage boy, however he commits a massacre within his own school. My character much lik Bill Maplewood would seemingly be a victim to a long held stereotype.
Much like 'Happiness' i would like to play with the idea of stereotypes, my leading character is a teenage boy at school, his physical appearance ultimately has nothing dominating of frightening about it and his clothing is typical of a teenage boy, however he commits a massacre within his own school. My character much lik Bill Maplewood would seemingly be a victim to a long held stereotype.
Ideology:
Here i will be discussing ideology, in terms of the feature film 'Happiness.
'Happiness' both follows and challenges the beliefs of 'The Frankfurt School'. The film itself challenges the beliefs as it is almost interpellating audiences in society and showing them how not to behave and how not to live. Therefore dictating to its audience what is in fact wrong, through highlighting the 'wrong doings' through the Black Comedic genre. The film also follow the beliefs of 'The Frankfurt School' by requiring audiences to question what they are seeing and why these stories are being presented to them, it is in some way similar to 'Foutaises' in this sense. In addition to this, the film does not leave audiences feeling as though 'everything is fine' and it essentially does not leave them extremely comfortable. Although each character does have a revelation/contentment at the end, the actual content of the film seeps through and leaves audiences feeling unsettled due to what they had just seen. 'Happiness' itself is somewhat of a cross over between a Hollywood and Independent film in terms of ideology when following the terms set by 'The Frankfurt School'. 'Happiness' itself gives audiences a simple, Hollywood esque narrative, by abolishes the opprotunity for 'lazy thinking' by having audiences question the characters, script and overall plot of the story.
'Happiness' both follows and challenges the beliefs of 'The Frankfurt School'. The film itself challenges the beliefs as it is almost interpellating audiences in society and showing them how not to behave and how not to live. Therefore dictating to its audience what is in fact wrong, through highlighting the 'wrong doings' through the Black Comedic genre. The film also follow the beliefs of 'The Frankfurt School' by requiring audiences to question what they are seeing and why these stories are being presented to them, it is in some way similar to 'Foutaises' in this sense. In addition to this, the film does not leave audiences feeling as though 'everything is fine' and it essentially does not leave them extremely comfortable. Although each character does have a revelation/contentment at the end, the actual content of the film seeps through and leaves audiences feeling unsettled due to what they had just seen. 'Happiness' itself is somewhat of a cross over between a Hollywood and Independent film in terms of ideology when following the terms set by 'The Frankfurt School'. 'Happiness' itself gives audiences a simple, Hollywood esque narrative, by abolishes the opprotunity for 'lazy thinking' by having audiences question the characters, script and overall plot of the story.
Narrative:
Here is will be discussing the narrative within the feature film 'Happiness' and how i intend to implement these techniques into my own film.
The narrative of Happiness is characterised by having lots of different characters who are gradually revealed to be related in some way. For example, Phillip Seymour Hoffman's character is sexually harassing (on the telephone) famous author Helen Jordan, the younger sister of Trish Maplewood (who is herself married to Bill Maplewood). These different relationships between the characters are not initially clear, but only become apparent as the plot progresses. This narrative structure gives different perspectives on life, rather than focussing on just one character, and approaches a more realistic representation of life. It is also telling its audience that, in society, we are all connected in ways that we won't initially realize.
Happiness's narrative is structured around some major sequences, for which the film is remembered. For example, there is a scene between Bill Maplewood and his son in which his son questions his father's paedophilia, and he asks him if he would have sex with him. This scene is memorable for the topic, and the overtly black comedic dialogue, particularly that given to the son. This targets an older, more sophisticated audience, because teenagers would be less interested and slightly disturbed by this type of scene.
Unlike Foutaises the narrative structure of Happiness is more explained and less difficult to follow. We are never in any doubt about what is going on, or why it is happening. However, the dialogue acts as a portal to allow audiences to think independently and provoke thought behind what is being said. This is because the institution behind Happiness emerges from the American tradition of storytelling, and its independent nature comes from the challenging subject matter.
How will this influence my film:
Within my own film i do not intend to include multiple stories as i am creating a short film, and in contrast to 'Happiness' i would like my story to be less 'explained' and follow the style of 'Foutaises'. However, the character within my film (teenage boy) as a person would most likely identify with the narrative that was use in 'Happiness' therefore making audiences question why i have chosen to use a more ambiguous narrative structure as opposed to a more identifiable one.
The narrative of Happiness is characterised by having lots of different characters who are gradually revealed to be related in some way. For example, Phillip Seymour Hoffman's character is sexually harassing (on the telephone) famous author Helen Jordan, the younger sister of Trish Maplewood (who is herself married to Bill Maplewood). These different relationships between the characters are not initially clear, but only become apparent as the plot progresses. This narrative structure gives different perspectives on life, rather than focussing on just one character, and approaches a more realistic representation of life. It is also telling its audience that, in society, we are all connected in ways that we won't initially realize.
Happiness's narrative is structured around some major sequences, for which the film is remembered. For example, there is a scene between Bill Maplewood and his son in which his son questions his father's paedophilia, and he asks him if he would have sex with him. This scene is memorable for the topic, and the overtly black comedic dialogue, particularly that given to the son. This targets an older, more sophisticated audience, because teenagers would be less interested and slightly disturbed by this type of scene.
Unlike Foutaises the narrative structure of Happiness is more explained and less difficult to follow. We are never in any doubt about what is going on, or why it is happening. However, the dialogue acts as a portal to allow audiences to think independently and provoke thought behind what is being said. This is because the institution behind Happiness emerges from the American tradition of storytelling, and its independent nature comes from the challenging subject matter.
How will this influence my film:
Within my own film i do not intend to include multiple stories as i am creating a short film, and in contrast to 'Happiness' i would like my story to be less 'explained' and follow the style of 'Foutaises'. However, the character within my film (teenage boy) as a person would most likely identify with the narrative that was use in 'Happiness' therefore making audiences question why i have chosen to use a more ambiguous narrative structure as opposed to a more identifiable one.
Audience:
Due to the fact that the main characters within 'Happiness' are all young to middle aged adults, we can immediately assume that the audience that would be attracted to this film are young to middle aged adults, those who are able to somewhat relate to the characters and/or narratives being presented such as the working upper middle class father 'Bill Maplewood', furthermore the 'stock' natures of these characters make them relatable to a large range of personalities therefore allowing audiences to find various similarities between themselves and the characters. As the film follows the black comedic genre in an extreme way, children and teenagers are somewhat excluded from audiences as, although humorous, the inappropriate nature of the 'jokes' and scenarios being presented would not be advocated for children to see, furthermore the jokes being exhibited generally would require a much 'older' mind to understand the humour within the jokes themselves. Due to the virtually unknown actors used within 'Happiness' we can assume that audiences would be frequent viewers of the Black Comedic genre and of writer/director Todd Solondz. The specialist nature of the films genre itself also indicates that audiences would be those who frequently watch that genre of film. The poster art of 'Happiness' was illustrated by famous cartoonist/comic book maker Dainel Clowes, therefore those familiar with his artwork would have been immediately draw into the poster and the film itself due to the recognizable and popular nature of his works. The film 'Happiness' was originally given the rating of NC-17, but due to the fact that this rating would cause the film to be exhibited in limited release, the film was released unrated. This rating again indicates that the film is being directed towards and older more eclectic audience rather than looking to appeal to a vast amount of people.
Institution:
Written and directed by Todd Solondz audiences are immediately built around the fact that he is a reasonably well know independent film maker clearly indicating that audiences will be those of an art house settings, majority of this audience will most likely also be followers of Todd Solondz work. The use of virtually unknown actors immediately indicate the fact that 'Happiness' is an independtly released film, it also further indicates that audiences will be ones who appreciate and enjoy the genre as opposed to an audience following the film due to the actors within it. Due to the films graphic nature it caused much controversy upon its release and during it distribution stages. Due to being given an NC-17 rating by MPAA, the film was ultimately released unrated in order to prevent it bieng released at a select few number of cinemas, this rating again indicative of the target audience for the film itself. Although controversial and being refused entry for Cannes Film Festival, the film was a critical success, being nominated for ten awards. The films budget was of an estimated $3,000,000 and a box office $2,807,390 again indicative of the independent nature of the film. The poster art was created by comic book creator/illustrator Daniel Clowes, this use of artwork is reflective of the auidence, indicating how audiences were reeled in by the type of art work and also by recognising the artist's work itself.
The film was distributed by the independent film production, film distribution and foreign sales company 'Good Machine' a relatively new company at the time of the films release in 1998) in addition to this the other films which have been released by this company are other works by Todd Solondz. A sequel loosely following the films topics was released titled 'Life during wartime' featuring more well known actors.
The film was distributed by the independent film production, film distribution and foreign sales company 'Good Machine' a relatively new company at the time of the films release in 1998) in addition to this the other films which have been released by this company are other works by Todd Solondz. A sequel loosely following the films topics was released titled 'Life during wartime' featuring more well known actors.