The Office feat. The 'Nard Dogg

Larry David: A True Auteur

“Anyone can be confident with a full head of hair. But a confident bald man - there's your diamond in the rough”(IMDB). This is one of my favorite Larry David quotes of all time. America’s favorite pessimist, David has written, produced, and acted for two of the most loved shows of the last 20 years, both of which he also created. Both Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm are riddled with Larry David signatures. He is famous for using humor derived from every day life, and both shows are based around that idea. David also frequently uses many of the same camera shots in both Seinfeld and Curb. The third David signature between both shows is his unique use of sound. All of these signatures are the clear markings of Larry David, and it is his unique style that makes him a true auteur.
Larry David was born July 2, 1947, in Brooklyn, New York. After graduating from the University of Maryland in the early 70‘s, David moved back to New York. He began performing as a stand-up comedian in 1974, and remained one until 1979 when he got his first T.V. gig writing and performing for the show Fridays (Bio.com). David’s next big break was when he became a writer for Saturday Night Live. Although he only lasted a season it was effective in getting him some name recognition. As we should all know, the career maker for David was Seinfeld. The decade defining show of the 90’s, it is one of the most successful shows of all time. David wrote and produced for Seinfeld until 1996, and returned for the show’s finale in 1998 (Bio.com). His next venture was originally meant to be a one hour special, but by popular demand became the series Curb Your Enthusiasm. Premiering in 2000 the show was a huge hit, and is currently in its’ 7th season on HBO. David uses much of his real life in his work, according to him the Seinfeld character George Costanza was even modeled after himself (Bio.com).
Larry David is the master of everyday humor. Almost all of his narratives are based around things that most Americans can relate too. David toes the line between extreme and believable, and I believe that is a big part of why people love his comedy. His first large body of work, Seinfeld, is lovingly called the “show about nothing” (Bio.com). This is because it is not a show about someone with extraordinary gifts, or crime-solving abilities. Seinfeld is a show about a group of friends who deal with issues that come with living in New York. As one of the first shows of its’ kind, Seinfeld slowly grew into the franchise that it is today. David struck gold with the same concept again after creating Curb. Except this time instead of just the modeling a character after himself, David decided to star in the series about himself. The show is based on David’s unique way of dealing with everyday problems from the perspective of his current life as a rich, semi-retired comedian. Even with the similar theme, Curb is still very original because it is one of the first semi-scripted shows on television. It is also Larry David’s practice to mirror the setting of his shows to where he resides at the time. So it was New York for Seinfeld, and Los Angeles for Curb. I feel like David’s recurring themes of everyday conflicts allow a wide audience to relate with, and enjoy his work. He puts a lot of himself in all of his work. He uses plot-lines from his own life, and even bases his shows where he lives. I feel that Larry David’s defining characteristic is originality, both of his shows are very innovative while still maintaining his famous trademarks.
Another David trademark is the medium long camera shot. A medium long shot is when most, if not all of the actor’s body is included in the frame. It is different than a long shot because less surrounding space is included in the frame. This shot is used very often in most Seinfeld scenes set in Jerry’s apartment. It allows for the camera to keep almost the entire apartment in the frame. David also frequently uses the medium long shot in Curb for scenes involving either The Black’s or The Green’s (families that are friends to Larry)to help keep all characters visible. By using the medium long shot David can avoid using reverse shots to capture conversations. A reverse shot is an editing technique often used for continuity in conversations, and is usually best used between 2 characters. Another signature Larry David shot is the extreme close up. Extreme close ups are defined as anything framed closer than from shoulders to head. David uses this technique most frequently in Curb, when Larry gets in stare-downs with people. David highlights facial expressions with the extreme close ups, most noticeably the character’s eyes. David’s use of the camera is very effective with his brand of comedy, and can be easily picked apart from other people’s work.
Thirdly, David’s use of sound is also very unique. His shows are both very dialogue driven and feature few effects. Sure, Seinfeld used a laugh track, but so did every show in the 90‘s. David rarely uses voice-over for reasons other than a character’s inner monologue, and these are rare because a large part of his comedy is saying things that should be kept to yourself. Both shows have instrumental theme songs that are catchy and uncommon because they are very different than popular music. David’s use of ambient sound makes his scenes more realistic and believable. Ambient sound is defined as background sounds of a particular location. David expertly uses sound as a way to drive his themes of everyday life, and help him keep his toe on the line between the extreme and believable.
Lastly, Larry David is a great example of a true auteur because he uses his own life to create new and unique pieces of work. He not only creates the idea. Larry David is involved in almost every step of the process of making television. His work is easily differentiable from others because it is full of his trademarks. Whether it be the theme, camera shots, or sound. His mark is always clear, and while he is often mimicked, he is never duplicated. Larry David is the definition of a true auteur.

Works Cited
“Larry David Biography”. Biography.com. 10/13/2009. http://www.biography.com/articles/Larry-David-9542580
“Biography for Larry David”. IMDB.com. 10/13/2009.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0202970/bio

Real Talk with Dillon Mawe, a new age in blogicism

Television, the one thing pretty much everyone in the last 50 years has in common. People my age and older have grown up with television shows ranging from Power Rangers to Charles in Charge to Scrubs, and we have always had “our shows”. I myself was a Boy Meets World kid, and not much has changed, I still love Tapanga. If you are wondering why you should read this blog, and not Perez Hilton’s. It is mostly because I feel like I can bring a fresh and entertaining approach to T.V. criticism. I am not trying to be famous for this. I just want to share my opinion, and interact with my fellow television audience. My goal is not to be condescending or aloof. Instead I’m just going to be me, Dillon Mawe.

I am not stupid, but I am certainly no genius either. I see myself as a pretty average American (aside from the good looks and pet penguin). That is why I consider everyone who uses this site as my peers. Just because I write a blog does not mean I know more than anyone else, I still have to watch The Office on Thursdays like everyone else. Brunsdon (1993) would call our relationship transparent, which means we are all just ordinary viewers acting accordingly. No one is held in higher standing than anyone else. This is why I feel that reader’s comments will be especially helpful and almost necessary in making this blog work. O’Donnell (2007) categorizes criticism as both subjective, and persuasive. My opinion is just that, my opinion. Readers are allowed to think what they want to and I have no problem with that. Criticism is also persuasive; I want to take advantage of this through my opinion. Since this is my first post I obviously lack credibility, and I have no references either. I just trust that my opinion is a good one, one that other people will someday trust. If I can persuade you to trust me, we can keep excellent shows like Dexter, and The Office on the air forever. Who knows, if I would have started half a decade ago, we may have been able to save Arrested Development.
Sillars and Gronbeck (2001) state that “A critical argument is a statement plus a reason that justifies thinking that that statement in true.(6)” One cannot write solid criticism without evidence for why they feel the way they do. If I just listed names of shows with a star rating under them, but gave no reasons for why a particular show earned its’ stars, people would not be interested. I plan on giving star earnings, but not without listing the reasons why a program has earned them. I want to engage my audience and have them interpret the evidence for themselves too. While I want them to respect and acknowledge my opinion, I do not want to be a shepherd. I just would not cut it in the sheep-farming game. As I said earlier, interaction with my fellow audience is the key to making this blog work. So if people never bother to think for themselves our interaction will be pretty dull.

Lastly, I am genuinely excited for this to begin. As we start the information sharing process I urge people to say what they want to say. We are all entitled to our own opinions so let them be heard. Everyone has guilty pleasures; it is a lot more fun for everyone if we just embrace them. I hope that people do find me fresh and unique, and together we can create a lively dialogue and help educate each other on something that we are all experts in. T.V.

References

Brunsdon, C. (1993). Identity in feminist television criticism. Media, Culture and Society, 15: 309-320.
O’Donnell, V. (2007). Television Criticism. New York: Sage.
Sillars, M. O. and Gronbeck, B. E. (2001). Communication Criticism: Rhetoric, Social Codes, Cultural Studies. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press.

Dr. Turk

Good talk about Good TV