Team America - Opening 2 mins

 

Introduction

*Directed by Trey Parker.

* Hybrid genre, comedy/political satire.

*Released in the UK on 14^th January 2005

*Budget of $30 000 000

* Tag-line, putting the `F` back in freedom

* From the makers of South Park

Logos

*Not visually altered to suit film. However, the music is changed to a military style beat. [Long notes and quick notes]

* Paramount Pictures explodes, helping to provide anchorage to the preferred reading of the film genre.

 

Start of film.

 

·       Non diegetic music starts, stereotypically French music.

·       Watercolour in background Eifel tower and the arc d’ triumph giving exposition.

·       Further exposition provided by the wording on screen.

·       Puppet show within puppet show.

·       Sacre bleu! Stereotypically French thing to say.

·       Frere Jacques. Ditto.

·       Berets.

 

Asian character enters.

 

·        Camera angle cutting off top half of Asian characters body attempting to represent him as a `monster` from the child’s perspective.

·       Non-diegetic music changes to a stereotypically Asian style.

·       Staring eyes, beard etc.

·       Inter-textual reference to OBL.

 

 

Team America enter.

 

·       Music changes to a much faster pace, siren in background.

·       Team America logo, inter-textual reference to Thunderbirds. Team America, world police and Thunderbirds, international rescue. Also links with the use of puppets.

·       WMD-reference to Iraq war, first glimpse of political satire in the film.

·       Gun fight starts, civilians getting shot, another reference to Iraq war, is the film trying to make a political point?

·       Irony? `he’s getting away with the WMD` when the Team America Guy is carrying a rocket Launcher.

·       Team America Knock down the Eifel tower, more harm than good?