Summary of presentation.

    Monday the eleventh of January. This was the day I�d been dreading. It was the day of my presentation for media in context. Here�s a summary of what happened filled in with what I meant to say.

   I started off by explaining that I chose to anaysle something from the Simpsons. I filled in the audience on the episode and what preceded the selected scenes. There was a brief summary of the start of the episode where Marge tries to prevent Homer from finding out about the annual chilli festival in Springfield. This is because, every year, Homer gets smashed and does something stupid. We all understand, but Marge always ends up getting embarrassed by Homer�s discoordinated actions. In the end Homer finds out and sets to the event, Marge lets him go if he promises he won�t drink and Homer puts on a pair of leather chilli boots.

  The first part of the scene is a parody of Western films. This is really obvious when we see the clip and is communicated by the coming together of several elements. In terms of costume there�s the obvious inclusion of Homer�s chilli boots, clearly visible by a close up shot at the start. Other members of the surrounding audience are wearing cowboy style hats and the signs of the other chilli stands have lettering that�s usually associated with Westerns. Homers shadow stretches across the grass, a code which connotes a stand off. This shadow is inconsistent with that of other people, which also helps to focus attention on Homer.

    The Western theme is also communicated through the selection of camera shots. Several of these are based on classic westerns. Simon seemed to know them all, but I don�t. The main shots were the feet shot at the very start and a close up of Homers eyes. Another essential ingredient to create the western impression is the music. Stop me if I�m getting too basic but it�s western style music.

   Homers spoon is the equivalent of a gun. Although he doesn�t shoot anyone with it, we can clearly tell. If chilli cook off is a conflict then a spoon is a weapon. Homer pulls the spoon out of a pocket, where is has been carefully kept in a small pouch. The surrounding characters gasp and Lenny remarks �They say he calved it himself, from a bigger spoon�. Although this is a good joke, it adds to the impression that this spoon is special, a trusted ally which has seen Homer through many battles. Any doubt that the spoon is a weapon is eliminated when, after �defeating� Moe, he does the gun turning thing with it. Poorly described, but, you know, when they spin the gun around on their finger. After this, Homer turns to the Chief.

   The fact it is the chief and not.. say Apu draws itself from the traditions of westerns. Usually, at some point, there�s a stand off between the Sheriff and another person. The other person is Homer and the Chief is the Sheriff, as in a law official. We get the feeling that this is the main conflict and the previous competitions, Ned and Moe, are just a warm up. The significance of the conflict is emphasised by a chord from the �Good the bad and the ugly� after Homer stands opposite and says �Hello Chief�.
�Good afternoon Homer, care for some chilli?� asks the Chief before explaining that he�s added an extra ingredient for, who Otto describes as, �the dude with the fireproof stomach�. When the Chief takes the pepper out of the pot there is a jarring chord, adding more drama and impact to the introduction of the merciless beast. There follows a close up of the pepper, we see it simmering luminous colours from the red exterior. Red can connate danger, this may bear some relevance in terms of the colour of the pepper as we soon discover its mind alteringly dangerous. In this sequence red is also used to communicate the intense heat of the pepper. Chief seems to think it necessary to put on gloves and a welding visor before opening the pot and the colour red also helps communicate the heat of the chilli.

    Homer holds the chilli nearer and nearer his tongue. The framing gets closer and closer on this key event, adding to the drama of the moment and helps to build tension. The final shot is really close, so the audience can have no doubt that the smallest drop of pepper makes Homer run around like a lunatic, his eyes filled with red. There�s a fairly wide shot of him being laughed at before he sees a girl with an ice cream. After this fairly wide establisher, in which Homer grabs it there�s an extreme close up. This clearly shows Homers tongue melting the ice cream and reinforces the strength of the peppers he�s consumed. Homer legs it to the beer tent and Marge catches him drinking, disobeying his promise to his loyal wife.

   It was then necessary to bridge the narrative between the end of this scene and the next scene I chose to analyse in my presentation. Basically Homer puts wax in his mouth and manages to eat about seven of these mad peppers. Then he starts to feel not so good and there is one of the maddest, trippiest sequences in the history of television, in which a talking dog tells Homer to find his soulmate. Homer wakes up on a golf course and goes home to confront his wife. She�s upset because, yet again, Homer has broken his word and is suspected of being drunk. Affected by his trip, Homer suggests that Marge is his soulmate. She fumes back at him because she�s angry for staying out all night. To Marge this is a little marital row, but the search for a kindred spirit is of overwhelming importance. He paces around at night when Marge is sleeping and leaves the house in search for his soulmate.

  If you think about the layout of a joke it builds up people�s expectations to a certain meaning then there�s a punch line which shatters it. A hidden meaning is pulled out of nowhere that puts a completely different slant on the previous impression. This is significant in the next part of Homers journey for a soulmate. We see a tight shot that shows the upper part of Homer�s body on a chair that is associated with that of a Psychiatrist. Homer is discussing his problems, so the dominant audience meaning is to draw the conclusion that Homer is at a psychiatrist. This is reinforced for a moment as a wider shot shows a person listening to his problems. He leans on one knee in a �tell me about your childhood� stance. His clothing, a sensible jumper with a V-neck, average haircut and overall appearance helps maintain the impression. He starts to speak. �I�m sorry sir, this really goes beyond my training as a furniture salesman.� he says � now either buy the chair or be off�. Then there�s an establishing shot of the exterior of a furniture shop with Homer sitting in the window. 

   The first part of the dialogue strings the audience along with their expectations for a moment longer. The impression certain signs and the framing of the shot have created that homer�s receiving treatment. In the context of the joke it�s important not to know where Homer is, but only to suspect. Therefore obeying with Classic film narrative by having an establishing shot first would blow the joke. It would be like saying the punchline first, so the nature of the first shot, and disobeying classic convention, is critical. 

   The next significant scene it when Homers in a phone box. The first shot shows Homer approaching a phone box from a towering angle. This is an establishing shot! Evidence of classic film narrative there. The main body of the scene is Homer on the phone replying to a personal ad. Once the call is over he steps out of the box and we cut back to the equivalent of a crane shot. This makes Homer look small and lost, but there is another reason why this shot was selected. Out of nowhere comes the voice of the talking dog, seemingly booming down from height as Homer looks up. The voice reiterates the need for him to find his soulmate. Homer questions the voice and it replies �This is just your memory, I can�t offer you anymore information�.  Again, this is working with audience expectations as the positioning of the shot makes it appear Homer is receiving new direction from his spirit guide, the dog so the audience is surprised to discover Homer�s actually talking to his brain. The high positioning of the shot helps to create the desired impression of renewed communication with the dog in his vision. If there wasn�t as much room above the phonebox, the audience might not arrive at the same impression. If they used a close up of Homer�s head the audience wouldn�t generate the right impression at all, so the piece wouldn�t be funny. Homer is disappointed about the lack of new information in his brain, so wanders the streets of the city.

  The first shot in the sequence sees Homer walking along, looking at his feet. The background changes through dissolves, communicating passage of time. This is graphically matched as the audience�s attention is focused on Homer throughout this part of the sequence, making it more fluid and visually pleasing. Three backgrounds fade away as Homer contemplates his future with Marge. Throughout the sequence there are several references to this relationship.

    The music, Janis Ian�s song �At 17� has some significance. The dreamy melody adds to the floaty sequence, but there could also be other meanings at work. It�s explained in another episode that Marge met Homer at high school, which means they were about that age. To Homer, the absence of Marge being his soulmate is a really big thing, threatening their future together.

    Homer looks in the window of a pet shop. Here he sees two fish in a tank which are clearly marked  �kissing fish�. His face lights up in the expectation that everyone has a soulmate except him. The shot of Homers facial expression also gives the audiences impressions time to develop through the briefest passage of time. Therefore it�s surprising when we cut back to see one fish devouring what we thought was his mate. It�s also quite funny. Cut back to Homers face, registering disappointment at this outcome and fear as the living fish turns and scours at him. Perhaps the whole segment is symbolic of Marge eating him alive but I think that might be looking into it too deeply.

   The next part of the sequence is a montage effect. We see a front view of Homer walking against a black background. This is a neutral colour, a void that can be filled by the audience. Unlike the other parts of the sequence, time and space are totally unknown. It might be significant to remember that passage of time is communicated though fade to black, so perhaps the use of a black background can help achieve the idea of a long journey. There are, however, clues as to where Homer�s walk is taking him. Signs drift into the scene. �Severe tyre damage� and �employees must wash hands�. These indicate that Homer�s quest for a soulmate led him to a tyre yard and a loo. Homer also gets rejected from mayor Quimby�s office, despite a banner declaring �your friend in government� and is dismayed to find the �community outreach� centre closes as he approaches. With that the sequence, and the presentation, ended. Then everyone woke up.