YouTube Review

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAxfh8ukosQ This is a video that was created by a comedian who pokes fun of his Long Island mother by impersonating her. The video demonstrates his interpretation of a typical Mothers Day in his household. For the most part the video is composed of medium shots and closeups with the mother being the only subject in the shot, talking directly to the camera. At one point the camera is lower than the mom, which enhances comedy surrounding a mom scolding her child before they go shopping. The closeup while driving from the perspective of the backseat does the same thing, puts the viewer in the child's seat. Another strong point of the video is that there is always a clean entry and exit. This occurs in the shots that show the mom doing her chores and getting ready. The shot that held focused on the dirty dishes for a few seconds emphasized the annoyance that mothers have with their kids not doing their chores. This shot also framed the mother as she entered so the viewer's eyes were immediately drawn from the pile of dishes to the mothers hysterical reaction. It works well that the mom is the only person in all of the shots because the fact that no one is interacting with her highlights her characteristics and the viewer feels as if they are being directly spoken to. This makes the YouTube video relatable, especially being from Long Island, I can see the hilarity in it and can picture my mom yelling at me with the same heavy accent and winy voice. There are a few wider shots, like the one in the parking lot while entering the mall and the one from the cashier's perspective from across the card store. These shots did a good job of setting the scene for the events that took place outside of the home. The only place that there should have been a wide shot was the scene in the park. A very wide shot of the park would have improved the video because the viewer could get confused as to where this outside shot is occurring and you don't really know why the family takes the demanding mother to a park. Additional shots or dialogue would clear that up. The things that don't work with this video include lack of closer shots. The voice impersonation is done well and the body language is showed in all of the shots but it would have been better to see more facial expressions, especially in the scene where she is opening her Mother's Day presents. Overall this video is comical and the camera angles enhance the script and character in the video. There are a variety of similar videos by the same comedian but this one is most effective with camera techniques.