Cheaper is better

Many people think that to make a great movie or tv show you need millions of dollars. I disagree with this whole heartedly. Some of the best movies and shows were created because a bunch of friends had a camera and thought filming something sounded like fun. If we first look at tv there are many examples of this. One of my favorite shows, Trailer Park Boys, is a very cheaply produced shows that is one of the most popular comedies in Canada. Even after a couple year hiatus the following is still great enough to make 3 more seasons and 2 more movies. 

This is a stark contrast to a tv show like Mad Men. Mad Men had an astronomic budget in comparison and many well known actors. I find this show to be boring and slow developing. For a show that spends so much money on production they don't produce an exciting or very original story or product. The over arching story is pretty stagnant and characters not so dynamic.
 

Next is movies. A cult classic that almost everyone has heard about, Clerks, was filmed by a very small crew with a roll of cheap B&W film. It still wildly popular and beloved by many people. This shows perfectly that you don't need money to make something great.




Enders Game had a budget of 115 million bust was ultimately a flop. This movie was an adaptation from the popular book with the same title and didn't find much success. They lost millions of dollars and many fans of the book were very disappointed.

Unexpected Humor: Trailer Park Boys

So a couple weeks ago I was looking for something to watch on Netflix. I was pretty tired so I didn’t think too much about what it was. I figured I would be asleep fairly quickly so it wouldn’t really matter if it was that great. I don’t even remember how I decided, it might have just been a random click, but I settled on the show Trailer Park Boys, a show I have never even heard of before. I settled in with a decent amount of certainly that it was going to be lame, but before I knew it, I was on the third episode and I was anything but asleep.

            It is a mocumentary style show that follows two newly released cons Julian and Ricky, including their friends and foes, as they try to survive in the Sunnyvale Trailer Park community. What’s great about the show is that it leaves a lot of room for adlibbing. It is minimally scripted which makes it easy to see how connected each actor is to his or her character. The mocumentary style also calls for a more intimate atmosphere and makes the viewer feel even that more involved in the show.

            When I first started watching it, I had a hard time finding any sort of sympathy for Julian and Ricky. From the minute they were released from jail they returned to their old tricks and schemes, not even imagining that they would ever get caught again. But as I watched more and more episodes, I found myself understanding their characters and seeing how kind hearted they actually were. Even though they continuously made poor choices, the final scene of the show was always something sweet that would make me go right back to liking them again.

            Their friend Bubbles, a Sunnyvale icon, also made me become gradually sympathetic to every other scummy character. Bubbles is the moral silver lining of the show, and seems to constantly bring Julian and Ricky back down to earth. Without him, I don’t think the two would have any kindheartedness left in them.

            I highly recommend this show even though I do realize that it is an acquired taste. It is a different type of humor that might not be for everyone. But it is a lighthearted comedy that has many touching moments and I think everyone should give it a try.