Parks and Recs' Mocumentary Style

My favorite comedy show by far is the sitcom, "Parks and Recreation" starring Amy Poehler and many other hilarious actors. The style that is used in Parks and Rec is "mockumentary" and the cinematographer, Michael Trim, conducts it in such a way that is so entertaining and flows beautifully. Many people compare the style of the show to "The Office," but I believe that "Parks and Recreation" exceeds the cinematography of "The Office" and makes it smoother and funnier.

The shots are sometimes rough and shaky, but that is an aspect of the mockumentary style that really makes it come to life. Throughout every episode there are several times where characters break the fourth wall and stare straight at the camera. The actress who stands out the most when doing this is Aubrey Plaza who plays the character of April Ludgate. In many scenes she makes hilarious faces and reacts to things that other characters say by breaking the fourth wall and it adds to the humor of the show perfectly.

The excellent zooms, pans, and various other camera movements follow the characters in a way that is intriguing and entertaining. There is never a dull moment because the camera is basically always moving. "Parks and Rec" has come a long way since its pilot episode, which was not the strongest, to their seventh and final season where I'm going to bawl my eyes out because this show became a television phenomenon. The mockumentary style was a perfect way to go about filming this series, and it really makes it easier not only to connect with characters but to be involved with the various different plots. The writing for this show is absolutely hysterical and the style of it keeps viewers entertained for hours on end. I highly recommend that everyone take some time out of their days and watch this show.

Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap

Recently, I watched the documentary Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap, directed by Ice-T. The documentary is a series of interviews that highlights the history of hip-hop culture and explains the meaning of rap music. All of the interviewees are hip-hop legends that shaped the culture and started a revolutionary music style. This was Ice-T's (yes, the guy from Law & Order) first film and as a fan of old school hip-hop, I was extremely pleased with Ice-T's execution. Due to Ice-T's high status in the hip-hop world, he was able to get in touch with the pioneers of hip-hop. The interviewees included Snoop Dogg, Grandmaster Caz, Afrika Bambaata, Dr. Dre, Kanye West, Common, Immortal Technique, KRS-One, Ice Cube, Doug E. Fresh, Raekwon, Rakim, and many more legends. The documentary highlights the history of hip-hop on both the East Coast and West Coast and each interviewee spits a freestyle. The video is comprised of city life helicopter shots and street level b-roll. Many people don't appreciate what I would consider to be "real hip-hop." Hip-hop is a form of poetry and art and many mainstream rappers today give hip-hop a bad name and image. I recommend The Art of Rap to those who listen to old school hip-hop and the names of the artists I listed above. I also recommend this film to those who think mainstream rap is good music so that they can understand the poetic roots and appreciate true pioneers of the culture. I also recommend this film to those who dislike hip-hop so that they may come to appreciate the music and learn why and how the culture was created.

                                                    WATCH THE TRAILER.

"Hip-hop didn't invent anything. Hip-hop re-invented everything." - Grandmaster Caz