Modern Family

            I watched an episode of Modern Family titled “The Last Wait”.  In this episode, Claire has to inform her son of the death of one of their neighbors: a man her son was very close to.  As Claire tells her son of this, the camera is angled so that the shot is positioned on her son’s face- to show to audience his reaction and reveal some of the emotion the boy is feeling.  The camera then continues to go back and forth filming the reactions of the parents to the son’s responses and vice versa.  This technique allows the viewers to fully see how each character is feeling throughout the conversation.  At one point Phil looks directly at the camera.  Most sitcoms don’t have the characters acknowledge the fact that a camera is there, but that is why Modern Family is unique.  It shoots the show as if it were a home video: quickly panning and tracking unsteadily.  This technique also helps to market the show to the average family- since most of the topics addressed are those in which average families deal with daily.  I think that is why this TV series is so popular.  It’s relatable and attaches humor to situations that families deal with on a regular basis, much like the “Plain Folks” propaganda technique we have discussed in class.