Many filmmakers have a distinct vision for their film, especially if it's their first project: great lighting, awesome sound, a decent-sized cast and crew, and interesting locations. But what if you strip it all away and have just one guy with a camera in a single location? What kind of film could you come up with?
Todd W. Langen explores this concept in 42 Story House. Over the course of one year, he wrote, filmed, edited, and created 42 short comedy sketches in his house. The skits are between 1-4 minutes in length, with the final result being a 90-minute-long feature. Although each short stands on its own, there are enough running gags and recurring themes that help make the film a cohesive whole. For example, there are three "Breakfast" skits that show a person eating breakfast in a French Existential, Sci-Fi, and Adult setting (respectively). Several other sketches are based on the use of inanimate objects as characters, such as "When Toilet Paper Rolls Find Out", "When Printers Knock", and the incredibly hilarious (and wrong) "How Small Appliances are Conceived". All throughout the film, Langen shows that there is plenty of humor to be found with a little creativity and a camera.
With a little creativity, using
household items, like printers...
...and toilet paper, a filmmaker can
tell some very humorous stories.
Content
The writing is great, an awesome example of creativity under limitations. (Clarification: when referring to "writing" for this film, I'm not referring just to dialogue, but to all of the unique concepts and perspectives that the stories cover.) Langen frequent anthropomorphizes everyday household items (such as eggs, toilet paper, printers, balloons, and trashcans) and puts them in some rather... interesting scenarios. The range of humor is wide, ranging from fart jokes ("How to Make Anything Funny") to philosophical and mythological references (the "Salute to..." and "The Danger of Cutting Mythology Class" sketches). Because of this broad spectrum, chances are good that there will be several skits that you'll enjoy, no matter what your sense of humor is.
The pacing of the film is very good, mostly due to the nature of the project. Because the sketches are between 1-4 minutes long, they keep your attention without dragging on too long. Most of the concepts in the film work because they are in this kind of environment. The idea of a smart-ass printer that keeps trying to tell (or rather, print) a joke is quite funny, but would get old real fast if it went much longer than 3-4 minutes. The ending is appropriate to the film, as it fits in perfectly with the skits that have preceded it. Also, because the last sketch was hinted at a few times throughout the project, it helps bring the film to a more fulfilling conclusion.
Many filmmakers have a distinct vision for their film, especially if it's their first project: great lighting, awesome sound, a decent-sized cast and crew, and interesting locations. But what if you strip it all away and have just one guy with a camera in a single location? What kind of film could you come up with?
