Line #159 OTT/TranscriptOne


1	This is the transcript of the premiere episode of ''On the Tropes'', the wiki's weekly webcast. Enjoy!
2
3	---> They're he-re!
4
5	'''Nick''' From Akron Ohio, this is episode one of ''On the Tropes''. I'm your host, Nick, and today I'm joined by
6
7	'''Cir''': Cir and
8
9	'''Kyle''': Kyle.
10
11	'''Nick''': So, since this ''is'' episode one, we'll give a brief breakdown of what the show is. We take famous tropes from movies, tv shows, literature, any storytelling device
12
13	'''Kyle''' Comics
14
15	'''Nick''' Exactly. And we try to break them down and after that we'll do a Top Five list about said tropes, and after that we get into a different segment...
16
17	'''Cir''' It'll vary from episode to episode, right?
18
19	'''Nick''' It will, yeah. Listener feedback, interviews, games for you listeners, things like that.
20
21	'''Cir''' Whatever we feel like and you respond to.
22
23	'''Nick''' Exactly. It's going to be very listener-driven.
24	On this episode, we're talking about the trope of "Breaking the fourth wall". Before we break the fourth wall, what is "the fourth wall?"
25
26	'''Kyle''' I did some research, looked up some dusty old books I had, and I found that it's a stage term, the term for the three walls of the stage...
27
28	'''Nick''' Stage Left, stage right, and stage back
29
30	'''Kyle''' And the audience looking; that's the fourth wall that the characters see, that you don't.
31
32	'''Nick''' I feel like they do that a lot, they break the fourth wall a lot in theatre, where a character will step out, and evey other character in the scene will be still, and they'll address the audience, which is what breaking the fourth wall is, is acknowledging that you are in whatever you are in, whether it's a book or a movie or tv show or something. Breaking that Fourth Wall.
33
34	'''Cir''' I think it's pretty interesting how it's changed over the years; I mean Shakespeare used it all the time.
35
36	'''Nick''' Directly addressed the audience
37
38	'''Cir''' And like Kyle said, plays; plays used it frequently. I noticed that cartoons, like early cartoons, it was a big deal.
39
40	'''Nick''' Like ''Duck Amuck'', from Bugs Bunny, is one of the most famous cartoons where there's interactions, the animator is actually changing things, you see their hand changing what's on screen.
41
42	'''Cir''' In movies, I think it's more prevalent later, I guess it's more recognized later, and there's less; it happened a lot less in film.
43
44	'''Nick''' In movies nowadays, how is it currently used as a storytelling device?
45
46	'''Kyle''' I think in a lot of the movies today it's used as a comedic device. Like in ''Film/HotTubTimeMachine'', When what's-his-name, I don't remember the actor's name
47
48	'''Nick''' Craig Robinson
49
50	'''Kyle''' Yeah, when he finally realizes that there's a hot-tub time machine, he looks at the camera and that's all you really need. It just adds to it...
51
52	---> " It must be some kind of ...hot-tub time machine!"
53
54	'''Kyle''' I think it's used to draw the audience into whatever is going on in the movie, but for a lot of it, it's in comedies, it's most used in comedies.
55
56	'''Cir''' I think comedies get away with it better, because it does kind of take you out of the movie in a lot of ways. It detracts fromthe story itself, but in comedies, they can get away with it, because it's funny, and if it's funny, that's good enough .
57
58	'''Kyle''' You're in a less serious mood, you're showing up to laugh and all that. One thing I thought was interesting too, is that it's used a lot in media for kids.
59
60	'''Nick''' ''Dora the Explorer''
61
62	'''Kyle''' Right, that whole thing
63
64	'''Nick''' ''Blue's Clues''
65
66	'''Kyle''' It's really a big deal when it comes to speaking to children, and I think it's almost for the same reason; it's comedy, they want ... it's more about interacting with the audience, having good time, engaging them. It's in so many things, I notice, that I watch with my daughter now
67
68	'''Nick''' They;re talking directly to her.
69
70	'''Kyle''' Right, exactly, it's like, "Stop bossing my kid around!"
71
72	'''Nick''' What's weird is when you watch these things and you're not doing what they're saying, and they're responding to what you're ''supposed to be'' doing. Like you saying something that you should be, but you're not.
73
74	'''Cir''' And they're telling you, you did a good job for counting to ten, and you're "I didn't count to ten. You don't need to congratulate me."
75
76	'''Nick''' Aside from comedies, though, do we like how it's used?
77
78	'''Kyle''' You know, the latest example I can think of is the Netflix show, ''House of Cards'' -- Kevin Spacey. He talks directly to the... he breaks the fourth wall like every episode. It's really interesting, because, not only that, but when he's using his cel phone, it shows onscreen the text that he has, it shows what his cel phone looks like. And he talks to you,
79
80	'''Nick''' ''The Mindy Project'' does that too, and I think it's a kind of funny new device for tv shows to use, kind of like pop-up -- I haven't seen ''House Of Cards'', but on 'Mindy Project, they have pop-ups, kind of like pop-up video bubbles.
81
82	'''Kyle''' Mm-hmm, and it;s weird, because it, I can't say that... It's that suspension of disbelief, though, man. It wears on me sometimes. And even with ''House of Cards'', I noticed there's a point where something happens, the characterexperiences something a little bit more dark, and he kind of tells the audience, the audience, the camera starts to pull away. And he looks directly at them and it's like "You can't pull away ''now''. You've been here this whole time." And to me that's a little too much of the character being.... That makes Kevin Spacey's character kind of more-than-human. It makes him too..
83
84	'''Nick''' Almost godlike in terms of the relationship
85
86	'''Kyle''' Yeah, in the show. His relationship to the rest of the show. I think sometimes it can be overused, even though I will say I think that's a pretty good show.
87
88	'''Nick''' I thnk in some ways, ... well, actually, before I say anything, I was wondering, is narrating? Is that technically breaking the fourth wall? Having a narrator as one of the characters in a movie?
89
90	'''Cir''' I think it depends on how it's done.
91
92	'''Nick''' Is it strictly just looking directly into the camera that's breaking the fourth wall? Or does it, can it be audio? Because you're hearing something from a character who's acting in the movie, but they're obviously not talking in the moment
93
94	'''Cir''' There are different levels, at least on TVTropes' website, they mention the different levels, something like, it sounds like in ''House Of Cards'', if he's consistently breaking the Fourth Wall, they call that "NoFourthWall". And there are times when they're not ''quite'' acknowledging, where it's LeaningOnTheFourthWall. But what they define as BreakingTheFourthWall specifically, is the narrator, or whoever in the show, is directly intercting either with the audience or the author. So Daffy Duck in "Duck Amuck" or somebody actually acknowledging the audience directly. But I think a narrator itself, in most forms is at least Leaning On the Fourth Wall.
95
96	'''Nick''' It's leaning on it, but it's right on the edge of it, because it could just as easily be one character, and has oftentimes been, one character talking to another character
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98	'''Cir''' Like in ''Double Indemnity'', it's the guy leaving a message for his friend. Or in ''American History X'', it's the essay that the kid wrote.
99
100	'''Kyle''' I think as a storytelling device, it's really effective if it's used sparingly. At least for me, that's how I feel. I do think though there's a lot of opportunity to do it. We talked about the celphone thing, I think that's kind of interesting. It's cool, it shows you what's the new visual technology as new ways to tell stories.
101
102	'''Nick''' Very cool.
103
104	'''Cir''' Like we said earlier it's used comedically very well, by a lot of directors. Mel Brooks uses it a lot, Woody Allen uses it. Mel Brooks uses it in pretty much
105
106	'''Kyle''' Every movie I can think of
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108	'''Nick''' Early comedies
109
110	'''Cir''' Early comedies it's constant;
111
112	'''Nick''' even the Marx brothers used it
113
114	'''Kyle''' All the time.
115
116	'''Nick''' In terms of non-comedic movies, I think it's used a lot to get across a philosophical point, like at the end of ''Film/HolyMountain''
117
118	'''Cir''' Yeaah, it's funny, because it's usually used by a comedian, by the innocent bufoon who's the heart of the story, or a trickster type character, somebody like, ah, I'll bring him up again in my list, or it can also be a wise character, a wise-man character. I think it's funny, it's always a certain kind of situation or person. Or a crazy person breaks the fourth wall a lot. If you've noticed it someobody who's supposedly, who's seen by the other characters as being out of touch with reality, and in fact, he's the most aware.
119
120	'''Kyle''' Like I was saying, in ''Holy Mountain'', that character does kind of fit in with that, that paradigm. He's the spiritual, more enlightened, more intelligent one, compared to the other characters. Not to ruin it, but I think that movie is kind of un-ruinable.
121
122	'''Cir''' Yeah, exactly.
123
124	'''Kyle''' At the very end he
125
126	'''Cir''' That's a good way to put it.
127
128	'''Kyle''' He tells the camera to go back and
129
130	'''Cir''' Live your -- basically, "Real Life awaits." He says' "Real life awaits." and then, it's been the whole message of the movie. If you watch it you'll know; it's pretty much un-ruinable, I think.
131
132	'''Nick''' ''Film/{{Persona}}'' ends the same way. By Ingmar bergman, but it really has nothing to do with the rest of the movie, which is kind of weird. Also in ''Persona'', the camera breaks down, the film breaks during the middle of the movie and there's this wierd interlude. I don't really know what it means. I don't purport to be able to see inside the mind of one of the craziest directors ever.
133
134	'''Cir''' I think it's interesting, at least. It does leave a lasting impression
135
136	'''Kyle''' Definitely.
137
138	'''Cir''' I do think that it's an older, an older trope. It's not really used in, we say "newer" movies, but I feel like it hasn't really been used in the last five years, maybe ten years
139
140	'''Kyle''' Not really as much, you're right.
141
142	'''Cir''' Not well. Besides ''Hottub Time Machine,'', I guess. But even there it's not used too much. It's -- mis it just the one part, I think?
143
144	'''Kyle''' From what I remember, it's just that one moment. I got a [gid?] sharing that movie, by the way.
145
146	'''Cir''' Excellent.
147
148	'''Kyle''' It's a true story.
149
150	'''Cir''' That's awesome.
151
152	'''Kyle''' Yeah, I can't think of any good movies -- or any good examples from movies within the recent history that have used it within the last five years.
153
154	'''Cir''' That have done it successfully.
155
156	'''Kyle''' But I know that three of my favorite movies from the last year have leaned on the fourth wall,
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158	'''Nick''' Really?
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160	'''Kyle''' And leaned very heavily. Two movies that I liked that opened very similarly, ''Film/{{Amore}}'' and ''Film/HolyMotors'' both start with a point of view of an audience from a stage,
161
162	'''Nick''' Ah, yeah.
163
164	'''Kyle''' And it's kind of setting the tone that "this is a work of fiction"; we're looking out at the audience. And then, especially ''Holy Motors'', you see the director, the actual director of the film, Leos Carax, waking up in a bed and then walking out into that audience.
165
166	One of the other movies; my favorite movie from last year was ''Film/SevenPsychopaths'', Martin MacDonough's second movie. And it starts with a shot of the Hollywood sign, and it's instantly showing you that this is a work of fiction. And the first two characters you see are Michael Stuhlbarg and ... the other guy. And they're both from ''Series/BoardwalkEmpire''. You see them, and you immediately think "Oh, those are the two guys from ''Boardwalk Empire'', they're big stars." And they're only in that movie for that one scene. So it's kind of him showing it to you and then trying to tear it down. And he also does the ''Persona'' thing, where the screen breaks in the middle of the film.
167
168	The whole movie itself is a movie by an Irish guy named Martin, called "Seven Psychopaths", about an Irish guy writing a movie called "Seven Psychopaths".
169
170	'''Cir''' That reminds me like in comics, the characeters that use it... one of the most popular comic book characters from the Nineties, Deadpool, the Merc with the Mouth. He constantly breaks the fourth wall, in almost every issue. He breaks the fourth wall, and he's another character who's completely insane and is able to do it because he's crazy and has some hyper-awareness, and the readers apparently, I mean, they love that guy. That's one of the characters that's been, in all of the Marvel movies, the biggest uproar has been from doing that character "wrong".
171
172	'''Nick''' I think that readers might like him more because breaking the fourth wall like that does involve you a little bit more, which is why I think that they use it in kids' movies, kids' TV shows, because it's a little bit closer of interactions, it's not just some character in a show, it's actually somebody that you've, at least in a one-dimensional -- a unidirectional way interacted with.
173
174	'''Kyle''' Which is interesting, because now we're so interested in 3-d movies and being completely immersed in these movies, and you don't really see that much of that sort of addresing the audience. In big, bigger movies, at least.
175
176	'''Cir''' I was thinking, too, that, is it Pixar? has that history of, at the very end of the credits, there's always the outtakes. It's not quite the same as breaking the fourth wall in the movie, however, they almost make up for it with the outtakes at the very end now, for a lot of the movies. Ok, it's been this big show, and it's really funny to me to see these 3-d set-ups, like camera set-ups, filming... You know what I mean?
177
178	'''Nick''' That's almost like adding
179
180	'''Cir''' Like adding an extra layer, an extra universe has been created there.
181
182	'''Kyle''' There's so little of a fourth wall that they're doing outtakes for something that they clearly don't have outtakes for, realistically. I don't think those bugs are actually falling down.
183
184	For people who are really interested in Breaking The Fourth Wall, there's a really awesome video on Vimeo called "[[http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/03/07/breaking_the_fourth_wall_supercut_a_video_essay_we_re_sure_you_yes_you_will.html Breaking the Fourth Wall Movie Supercut]]" by Lee Singer. It's an 8-minute movie and it actually has around, I don't know, probably around fifty different movies and it shows all
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186	'''Cir''' every one
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188	'''Kyle''' Every single one oof them, and it's edited really well. It covers probably a lot of the movies thsat we're going to talk about later.
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190	'''Nick''' We'll post a link on the Facebook page.
191
192	'''Cir''' That we will.
193
194	'''Kyle''' It's a really awesome movie short.
195
196	'''Cir''' Fourth wall: break it when you want. Know the rukles first, then just break the shit out of them.
197
198	'''Nick''' That'll do it for our discussion of breaking the fourth wall. Coming up next we'll have our Top Five Lists of "Breaking the Fourth Wall Moments".
199
200	---> I thought this thing was going to be a f{bleep}in' conversation stimulator, man. I was gonna ask you for your Top Five Records to Play on a Monday Morning, and
201	all that and you ahd to just f{bleep}in' ruin it.
202
203	---> We'll do it ''next'' Monday.
204
205	---> NO! I wanna do it NOW!
206
207	'''Nick''' Welcome back to the show. Since this week we're talking about Breaking the Forth Wall, we're doing our Top Five Breaking the Fourth Wall Moments. Kyle: What is your number five?
208
209	'''Kyle''' My number five is kind of a joke, but ''Film/MuppetTreasureIsland''. Rizzo and Gonzo, yeah, that's his name, are constantly breaking the fourth wall by addressing the audience. At one point in the movie, Rizzo actually gives a tour of the set of Muppet Treasure Island. And Stadler and Waldorf, of course are in the movie, and they're in the bow of the ship and they make fun of the audience for watching this piece-of-crap movie. I think that it's sort of a funny moment. Cir, what about you? Your number five?
210
211	'''Cir''' My number five is from ''Series/SupermanTheANimatedSeries''. I think it's one of the best series DC ever did after Batman. The ending to a lot of the episodes is Clark Kent making a joke and then he winks at the audience at the very end. It kind of shows how badass Superman is, and again, it's accessible to kids, Superman is supposed to be the most emotional superhero that everybody connects with and he's talking directly to you, so you feel pretty good at the end of each one. So, Nick?
212
213	'''Nick''' My number five is the end of ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'' when the entire cast gets arrested. I fel like when they were making the movie, theyso couldn't think if a good way to end it, so they just thought, "Let's just show everybody getting [?].
214
215	'''Cir''' I love how it alludes to just how ridiculous the whole movie is, that these guys are getting arrested for all this craziness.
216
217	'''Nick''' All right, Kyle, what's your number four?
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219	'''Kyle''' My number four is ''Film/FightClub". The scene in particular that I really liked was when Ed Norton's character was talking abiout Brad Pitt's job at the movie theatre, and he explains "cigarette burns" and whike he does it, he points up at the corner of the screen and the cigarette burn pops up and everything. Ed Norton, throughout the entire movie talks to the camera and addresses us, but I think that scene in particular is kind of interesting.
220
221	'''Nick''' I thonk it combines two types of characters that do it; the main character who is either wise or depressed,
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223	'''Cir''' Sometimes both.
224
225	'''Nick''' and
226
227	'''Cir''' Often both.
228
229	'''Nick''' And the trickster, being Tyler Durden.
230
231	'''Kyle''' Mm-hmm, yeah. What about you, Cir, Number four.
232
233	'''Cir''' Number four is ''Film/LastActionHero''. This whole movie is basically about the fourth wall just shattering in this kid's life, and after a movie filled with every trope imaginable, Arnold speaks directly to the audience at the very end. And in my mind it's implying thst his character is much more dangerous than we imagined at first, and that he may be, like, leaking over to our dimension and 'coming soon to your theatre...' to crash through the glass. So, Nick, your number four?
234
235	'''Nick''' My number four is the end scene from ''Film/{{Psycho}}''. It's the monologue that Norman Bates gives. He's not talking to anyone specifically, and he's not actually ''talking''. It's just him thinking, but the entire time he's talking about "I wouldn't hurt a fly" he's looking into the camera, and then he smirks at the audience and it really brings the audience into his mind.
236
237	'''Cir''' I totally forgot that scene was in there. It's a really good one.
238
239	'''Nick''' I think that technically, I would consider that breaking the fourth wall. Or at least leaning on it really heavily. It's designed to jsu scare the shit out of you, and back then? Come on.
240
241	'''Kyle''' Especially 1960's
242
243	'''Cir''' These are the people who threw up during ''Film/TheExorcist''.
244
245	'''Nick''' All right, Kyle, what's yiur Number three?
246
247	'''Kyle''' My number thre is actually ''Film/FunnyGames''; either version, really, becauase they're pretty nmuch identical.
248
249	'''Nick''' ''Hilarious Games''
250
251	'''Kyle''' Yeah. It's a hilarious movie. This movie breaks the wall, the fourth wall constantly. The two teenagers who are torturing the family, Peter and Paul... Paul winks at the camera several times, and they also address the audience, as like, being entertained by what they're doing, which is pretty sadistic and makes you feel uneasy. Like, the first time they address the audience is them doing all this torturing to entertain us. It was a really strange moment in the movie, and then also, at one point, one of them gets shot and the other one picks up a remote and rewinds the movie so that you can have a re-do of that scene.
252
253	'''Nick''' He gets shot, and you think, "Finally!".
254
255	---> "Where's the, where's the remote control? Where's the f[bleep]ing remote control?"
256
257	'''Kyle''' Yeah, yeah. There's gonna be a happy ending to this movie, but No. The bad guys win.
258
259	'''Nick''' Isn't... Peter is the guy who talks directly to you during the movie, right?
260
261	'''Kyle''' Ah, I think they both do.
262
263	'''Nick''' I thought it was mostly him. That's the one that's aware, I thought.
264
265	'''Kyle''' Maybe they changed it. Did you
266
267	'''Nick''' I haven't seen it in a whike.
268
269	'''Kyle''' Did you see
270
271	'''Nick''' I've seen both of them.
272
273	'''Kyle''' I watched the German one
274
275	'''Nick''' I think that movie, wouldn't that be almost No Fourth Wall? Because he's constantly doing
276
277	'''Kyle''' It does seem like it woukd be verging on it. Tampering with the fourth wall is something that the director, Haneke, likes to use a lot. He used it in ''Amore'',like I mentioned earlier, with him shpwing the audience from the beginning -- I mean, showing the ''stage'' at the beginning. And then in ''Film/{{Cachet}}'', some people interpret the tapes in ''Cachet'' as actually being sent by Haneke to the character rather than it being multiple peopple in the film interacting with each other. He's a very interesting director. He's a disturbing guy. But he always makes movies worth taking a look into.
278
279	'''Nick''' What I think it does in this movie in particular is, it makes you feel a lot more uncomfortable. Which this movie does, the entire time. But as soon as it acknowledges you there, watching them do what they're doing throughout the movie, it just makes a skin-crawl moment.
280
281	'''Kyle''' Cir, what was your number three?
282
283	'''Cir''' Number three is "all the children in the world save Tinkerbell", in ''Film/PeterPan''. I just think that moment -- and I'm pretty sure, I had an old copy of the book and I'm pretty much positive it's in the book also -- I just think it's such a great moment, it plays with what is so cool about breaking the fourth wall, and that's the audience interaction.
284
285	---> Do you believe? Oh, please, ''please'', believe! If you believe, wherever you are, clap your hands, and she'll hear you. Clap! ''Clap!'' Don't let Tink die! '''Clap!'''
286
287	'''Cir''' And we've already touched on how powerful it is with children. Every kid -- everybody -- remembers that who saw the movie. Fairies are kept alive by the belief of children.
288
289	'''Nick''' Does that happen in the Disney version too, or just in that stage
290
291	'''Kyle''' The live-action
292
293	'''Nick''' The live action version.
294
295	'''Cir''' I don't know. I know I saw the live-action one more than the Disney one.
296
297	'''Nick''' We'll double check that and post that on the Facebook page.
298
299	'''Cir''' It's so intense. I like that, how it puts pressure on the children who are watching.
300
301	'''Nick''' I don't know if you guys remember seeing it for the first time, or if you've ever seen kids; I've watched my daughter and her cousins watch it and
302
303	'''Kyle''' They clap!
304
305	'''Nick''' Yeah, they're like "We've really got to get on this!" Real serious about it. It's pretty cool.
306
307	'''Cir''' Nick, your number three?
308
309	'''Nick''' My number three is from the series, no, not series, ''season'', season finale of season six of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', the episode "Who Shot Mister Burns? Part 1". Mister Burns gets shot in the gut by somebody, we don't know who, at this point in time. At the end of this episode, the entire town is a posible suspect. Mister Burns has injured Bart's dog, he's stolen oil from the school, he's snubbed Homer at work, he's robbed the educational system of Tito Puente, he's blocked out the sun...
310
311	'''Kyle''' He's the greatest villain ever,
312
313	'''Nick''' Yeah. So everyone has motive, and he gets shot. The entire town is standing aroundm and Marge makes the comment about "I wonder who could avae done it? Everyone in town could possibly have done it." And Dr Hibbard says, "Well, I couldn't possibly solve this mystery. Could '''YOU'''?" and he points at the camera, breaking the fourth wall, and then a split second later, Chief ... he's actually pointing at Chief Wiggum, he says "Well, I guess I'll have to give it a shot. It's my job, right?"
314
315	'''Kyle''' So it's a fake breaking the fourth wall.
316
317	'''Nick''' Yeah, it's a fake break in the fourth wall.
318
319	'''Kyle''' It's also, which we'll touch on in anither episode, "Lampshading", where he deliberately references that they are in the movie. Or in this case, a cartoon series.
320
321	'''Nick''' What I Like about that, though, is Hibbard pointing at the audience, kind of reinforces that "Hey, this is something that you should be talking about."
322
323	'''Kyle''' That's right.
324
325	'''Nick''' And I remember, the summer of '95,
326
327	'''Kyle''' I remember talking about it.
328
329	'''Nick''' What else was there to talk about than "Who shot Mr Burns?" before season seven started? And then you find out who it actually was. And they threw in all these fake clues, like him pointing to the West and the South, and maybe it's a "W" for Waylon Smithers, maybe it's an "M" for Marge Simpson...
330
331	'''Cir''' Dude, it was so awesome.
332
333	'''Kyle''' I like how you touched on how they used it as a marketing tool. Because it did get all of us involved
334
335	'''Nick''' And it was brilliant
336
337	'''Cir''' I remember all the kids talking about that. So funny.
338
339	'''Nick''' The Simpsons breaks the fourth wall a a lot, and this is one of my favorite instances of it. Probably my favorite instance of it. It was just a a great show that broke so many boundaries and this is a great example of them doing this. Kyle, Number two?
340
341	'''Kyle''' My number two is ''Film/HighFidelity'', which I think would be an example of No Fourth Wall, because John Cusack's character is constantly talking to the camera. He's talking tot eh camera so much that we're almost, as an audience, made into another character in the movie, because he has conversations, he doesn't just say a line or two. He has full-on conversations with the camera. It really draws you in, and you feel more connected with his character because he's addressing the camera, he's addressing the entire audience. There are pauses where it's like, "I know you're thinking about me, I know I'm a scumbag, I know you're thinking this thought about me because I did this terrible thing." And then that entire scene with the fucking [ Ian?] guy, it's just so awesome -- "Number five, with a bullet."
342
343	---> " I can't fire them. I just hired these guys for three days a week, and they just started showing up every day. That was ''four years'' ago."
344
345	'''Nick''' I think that movie does it better than ''Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff''. I almost had the movie on my list, but I think thast it happens more often in this movie, and that his conversations are just more genuine, that it gets away with it.
346
347	'''Kyle''' I would agree.
348
349	'''Nick''' So, Cir, what's your number two?
350
351	'''Cir''' My number two is John Constantine, the Hellblazer, from DC Comics. Basically, he's an occult detective, a conman, a magician; he's arguably the most powerful magic user in DC Comics. He has no real superhuman powers, he has no costume, he just knows some magic tricks, he's really good at prepping things, and he has this thing where people tend to die around him.And occasionally he breaks the fourth wall, and I think it's really cool, because in his case, it's meant to show how powerful he is in his own universe. He's this occult character; everything that's behind his character is knowing things that other people don't. He's aware that they're in a comic book, and he seems to have some kind of control over it. That's one of -- for this list I was trying to think of non-comedic ways that it's used, and in this case it's directly used to make a character seem more powerful. And it really works. He's such a cool character, too.
352
353	Also, the creator, one of my favorite comic book writers, Alan Moore, has claimed several times to have met him in real life at random moments. Alan Moore is a really... uh, he's into the occult, stuf like that. It;s just pretty interesting. Again, ''Marketing.'' Let's be honest, folks, marketing. However, very good marketing.
354
355	'''Nick''' Ok, My number two is -- Kyle touched on the same characters, or group of characters in his number five. My number two is ''Film/TheMuppetMovie''. The Muppet Movie, from 1979, when Kermit and Fozzie meet Dr Teeth and his band, the Electric Mayhem. They start describing all the adventures they've been on that have led them up to that point, and Kermit stops Fozzie and is like "Why are you re-going through everything we've already done, you're going to bore the audience." And they look at the audience. And he's " Well, how are we going to tell them?" and they hand him a copy of the screenplay.
356
357	---> '''Fozzie:''' Oh, see, Kermit here, he was living in the swamp
358	'''Kermit:''' Fozzie...
359	'''Fozzie:''' And the fisherman came along
360	'''Kermit:''' Fozzie! You can't tell them the whole story, you'll bore the audience.
361	'''Fozzie:''' Oh. .... Sorry. ... But, Kermit, the band here wants to know.
362	'''Kermit:''' Well, let them read the screenplay.
363	'''Fozzie:''' .... Ahhhhaaaa! Yes, sir.
364
365	The screenplay also acts as another very famous trope, ChekhovsGun, because it comes into play later, when the gang are stranded in the desert, they need help, and the only way that Dr Teeth and The Electric Mayhem have to find them is that they still have the screenplay from earlier in the movie, so they just read ahead and they know where to go.
366
367	It'sa trope that the Muppets used all the time, constantly, through out all their movies, their shows, even in the newest movie, the Jason Siegal movie, ''Film/TheMuppets'', they use it constantly. It's just part of their goofy, absurd way of telling stories.
368
369	'''Kyle''' And to continue with how effective that is with kids, I just watched that with my six-year-old daughter, for the first time,and she, of course, she
370
371	'''Nick''' She loved it.
372
373	'''Kyle''' She loved it. I had no doubt.
374
375	'''Nick''' I watched it recently, because I hadn't watched it in maybe ten years, and there's so much stuff that you don't get aas a kid, even though there's all that very kid-accessible --"dragonfly ripple ice cream", and when they get to the end, and the producer is Orson Welles, like this is something that just didn't hit me at all when I was a kid.
376
377	'''Cir''' It's something that you had to be an adult to know why that's so funny. Orson...
378
379	'''Nick''' Kyle, what is your Number One Breaking the Forth Wall Moment?
380
381	'''Kyle''' My number one is [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36SQTFIAZKU Film/{{Spaceballs}}]], which also does it almost constantly. There's a point where, ... I don't know why they go back to the movie, but at one point they need to pick out, they need to figure out where Lone Star is, and they take the Spaceballs VHS off the wall, and they put it in, and they fast-forward, and they're recapping the entire movie that you've already seen. And they're in real-time, and they're acting in front of the movie itself. Really funny.
382
383	'''Nick''' I love the part where they're fast forward and it's the part where Dark Helmet is "Fast Forward! Never show this again!"
384
385	---> '''Dark Helmet:''' Nonono. Go past this, past this part.
386	{soundtrack gibber of fast forwarding}
387	'''Dark Helmet:''' In fact, never play this again!
388
389	'''Nick''' And then when Yogurt is showing all the Spaceballs merchandise. "Spaceballs. the flamethrower. Spaceballs, the lunchbox. Spaceballs 2, The Search for More Money!" And then at the end, when Lone Star and Dark Helmet are fighting, I think one of them takes out a gaffer, and they slice him in half or something. It's really funny.
390
391	'''Kyle'''The whole movie is just hilarious. When they chase them down and they catch the stunt doubles.
392
393	'''Nick''' Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. I think Mel Brooks just knows how to do breaking the fourth wall so well. We said earlier that he does it constantly, and this is probably his best movie where he does it. Do your Dark Helmet for the listeners, if he was drinking coffee.
394
395	'''Cir''' Oh, yeah. "Tooo Hot! Tooo Hot! You fell for the oldest trick in the book. Foo-ooled you. Foo-ooled you!"
396
397	'''Nick''' Good movie.
398
399	'''Kyle''' What about you, Cir? What's your Number One?
400
401	'''Cir''' My number One is Eddie Murphy, he looks at the audience in [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emvySA1-3t8 Film/TradingPlaces]], 1983, directed by John Landis. He has a scene where the main characters are explaining to Eddie Murphy how pork works, and stocks, and they say, "Pork, as you would find in a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich." like he's an idiot. And he hears it, pauses, looks directly at the audience, and ... It's used so sparingly, its the only time it ever happens and that's what makes it so funny. It touches on the whole point of the film, that they think Billy Ray Valentine is just a complete buffoon, when in fact, he's a trickster, he's hyper-aware.
402
403	It's cool, and it made me think about how the trope wasn't used that much back then, they tried to use it just like in small moments, where it would have the most effect. I think that's what I liked the most about ''Hottub Time Machine''; it was just that one moment, and I kind of think he was referencing Eddie's performance in ''Trading Places'' with that.
404
405	---> "We are commodities brokers, William. Now, what are commodities? Commodities are agricultural products; like coffee, that you had for breakfast; wheat, which is used to make bread; pork bellies, which is used to make bacon, which you might find in a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich..."
406
407	'''Cir''' That's mine. It's the first one I remember, and my dad, I remember ny dad, when we watched it, telling me what the fourth wall was, and how funny it was that he broke it.
408
409	'''Kyle''' And nick, your Number One?
410
411	'''Nick''' My number one is from -- it makes my top ten favorite movies of all time, the Oscar-winning, Best Picture -- [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXJ8tKRlW3E Film/AnnieHall]]. The scene specifically -- he does it a lot throughout the movie, but the scene specifically is when Annie and Alvie Singer are standing in line. I think they're in line again for "Film/TheSorrowAndThePity" which she's seen a million times. They're trying to have a conversation and there's a guy bickering behind them, or not "bickering" but
412
413	'''Kyle''' He's reviewing a movie or something.
414
415	'''Nick''' He's
416
417	'''Kyle''' He's a pompous
418
419	'''Nick''' He's assaulting a woman with his thoughts about Fellini and Samuel Beckett, and
420
421	'''Kyle''' In a really floofy way
422
423	'''Nick''' So wanting to be high-falutin' and just infuriating. And Alvie Singer just stops and is like "What do you do when you have somebody in line behind you like this?" And the guy gets into it with him and is "I teach a class at Columbia. I think I would know." Alvie is like "You have no idea what you're talking about. Let me grab Marshall [=MacLuhan=], he;s right off-camera right now." He grabs Marshall [=MacLuhan=], and he says "You have no idea.You misinterpreted everything I said. You mean my entire fallacy is wrong? How anyone lets you teach a class is beyond me." And Alvie says, "Wouldn't it be great if real life was like this?" It's just such a typically silly Woody Allen Moment. It's so funny.
424
425	---> '''Boor:''' "Really? I happen to teach a class at Columbia called "Tv, Media, and Culture", so I think that my insights into Mr [=MacLuhan=] will have a great deal of validity.
426	'''Alvie:''' Oh, do you? That's funny, because I happen to have Mr [=MacLuhan=] right here. So ..., so ...., just let me... Yeah. ... Come over here, a second. Tell him."
427	'''Marshall[=Macluhan=]:''' I heard what you were saying. You know nothing of my work. You mean my whole fallacy is wrong. How you ever got to teach a course in anything is totally amazing."
428	'''Alvie:''' "Boy, if life were only like this..."
429
430	'''Nick''' I think he's right up there with Mel Brooks in doing it a lot and
431
432	'''Kyle''' doing it really well.
433
434	'''Nick''' He really does, And especially in ''Annie Hall'', he uses a lot of different methods of storytelling, he uses the split screen, flashbacks, where they're actually there, looking at themselves in flashbacks, he uses the cartoon device, but I think that my favorite technique he uses is to consistently, repeatedly breaking the fourth wall.
435
436	'''Cir''' Annie Hall's hilarious. ANd Woody Allen has directed many films.
437
438	'''Nick''' This is true.
439
440	'''Kyle''' Good point.
441
442	'''Nick''' Not all of them work as well as others, but I definitely think ''Annie Hall'' is the pinnacle of the Woody Allen directions.
443
444	'''Kyle''' Next to ''Film/{{Antz}}''.
445
446	'''Nick''' He didn't direct ''Antz''. But ''Antz'' is good.
447
448	'''Kyle''' He didn't direct ''Antz''?
449
450	'''Nick''' He didn't direct '''Antz''.
451
452	'''Kyle''' Wow. OK.
453
454	'''Nick''' I think it's the first movie that he acted in that he didn't direct since, 1969 or something like that. I don't know what I'm talking about, but it's something like that.
455
456	'''Kyle''' Wow.
457
458	'''Nick''' All right, so those were our Top Five Breaking the Fourth Wall Moments. Listeners, we'll have a poll up on our Facebook page, you can vote on what
459
460	'''Kyle''' "Pullups?" Like those things kids wear?
461
462	'''Cir''' Or are we gonna have like a pullup,
463
464	'''Nick''' Like a bar?
465
466	'''Cir''' Like a guy doing pull-ups?
467
468	'''Nick''' I said "poll up".
469
470	'''Cir''' like ''Film/{{Rocky}}-style?
471
472	'''Kyle''' Dah- dahhh
473
474	'''Cir''' Will the audience have to do pullups?
475
476	'''Kyle''' Duh-dahdah...
477
478	'''Cir''' "Audience, we need 20 pull-ups from you..."
479
480	'''Nick''' This will be the first and last episode of "On The Tropes"
481
482	'''Cir''' How about twenty pull-ups from me? That works.
483
484	'''Nick''' So go to out Facebook page, [[http://Facebook.com/OnTheTropes Facebook.com/OnTheTropes]], vote in the poll for your favorite breaking the fourth wall moment, and join us after this for a game, a little fun for Cir and Kyle here, and a litle fun for the audience as well.
485
486
487	---> This is your game, Nicholas, and welcome to it. I'm here to let you in on a few ground rules: You'll recieve the very first key and others will follow. You'll never know where you'll find them, or how you'll need to use them. So keep your eyes open.
488
489	'''Nick''' Welcome back to " On the Tropes'. This week we're going to introduce a new gane, called "Tropesvial Pursuit."
490
491
492	I have six works of fiction that either employ "Breaking the Fourth Wall" or have no fourth wall at all. Between Cir and Kyle, they will get a clue. They can gues for three points or pass to the next opponent, at which point they can guess or get a hint for one less point, or they can pass it back and the other opponenet can get one les point.
493
494	'''Kyle''' So for every new clue, you get one less point. That's about it.
495
496	'''Nick''' The categories are: Comedic Film, Dramatic Film, TV, animation, Video Games, and Literature. Cir, you will go first, Kyle, you
497
498	'''Kyle''' How did we decide that?
499
500	'''Nick''' Do we want to do a coin flip?
501
502	'''Kyle''' No. that's cool. I'll let you go first.
503
504	'''Nick''' All right, Kyle, you pick his category.
505
506	'''Kyle''' Oh, really?
507
508	'''Nick''' Yep.
509
510	'''Kyle''' Ahhh, Dramatic Film.
511
512	'''Nick''' All right. For three points: This film's director is the only person to have won two Palme D'or awards at the Cannes Film festival during this century.
513
514	'''Kyle''' Wait a minute. Does this have to do with breaking the fourth wall?
515
516	'''Nick''' Correct.
517
518	'''Cir''' I'm just going to guess randomly,
519
520	'''Nick''' You'll lose three, or, Kyle will get three poinbts if you're wrong...
521
522	'''Kyle''' Cool. I'm cool with that.
523
524	'''Cir''' I'm passing to Kyle.
525
526	'''Nick''' Ok, Kyle, for three points, this film's director is the only person to have won two Palme D'or awards at the Cannes Film festival during this century.
527
528	'''Kyle''' Ahh, I want another clue.
529
530	'''Nick''' All right, for two points, this film is from both 1997, and 2008 when it was remade.
531
532	'''Kyle''' I'll give it to Cir.
533
534	'''Nick''' All right, Cir.
535
536	'''Cir''' I'll [?]
537
538	K":Really? I thought you knew. I was giving it to you 'cause I thought you knew.
539
540	'''Cir''' Well, I kind of figured, -- it's not ''Funny Games'' is it?
541
542	'''Nick''' No, two points to Cir.
543
544	'''Cir''' Are you serious? It's ''Funny Games''? I'm like "wow."
545
546	'''Kyle''' Wait, what did you say the first year was?
547
548	'''Cir''' That's why I said it was nepotism, cause you just completely threw two points to your bro.
549
550	'''Nick''' 1997 and 2008.
551
552	'''Cir''' And then Kyle, you did not pick up on it. '
553
554	'''Kyle''' I think the first one came out in '98.
555
556	'''Cir''' The Internet says '97. From what I kniw aboout the Internet.
557
558	'''Nick''' Cir, pick the next category for Kyle.
559
560	'''Cir''' Literature.
561
562	'''Nick''' Kyle, for three points, this 1973 novel, which features many of the author's sketches throughout its pages, was made into a relatively unsuccessful movie in 1999 starring Bruce Willis and Albert Finney.
563
564	'''Kyle''' "relatively unsuccessful?"
565
566	'''Nick''' Mmm-hmm.
567
568	'''Kyle''' I'll give it to Cir.
569
570	'''Nick''' Any guesses?
571
572	'''Cir''' Noooo.
573
574	'''Nick''' All right, for two points, the Protagonist is Kilgore Trout, who also appears in the books Literature/GodBlessYouMrRosewater, Literature/SlaughterHouseFive, Literature/{{Timequake}}, and Literature/{{Jailbird}}.
575
576	'''Cir''' ahhh, Twelve Monkeys?
577
578	'''Nick''' Incorrect. So that's two points to Kyle. The book is Literature/BreakfastOfChampions.
579
580	'''Kyle''' Awesome.
581
582	'''Cir''' Yeah, the ''Twelve Monkeys'' was just a bit blind. A completely blind guess.
583
584	'''Nick''' Ok, Kyle, since you got thr points, you pick the category for Cir.
585
586	'''Kyle''' Albert Finney, Interesting. What were the remaining categories?
587
588	'''Nick''' Comedi
589
590	'''Kyle''' I'll choose video Games. No, wait, I want that to be available for me later. What are the other ones?
591
592	'''Nick''' TV, Comedy, or Animated.
593
594	'''Kyle''' TV
595
596	'''Nick''' TV. Cir, for three ponts, Cir, this TV series aired from 1989 to 1993, and commonly showed its main protagonist directly addressing the audience on screen.
597
598	'''Cir''' If I guess and actor that I think was in it, does that count?
599
600	'''Nick''' You can guess all the actors you want, it won't get you points. But it won't cost you points.
601
602	'''Cir''' ehhhhhhh... Micheal J Fox?
603
604	'''Nick''' I can't say yes or no...
605
606	'''Cir''' Oh, well, then, fuck it. I'm passing it to Kyle.
607
608	'''Nick''' All right, Kyle, do you want to guess or you want a second clue.
609
610	'''Kyle''' I want a second clue.
611
612	'''Nick''' It had spinoffs called "the college years" and "the new class"
613
614	'''Kyle''' ''The Wonder Years''
615
616	'''Cir''' Are you serious? That's like
617
618	'''Nick''' Wrong.
619
620	'''Cir''' Really?
621
622	'''Nick''' Yeah. It was ''Series/SavedByTheBell''.
623
624	'''Kyle''' So you thought ''Wonder Years'' also,
625
626	'''Cir''' I like Kyke's response to the wrong answer
627
628	'''Kyle''' Who cares.
629
630	'''Cir''' In it to win it.
631
632	'''Nick''' All right Cir, you pick the next one for Kyle.''
633
634	'''Cir''' I'm gonna go Video Games.
635
636	'''Kyle''' Nice! I better get this on the first try.
637
638	'''Nick''' This action game from 1997, released initially for Microsoft and Playstation, was the first of many sequels to the highly successful game originally released in 1996.
639
640	'''Kyle''' I'll just give it to Cir. He probably won't know the answer.
641
642	'''Cir''' And, you are correct, I do not. All right, second clue.
643
644	'''Nick''' This game was created by Core Design and features an English archeologist as it's protagonist.
645
646	'''Cir''' ''VideoGame/{{Myst}}''?
647
648	'''Nick''' Wrong. It was ''VideoGame/TombRaider2.''
649
650	'''Cir''' Get the fuck out of here. Who gets that wrong.
651
652	'''Kyle''' Yeah, I wouldn't have got that right either.
653
654	'''Nick''' You would have goten it after the last clue.
655
656	'''Kyle''' Does it involve a busty protagonist?
657
658	'''Nick''' Right.
659
660	'''Kyle''' Who was a former ambassador?
661
662	'''Nick''' Actually, I just played the newest ''Tomb Raider''
663
664	'''Kyle''' That should have been part of it. Pretty obscure.
665
666	'''Nick''' The word "busty" would have made it to the first clue if you guys woukd have gotten down there.
667
668	'''Kyle''' Could you say how that broke the fourth wall?
669
670	'''Nick''' We'll hear a clip from it right now:
671
672	---> {"The stripper" plays}
673	'''Lara:''' Don't you think you've see enough?
674	{RecordScratch}
675
676	'''Nick''' She's taking off her clothes and the camera pans up and she says "don't you..."
677
678	'''Cir''' Dude, that's so obscure!
679
680	'''Nick''' A litle bit. And then she shoots a gun at you.
681
682	'''Cir''' That was my gambit, though, that Kyle wouldn't know either. And it turned out, I was right. So who got the points?
683
684	'''Nick''' Kyle got points for that.
685
686	'''Cir''' fu...
687
688	'''Nick''' 'Cause you guessed "''Myst''".
689
690	'''Kyle''' Whoot!
691
692	'''Nick''' All right, Cir, you pick.
693
694	'''Kyle''' Has anyone gotten a question right?
695
696	'''Cir''' Who's gotten points?
697
698	'''Nick''' Cir got ''Funny Games''. It's tied, 4 to 4.
699
700	'''Cir''' Wow. Comedy or Animated? Comedy.
701
702	'''Nick''' From 1980, this movie was voted #10 on the American Film Institute's list of 100 Years, 100 Laughs.
703
704	'''Cir''' Annie Hall.
705
706	'''Nick''' Three points to Kyle.
707
708	'''Cir''' My other guess would have been "Ferris Bueller". So I can tie for first? I can't lose?
709
710	'''Kyle''' When was Annie Hall? I figure like 1979.
711
712	'''Nick''' '79.
713
714	'''Cir''' '79? That sucks, I would have guessed ''Annie Hall'' too.
715
716
717	“What a pisser!”
718
719	'''Nick''' That was the number one clue for ''Film/{{Airplane}}''.
720
721	'''Kyle''' Ah, nice, very nice.
722
723	'''Cir''' What was the second clue for that?
724
725	'''Nick''' The second clue was " This film is titled “Flying High” in certain foreign countries."
726
727	'''Cir''' Ahh, I would have gotten that. Damn.
728
729	'''Nick''' So Kyle, leading with seven points...
730
731	'''Kyle''' Animation.
732
733	'''Nick''' Obviously, taking the last category for Cir. So, Cir, for three points, "This animated film
734
735	'''Cir''' For three points and the tie...
736
737	'''Nick''' "This animated film from the latter portion of the 20th century inspired a Broadway musical which won six Tony's (including Best Musical) and is now Broadway's 7th longest running show."
738
739	'''Cir''' Ohhh, I mean, I know what Kyle's guess woukd be...
740
741	'''Nick''' This is for
742
743	'''Kyle''' Oh, wait, it wouldn't be my guess.
744
745	'''Cir''' Late, latter point of the 20th century?
746
747	'''Nick''' Mmm-hmm.
748
749	'''Cir''' So latter point as in "the last .." ok, well anyway.
750
751	'''Kyle''' So basically, Fifies to 2000.
752
753	'''Nick''' It's not? That's a Broadway... Thats not your guess then, Cir? Just guess it.
754
755	'''Cir''' I mean, Who wouldn't guess it, but I can't think of when that happens in this movie, though.
756
757	'''Kyle''' Wait, when what? Oh.
758
759	'''Cir''' When they break the fourth wall in this movie.
760
761	'''Nick''' It's only one particular scene.
762
763	'''Cir''' I have to go with ''Film/TheLionKing''
764
765	'''Kyle''' I bet it's Timon and Puumba, isn;t it?
766
767	---> {singing}
768	"Not in front of the kids!"
769
770	'''Cir''' That's it.
771
772	'''Kyle''' Of course, that's like the easiest one, Thanks, Nick.
773
774	'''Nick''' I like the way the furst episode ends with a tie. That's fun. It's familial.
775
776	'''Cir''' Yeah, I can go with that.
777
778	'''Kyle''' Did I get any questions right on that? I did not get a single question right and Cir got two right,
779
780	'''Cir''' You'd have gotten ''Airplane'' right, though.
781
782	'''Kyle''' Yeah.
783
784	'''Cir''' ''Tomb Raider'' was disappointing.
785
786	'''Cir''' And I couldn't believe I was one year off with ''Annie Hall'', 'cause I thought "'80" and I knew Annie Hall was right around then.
787
788	'''Nick''' But ''Airplane'' is much more funny than ''Annie Hall'', I will say.
789
790	'''Kyle''' That's not true.
791
792	'''Nick''' What!?!
793
794	'''Nick''' So since you guys got to play the gane, here's a game for the audience to play. And speaking of ''Annie Hall'', here's their clue: "This Woody Allen film which features a movie within a movie that breaks the fourth wall, was partially inspired by one of my favorite silent films, Sherlock Jr." That is the audience's clue. Email your guesses to "[=OnTheTropes=]@gmail.com" ; we'll pick a winnerat random from amomg the correct guesses in the next few weeks and you will either get to choose a trope or Top 5 list for an upcoming episode.
795
796	'''Kyle''' Sweet.
797
798	'''Nick''' Do you guys know the answer to that?
799
800	'''Cir''' Noooo.
801
802	'''Nick''' It;s a toughy.
803
804	'''Kyle''' I know it.
805
806	'''Nick''' But you don't want to say it.
807
808	'''Kyle''' No, I don't want to say it.
809
810	'''Cir''' Well, I know it too.
811
812	'''Nick''' Well, that was attempt one at a new game called "Tropesvial Pursuit." And that was episode one of "On the Tropes." You can check us out on Twitter at onthetropes, or on Facebook at Facebook.com/[=OnTheTropes=], or like I just said, you can email us with criticism possibly, supportive feedback, at [=onthetropes=]@gmail.com.
813
814	'''Nick''' So, asaalways, I have been your host, Nick, and we have been
815
816	'''Cir''' Cir
817
818	'''Kyle''' Kyle,
819
820	'''Nick''' and we will see you next week when we are again, stuck On The Tropes.
821

Context OTT / TranscriptOne