Discussion Topic #5 Instructions
Verbal and Nonverbal Communication – Film Scene Analysis

Prompt #1: Provide the website address/ link to your chosen film scene here:
Also provide a brief introduction to the clip and discuss why you selected this particular clip for this discussion topic.

        I choose this clip because I've always been a fan of Will Ferrell. As Christmas season slowly creeps up on us, I decided to pick something to fit the time of year. This is a scene in the goofy comedy, Elf. Buddy, Will Ferrell's character, is a real elf from Santa's workshop and he is exposed to the reality of New York City pretty quickly. This scene is Buddy wondering around a department store for the first time in his life. Unfortunately this is where he stumbles upon an impostor Santa Claus and the outcome is dramatic but beyond entertaining. 

YouTube. (2011. May 26). You Sit On a Throne of Lies [Video File]. Retrieved
       from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tIcnydrwFY

Prompt #2:  Characters and Context – Provide a detailed and objective description of the context of the film scene.  A good description of the context would be as objective and descriptive as possible (don’t make interpretations here), and would include the following:
       Buddy is a childishly naive man who grew up believing he was an elf in Santa's workshop. This film follows Buddy on an adventure to find his biological father.  If you aren't familiar with the actor Will Farrell, he's a 6 foot 3 inch, 47 year old man. Now picture this large man having curly brown locks poking out the sides of a custom made elf suite. This suite is hilarious all in its own. It's striking. The costume consists of a grass green jacket and yellow tights. Only to be completed with pointy shoes and a hat to match.  
       This scene takes place in a department store where Buddy sees Santa ducking through Christmas trees to approach his throne. When Buddy gets closer to the Santa he realizes that it is not the Santa he knows. Buddy the Elf and the impostor banter back and forth for a few moments ending with Buddy pulling off the Santa's fake beard. The children waiting in line scream as the impostor Santa tackles and chases Buddy as he yells, beard in hand, that Santa is a fake. 

Prompt #3:  Nonverbal Communication – Make some connections between your chosen video clip and concepts associated with nonverbal communication from this week’s readings. Be specific and descriptive in your discussion here.  Describe what’s happening at that moment in the video clip, and then relate a concept from the readings to what’s happening.  Try to make connections to at least three nonverbal concepts that can be discussed within the context of your clip. What nonverbal clues are given that help you understand how each character interprets their interaction with the other character(s) (for example, as threatening, fun, etc.)? How do you know?
       The first nonverbal communication I noticed was the intense stare that Buddy had as he looked at the impostor Santa. Buddy's eye contact and facial expressiveness showed the rage that he was feeling when he realized it wasn't the Santa he knew. This type of example was also shown when the children dropped their mouths and widened their eyes because they were surprised and shocked seeing Santa with no beard. 
       The surrounding parents reacted similarly with looks of confusion. This led to a few mothers in the crowd gesturing for her child. Their eyebrows were high with a look of concern as they held out their hand motioning the child to 'come here.' This example is specifically known as an emblem. These are,"made up of gestures that have a direct verbal translation,"(page, 306). The children associate that specific hand motion to a particular meaning. This type of emblem is clear to an American child but may not be so clear in other cultures. We saw other examples of emblems in the video Gestures Across Cultures. At minute 5:40, the camera man takes a ride with the taxi driver. As he's asking questions the driver is nodding right and left in response. A naive American would interpret a similar response as a "no," but in India this nonverbal gesture is a clear indication of a "yes."
       The blonde woman at the counter at 1:18 is shown for just a second but her emotions are obvious. She is worried, confused, maybe even shocked. She has no lines during this scene but her facial expressions show her feelings. She has wide eye and her eyebrows are high accompanied with forehead wrinkles, as she watches Buddy and Santa wrestle around.  She has high eye brows and her eyes widen as she focus' her attention on the tussle. It's just a moment that her is shown during the scene but it's enough for the viewer to understand her nonverbal expressions. 
       Lastly, the most obvious type of nonverbal communication was the touching between Buddy and Santa. These two individuals had aggression towards each other and felt the need to become physical. More often than women, "men use touch to assert status or power," (page. 304). This is exactly what happened between Buddy and Santa, they were arguing to be right and not resolve misperceptions. 

Prompt #4: Make some connections between your chosen video clip and concepts associated with verbal communication from this week’s readings. Be specific and descriptive in your discussion here.  Describe what’s happening at that moment in the video clip, and then relate a concept from the readings to what’s happening.  Try to make connections to at least three verbal concepts that can be discussed within the context of your clip. What verbal clues are given that help you understand how each character interprets their interaction with the other character(s) (for example, as threatening, fun, etc.)? How do you know?
         One of the many verbal communication errors that both Santa and Buddy made was the choice to use You-language rather than I-language. You-language is used when Buddy accuses Santa of being an impostor.  This language,"tends to cast blame on the other person,"(Hamilton, page 289). Buddy  was uninformed about the imitation Santas planted all over New York City. Therefore, he ended up snatching off Santa's beard and getting tackled in consequence. If I-language was included, the, "three basic elements: a behavioral description, an emotional descriptor, and a consequence," would have occurred potentially ending with a more positive conclusion, (page, 289) 
         Buddy, being the extravert he is, used elaborate language to express his disinterest in the impostor Santa. This form of language,"may include metaphors and similes, as well as numerous adjectives that add detail to and exaggerate the message." Buddy did exactly this. He told the fake Santa that he smell of beef and cheese, told him he sat on a throne of lies. He tried to send his message to the impostor Santa with fabricated sayings and comparisons. 

Prompt #5: Make some connections between the context / setting of your chosen video clip and the behavioral dynamics of the actor(s).  How do you think the setting/situation affected the character’s behavior? Why might the director of the film have made the setting / contextual decisions that she or he did for this scene? Finally, comment on what you learned from or were surprised by in this observation/analysis experience. Be specific!
	The setting during this film was located in a department store. I think in order for the scene to make sense, the setting couldn't be up for much debate. However, the lighting during the scene is comparable to Hamilton's example of how,"faster or louder music and brighter lighting tend to speed people up,"(page. 307). This scene was fast pace with a lot of action. The music was subtle in the beginning when the focus was more on dialogue, but when the tussling began the music sped up with the action. This was to increase the sense of drama that the viewer is watching. 
	The conflict was resolved the manger of the store appeared in the scene. The manager ends up tackling the Santa in order to stop the chaos. This confrontation wouldn't have come to a stop unless it was forced to be. In conclusion, Buddy's false consensus bias led him to highly abstract language. This situation turned sour quickly and these communication principles are to blame. 

Works Cited:
Hamilton, V. (2007). Human Relations: The Art and Science
      of Building Effective  Relationships. Upper Saddle River,
      NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

 Youtube. (2008, December 27). Gestures Across Cultures 
     [Video File]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/
      watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pxoB6MhmbIg