Inspirations + Similar Product Case Study: Parks and Recreation

As many of the people I interviewed said they liked Parks and Recreation (a lot had it as their favorite comedy), I decided to do my third case study on it. Parks and Recreation (2009) is an ongoing mockumentary sitcom starring Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope, a government deputy director trying to make a difference while surrounded by uncaring employees and officials. Similar to The Office, the series focuses on the relationships between the characters and their development. Parks and Rec has been described as “cute where The Office is awkward. Unlike The Office, the cast is full of well known, established actors which creates a more individual feel to every character as they express themselves via talking head segments (another Office trope) and go through their own story arcs.

From a technical and aesthetic standpoint, the show is shot similarly to  The Office, following the characters around with cameras as they occasionally draw attention to this with nervous glances and surprised looks. They also make use of talking heads, but take the technique further than The Office did. As the show progresses, these segments become a vehicle used not only to tell and advance jokes, but as a window  into the emotions of the characters. The lead character of Leslie Knope is the main focus for the first few episodes, but as more are introduced, you get to watch all their stories.

 

A review submitted by a user of IMDb

 

I compared the audiences of Parks and Rec with that of The Office and found that the average viewer was younger, but shared many traits of an older Office fan:

This perfectly matches my own target audience and means that my chosen style will appeal to them. I also noted that Parks and Rec has a higher viewership from women, perhaps due to the female lead character. I believe in representation in media, and realised that I only have male characters in my film, so I’ll try to expand beyond that.

 

Sources:

-http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1266020/

-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parks_and_Recreation

-https://yougov.co.uk/profileslite#/Parks_and_Recreation/demographics

-https://reelchange.net/2012/09/17/why-parks-and-recreation-matters/