The original inbetweeners movie and film was a huge success in the UK and even worldwide as it made 88 million at box office. However, when the series was reproduced based on the narrative of the original series and film, it really struggled to live up to expectation. It was cancelled after just one series by MTV. You may think this is due to the different humour to the UK but there are several other factors.
Firstly, the UK inbetweeners strived on characters being relatable to the target audience, which are teenagers due to the coming of age genre. The replicate series did not engage the american viewers as characters such as Neil did you fit a social group so stereotypes could be made. For example, he was presented as slow and dumb but he did not remain like this throughout episodes which affected the role of the character in the series. Jay is also a character I feel can only be played by one actor as he has mastered the role and made it his own.
Another reason for the failure was the crudity of the humour. The UK version was rated a 15 and contained rude jokes which appealed to the target demographic of school boys and girls. Swear words were commonly used which became well known phrases and added to the whole appeal of the movie and show, for example 'Bus W**kers'. In the US version, the language used was very moderate and weak which toned down the whole production and particularly characters like Jay that needed it for their humour. Certain words were replaced with unrealistic terms like 'pansy' which are highly unlikely to be used by their audience. This affected the realism of show which is needed in the coming of age genre.
The editing used adapts the tone of the episodes. Inbetweeners is filmed in a gritty way as the camera is often shown to be hand held when following characters and also filmed in realistic british weather, often being overcast. The US edition lacks the gritty feel as it is filmed at golden hour (when the sun is at its brightest). This seriously changes the atmosphere of the comedy. Furthermore, effects like slow motion are used which again affect the realism of the narrative as it over dramatises the scene. The original series uses no effects like this as the directors want to keep a gritty and edgy feel. Lastly, annoying and repetitive non-diogetic soundtracks are used which acts similarly as the special effects. The soundtrack should be used sparingly to signify an end to a scene or ad break but instead it is used constantly.
Obviously, the most important issue is the comedy itself. Despite most of the jokes being successes from the original series, they are not always funny, there are a few reasons. The quality of acting is very poor and the 'banter' enjoyed between the group of friends seems very fake unlike the UK version. For example, jokes lack conviction and importantly, repercussions. Scenes are made funny when the jokes and situations have consequences. In the original this is often repetitive name calling like 'boner', a nickname for Simon. This develops the narrative as a social hierarchy is revealed within the character groups. Likewise, Jokes in the original have a great deal of build up so the audience understands the awkwardness of the situation so they find it funny. Without this, the scenes and jokes lack substance and this is the route which the US version took. A major example of this is in the frisbee scene where will hits a disabled girl.
What Have I Learnt
This piece of research has shown me how important editing is to a production. I have realised that despite using almost the same joke, they can be perceived in many ways due to small changes like a camera angle. When making a comedy film, you have to have this nailed and therefore I will carefully decide when and if I will use comedic elements in my opening. As I want my film to be filmed in a more gritty way, I will avoid using effects like slow motion as they are not needed to target my genre, instead I will use a variety of camera shots.
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