17 Conan Without Borders Scene Analysis

The show Conan Without Borders features Conan O’Brien, a famous night show host, as he travels the worlds, and learns about other cultures. This scene shows Conan O’Brien taking a tour of a rum factory in
Cuba, during the first episode of Conan Without Borders. The purpose of this scene was both to entertain the audience with Conan’s quick quips and sarcastic comments, as well as to educate people about the Cuban rum-making process. To make the scene funnier, the editors and cameraman use different techniques to make the show funnier, as well as trick the brain into finding it funnier.

Audio
Audio is used very rarely, and there are only a few instants where they add audio to the episode. Most of the audio that is added is laughing tracks. These are used to subconsciously trick the brain into finding the jokes funnier than they are.

Dialogue
The dialogue between Conan and Gretel, the tour guide, is a mixture of humor and jokes, as well as an informative speech about the rum and the process of making it. They also will follow every bit of information up with a joke, to keep the audience interested.

Camera Angle
The camera angle is another technique that is used to make the content funnier. One way of doing this is by changing the camera angle for different purposes. For example, most of the informative speech uses a composition with Conan is on one side of the screen, and Gretel is on the opposite side, commonly with a medium shot. This can be seen here when Gretel is explaining where the rum comes from, specifically the plant used.

As you can see, Gretel is on the far right of the screen, while Conan is situated on the far left, with the sugar cane in between them. This is different than when Conan goes to tell a joke, as the shot then switches to a close up of either Gretel or Conan himself, trying to play the joke off with their reaction.

This helps to associate our brains with different shots resulting in either a joke or more information. All of these tricks, combined, are used to make the program enjoyable, and to help us relax and laugh during the program.