Intro to Recycled Cinema
"Intro to Recycled Cinema" is the eighth episode of the sixth season of the American comedy television series Community, and the 105th episode of the series overall. It was released on Yahoo Screen in the United States on April 28, 2015.
Plot
Chang has recently starred in a ham commercial where his catchphrase has gone viral, leading him to move out to Los Angeles without notifying anyone else, much to the Save Greendale Committee's disgust. Frankie suggests that Greendale cash in on Chang's new-found fame by turning a cancelled cop drama Abed was filming, Police Justice, into a new movie. An investor, Maury, tells them that they can use Chang's footage to create an entirely different experience and that a producer who did a similar task with Vin Diesel earned $500,000 in revenue. Abed reluctantly agrees, worrying that the film will be bad as they are given only one weekend to complete it.Abed ends up directing various Greendale students in the film Chief Starr and the Raiders of the Galaxy, incorporating outtake audio and recycled footage of Chang. The dean stars as Chang's stand-in body double, Jeff plays the mayor of outer space, Britta plays Princess Meridian, and Annie plays Scorpio 9, a pleasure droid assassin. Abed tries to do his usual repetitive takes, but everyone else wants to improvise every moment of the film and move on without reshoots. Noticing Abed's perfectionism, Jeff pulls him aside and convinces him that he needs to try different things then learn from them and move on, thereby getting the film on track.
The scattershot, poorly planned film manages to be completed, and an otherwise satisfied Maury tells Abed to edit out six minutes of footage. Everyone but Jeff agrees to cut out his prolonged death scene, as it does not feature Chang; refusing to let the one scene he put effort into go to waste, Jeff steals Abed's laptop and locks himself in the basement to edit out different portions. While Jeff watches video editing tutorials, Abed breaks into the room. They argue and briefly fight, after which Jeff confesses that he is suffering an identity crisis. With the departures of Pierce, Troy, Shirley, and Chang, Annie's and Abed's career plans, and Britta's bartending commitments, Jeff believes he will be the last one to ever leave Greendale. Abed consoles Jeff by telling him that no matter what crap Jeff goes through, there will always be a moment worth savoring.
They compromise by cutting out Jeff's scene and adding in an extended ending featuring Jeff taunting Chang. At the last minute, Maury informs the group that the company funding the film went bankrupt thanks to YouTube, plus Chang's credibility has tanked after going crazy with celebrities. Back in LA, a hungover Chang talks back to an unseen Steven Spielberg and is replaced by Randall Park; in the end tag, he awkwardly returns to Greendale.