Mise -en -Scene Case Study

Today in class we were talking about mise - en - scene on how we understand it and use it. We were seeing other movies/ shows showing examples of mise - en - scenes on them describing the scene on their costumes, props, settings, and more. For the assignment, we are to choose one scene from three different movies or shows.

PEARL (2022)

For my first film I chose "Pearl". The costume as you can see is a long vintage bright red dress. The style of this dress lets the audience know that the setting of the film is probably set in the 1950s or earlier years. It is also red which presents how she can be danger. Another thing that red presents for this character is passion, she has passion for something so strong that it makes her do these actions. For the location/ setting you can see a barn behind her meaning that she can be in the countryside. the prop they used for the character to hold was an ax. this relates to the dress being red by the ax also showing danger. she can be the one that's dangerous or she's defending herself against something that's dangerous. the lighting used on here is natural light, there's really nothing special done to it. this actor was chosen for this role because she gives a look that is innocent but can be crazy in the inside without you knowing it. The angle for this shot is going towards low angle showing how she has power in this position. For blocking the move she's doing makes it look like she's over someone ,trapping and telling them to be quite.

Edward Scissorhands (1990)

Second film is "Edward Scissor Hands". The costume the character has is a full black body suite with a bunch of straps around it. The back round shows that the location/setting is in a dark and creepy place like a castle. The props they have used are the books and cages in the background and scissors has his hands. These props show that he could possibly be in a library or an office. They are also old items showing the time its set in. By the scissors being his hands it can make the audience assume that the character was an invention also implying that he's in a lab. The actor chosen presents to the audience that he has an innocent personality. He makes the character look sweet and nice and awkward.

The Butterfly Effect (2004)

last film is "The Butterfly Effect". The costume for both the characters are just casual outfits which shows that it's in modern time like it's set up in the 2000s and later years. The colors of the clothes also show a mood of darkness. The location/setting shows the two characters sitting in a diner showing it can be in the city side. Then the props that are used in this diner are the cups and plates proving more that they are in a diner. The actors used for these roles were perfect because they both can present a stressful life, and the pain they have in this scene. The framing for this shot was to show their full bodies having them face to face while having a discussion. The blocking of these characters looks like they have known each other for a while now and are comfortable with each other. Even when they are comfortable talking to one another they still have an expression on their face of anger from the girl and sadness from the guy which shows the mood of the conversation that it's not going well.