The costume in the above screenshot, depicts a young woman perhaps aged early to mid 20's in casual attire. The tank top has connotations of both hot weather but also street style. The laid back costume suggests the character may be lazy or unemployed or perhaps this scene takes place during the night time and these are pyjamas since the lighting is dim and mainly focusing on the bric-a-brac of props upon the table, this implies the props are significant to the character; the messiness and abundance of yellows suggesting anxiety or lack of structure maybe mirroring her own lifestyle? or her mental health which could also be supported by the 'lazy' dress sense and unwashed hair. Another aspect of the scene is the smoke, billowing from the cigarette into her face. This suggests shes perhaps not seeing things clearly and is naive or her thoughts are 'clouded' and perhaps impacting her decisions and their outcomes during this episode or perhaps her unphased countenance suggests she has grown immune to smoke and this is simply an addiction that she has weaved into her routine. From this screenshot, i would infer that this character is young, not financially stable, perhaps involved with drugs or crime of some sort.
Comparison of mise-en-scene in 3 different genres
Clips below are from:
Baby Driver (2017) "A score for a score" [crime]
This scene from Baby Driver takes place in a warehouse designed for the main characters to plan out their heists - as seen in this clip, the use of a blackboard with blueprints and plans roughly drawn on it shows that these characters are clearly criminals. We also know that the characters all play vital roles due to their stature at the table, with Baby fidgeting with a hot wheels car- something commonly associated with children, which is ironic since his name is 'Baby' the car falling to the ground could perhaps imply ominous foreboding of this heist maybe going awry which is common in crime movies, to have motifs, or symbols to hint at the eventual fate of the criminals etc. The use of bare walls and undistinguishable clothing, yet distinguished styles for the characters is also conventional to crime movies since usually bosses dress more sophisticated to show wealth and dominance, whereas his 'workers' have more personalised styles for their characters stereotypes. This is different from the other clips since crime movies do focus a lot on the settings of movies and the lighting to present different motives and characters intentions e.g baby and buddy being in the dark whilst bats is in the light suggests they're 'in the dark' about something he may do or is planning.
La La Land (2016) "Opening scene" [musical]
This scene is set on a highway during rush hour in LA, hinted by the characters in differing attire ranging from casual to working. The different colours hint at this movie being light hearted with a happy journey perhaps, the idea of a journey being further enforced by the use of cars- cars go somewhere so perhaps this movie will depict someones personal journey into a more optimistic and 'bright' future implied by the idea of sun and the bright skies and natural lighting during this scene this isn't atypical of musicals, being done before in 'Hairspray' however it does contradict some of the ideals pursued in other genres such as the muted colours in drama movies or the use of carefully placed colours in crime movies [the blue colour of the car in baby driver connotes melancholy but also confidence and stability]. The use of LA as a setting is also significant as it sets a theatrical tone for the movie, perhaps implying that this movie will centre around the dramatics of Hollywood supported by the glamorous and high effort costumes and makeup of the ensemble.
Dead Poets Society (1989) "O Captain My Captain" [drama]
This scene from dead poets society focuses mainly on the actor placement aspects of mise-en-scene to amplify the boys demand for power and attention. As they stand on the desk this connotes frustration and rebellion from the boys but also amplifies the conventional trope from coming of age movies when the protagonists 'find their voices' so to speak. The use of lighting is also important, as the characters are all well lit and the focus is firmly on them instead of the background implying they have the most significant roles in this scene. Unlike the other clips, this movie is set in school. The use of a school as a setting as well as uniform connotes that the characters are well educated, and in a strictly formal setting as we can support this through their uniforms which aren't common within American high schools that are typically depicted on screen. Since this is in the drama genre, the colours are much more muted than those in the other two movies. It also has a lot of focus on the characters with the boy who stands up first, coming across as fed up, perhaps also having changed due to the inner turmoil that runs across his disposition in the first few moments of the clip before metaphorically and literally taking a stand.
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