Mis en scene - Film Examples

In Mr.Murphys lesson this week we have  been looking at mis en scene, for these lessons we have watched 5 minute sections of the opening of three films. These films are 'Don't Look Now', 'Airplane' and 'Let Him Have It'.

Don't Look Now

The film opens with a small girl playing in the garden by her house dressed in a bright red coat, near a pond. You notice several shots go back and forth between the girl and her brother, and her parents sitting inside the house, he father is looking at slide and the mother is reading a book. The shots back and forth on the girl always show her near the pond, this builds up the tension, and then the ball falls in the pond and the boy slips on glass. This is all used for effect to build up tension and that its leading to something bad. This sets the seen as a horror genre film. This is then backed up by the blood on the picture that the father is looking at, which the red could also represent the daughters coat.

Clues such as the mans hair style and moustache show the time period, 60's to 70's. And also there is a lot of smoking influence, the cigarettes and the ashtrays inside the house. 



Airplane

The films opens with a parody of the Jaws films, with an aeroplane acting like the shark in the sky. This clearly sets the genre as a comedy film. We are then show several of the main protagonists of the film in short scenes where we are introduced to them. This film is clearly set in America. This is given by clues such as the yellow taxis and the four-lane highways. The comedic theme is then backed up by several scenes, one being a man shown to be taking off his metal arm and leg before going through a metal detector, and also we are shown a clip of the pilot near, 'Whacking Material'. 

The costumes in this film are used for great effect. They used pilots uniforms and air hostess uniforms to show that they're actually in an airport. 

Let Him Have It

This film opens during the aftermath of a bomb explosion. We see services such as ambulances, police and fire trucks coming to help with the tragedy. This makes the film feel authentic as they are using real ambulances and fire trucks, as well as their uniforms. We are then shown a small boy, under a rubble pile, having what seems to be a fit, later we learn he suffers from epilepsy. It then changes time period, we are now in the 1950's you can tell this by the teddy boy hairstyle that the boys have.