Mise-en-Scene Hwk 2 / Comparison Analysis of Three Video Extracts

1) A scene from ' The Birds' by Alfred Hitchcock (Drama 1960s Genre)



In this scene,there is a use of mise-en-scene to send a message to the audience in a non verbal way.Firstly,a daughter who seemed unaware of the incident that happened ,approached the house in search of her father.Moreover,the setting also indicated something bad has happened.For example, shelves were off balance, curtains torn,window glass broken, bed covers were all over the place and also the room looked generally unpleasant.Therefore,this could connote that there was violence or a murder that had occured in that room.Furthermore,the camera then panned to the protagonist to glance at her facial expressions.The camera then panned to the left to the character who was dead on the floor,his clothes were torn apart and blood drew upon his clothes,all over his body.This could connote in relation to the setting that a murder has taken place in that room.Additionally,make up was also used to show the eyes removed from victim of the murder.This could connote that the murder was truly gruesome.Finally,the lighting is generally dark and seems compressed in the house, allowing it to show a more uncomfortable environment.

2) A Scene From 'Star Wars' (Sci-Fi)



In this scene,costume and lighting are the most effective factors of mise-en-scene.Firstly,Darth Vader who is the villain is wearing a costume that connotes evilness,such as the black masked helmet and the black cape.The colour black usually connotes 'evil' and that costume is the trademark for darth vader and the star wars trilogy so it would be shown recognition throughout the years.In comparison with the first video,the lighting remains dark too especially towards the sub-villain, where partially his face is visible.Therefore the lighting could connote him to be a horrific character.However,the protagonists costume is a plain black, science fictioned type uniform.This could connote in this seen,how the villain is superior to him, and allowing the audience to think that the hero would not win the battle to build up suspense.

3) A Scene From The Terminal (Comedy Drama)



In this scene,the most effective use of mise-en-scene was the props.In difference with the other two videos,we are introduced to the scene with the protagonist (Tom Hanks) holding an electronic razor in the middle of the airport whilst also fiddling around with a tie in his left hand.He was also surrounded by a barrier which can therefore connote his confusion and his misplacement.Furthermore,the scene then cuts into the protagonist in the security office, but this time, holding a paper to direct him to communicate with the other character.From his facial expressions, you can notice his confusion and hesistance he has when talking to another person which could connote that he is a foreign character.In relation to this,the protagonists costume also symbolises this as he is wearing a low valued ,brown suit with a travel bag on his shoulder.This connotes that he does not fit in with the society he is currently in,therefore implying his confusion.