Studying mise-en-scene

Performance



Within this scene, we see the main character being put into a situation that is very overwhelming and shows her transition from being scared to determined to win. Performance is well portrayed by Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), as we begin to empathise with her and understand what the scene will entail. Throughout the clip, there are a lot of close ups to show her facial expressions at each part in the clip. From this, we get the impression that the surroundings are very overwhelming and we also get to see the transition from her being nervous, to her being determined to do what she has to do. Also, you can see by her stance that she is ready to fight and take part in the event that she is in, despite the fact that we have previously seen her facial expressions that had connotations of fear and terror.

Setting



In these opening scenes to, "Divergent", we are shown a lot of setting and illustrates ideas to the audience. The fact that we can see that the whole city is surrounded by emptiness, we can begin to realise that society has been secluded from the outside world and how a main theme of the film could focus on helplessness, isolation and maybe even segregation. There are some extreme long shots to show how the city has been ruined and possibly abandoned by society. This view could be used as a microcosm of the rest of the world. However, further on in the scene we begin to see how people in society have been separated from one another, due to the fact that we see people in their own environments. This could lead the audience to believe how each small group has been segregated because of their personality.

An analysis of a clip from the horror film, “The Boy”.

              Throughout the film, ‘The Boy’, the audience are given a variety of sounds that allow them to feel a mixture of emotions. For instance, when Greta, played by Lauren Cohan, is cautiously walking around the house, I can hear the diegetic sound of creaking floorboards, which makes me feel uneasy and gives me the impression that there is a reason to why Greta should be quiet meanwhile, the fact that the audience can hear the shower running, indicates that the director is attempting to mask any sounds made from the sinister doll (Brahms), giving a disturbing atmosphere. Later on in the clip, Greta is locked in the loft attempting to find a way out, when suddenly she sees an ominous silhouette of a doll, making her jump. Due to the fact that we aren’t scared by this when there is no sound, the producer has decided to play non diegetic sounds on top of the recording such as sharp, high pitched noises; this non diegetic sound led me to feeling intimidated and on edge.

                Furthermore, the audience is constantly feeling frightened and uncomfortable throughout this clip as low key lighting is always used, as well as the occasional side lighting. The low key lighting has many different implications about the film, for instance, the audience gets the impression that the house has got a sinister background or the idea that the house is attempting to mask a much darker secret. I can empathise with Greta as most of this scene is filmed in the dark and I am scared of the dark. I can begin to understand the reasons why Greta is feeling scared and apprehensive as I am engaging in the film, the way that she is living it for real. Moreover, as Greta notices the doll sitting in a different position to what it was in, in the first place, side lighting is used on Brahms’ face. This side lighting can portray the idea that he is a scary, intimidating and conflicted character. I mostly associate dolls as innocent and a child’s toy, however this lighting gives me the impression that Brahms is that of a supernatural being and the idea that he has an evil, dangerous side.

                Additionally, throughout the clip, a variety of camera angles, shots and movements were used to convey specific points to the viewer, allowing us to feel what Greta feels. For instance, the camera uses high angles whenever we see Greta in order to present the idea that she is weaker than the unnatural identity that is haunting her, whilst dutch angles are used when we see Brahms in the clip to illustrate the idea that he is a very serious and possibly mentally deranged character. Meanwhile, the producer has tactically used a slow tracking movement of the camera, when Greta is in the shower, to show the type of movements that the paranormal doll is making, which makes me feel very edgy and tense as I know that something malevolent is going to take place very soon. Later on in the scene, Greta is seen crying out for help in the attic and we see how far away she is from help; this extreme longshot allows us to empathise with Greta as we begin to understand how daunting and helpless she may feel.

               

                  Overall, the producer uses a variety of techniques within this clip in order to get the audience to empathise with Greta and feel intimidated by Brahms. We can see that in this clip, there are a number of features of a horror film included, as mentioned before, for example: helplessness and nameless fears and anxieties.

Analysis of the key aspects of my favourite film this summer, ‘Suicide Squad’, and why I enjoyed it.

Within David Ayer’s film, ‘Suicide Squad’, a key aspect of the film is the love between Harley Quinn, portrayed by Margot Robbie, and the Joker, played by Jared Leto. Despite the fact that the Joker’s feelings for Harley can range from affectionate to violent, it is clear that her love for him is deep, yet unrequited. Her love for the Joker is present throughout the majority of the film however, due to the fact that Harley’s love for him is not mutual, the audience begin to realise that their relationship is one of the most complicated in the DC universe. Even though she is infatuated with him, we can see that she doesn’t like the fact that the Joker sees her as his property, which is reinforced by the song we constantly hear throughout the film called, ‘You don’t own me’.

            Furthermore, Ayer used the key aspect of friendship between the characters to convey his message that no matter what background you originate from, you should never judge each other and just accept everyone. At the beginning of the film, each individual character was against the idea of working with each other however, their relationships started to slowly evolve into something more. The fact that Harley and Dead Shot, played by Will Smith, wanted to stick together after their mission was completed, illustrates the idea that friendships can be made, even though you have nothing in common. Also, it is shown that Boomerang, portrayed by Jai Courtney, liked his team enough to turn back after he attempted to sneak away, so that he could aid them in defeating their enemies. From these friendships, we can see, as the viewers, that no matter what situation you are in, you always need a friend and that you should never judge anyone before you get to know them.

            Moreover, a key aspect that was introduced into the film was redemption; the group of unhinged villains are given the opportunity to seek redemption through taking part in a life-threatening mission. Ayer used Dead Shot and his daughter as a vehicle to get the message across to the audience that you should never give up on your dreams and always be focused on your goals. No matter the situation that Dead Shot is involved in, we can always see that he is very passionate over the fact that he needs to complete the mission if he ever wants to see his daughter again. For example, the only reason to why he had agreed to take part in the mission was due to the fact that it was the only way he would get to see her again. The act of redemption can be seen in most of the characters’ stories, reinforcing the fact the Ayer wants us to never give up.

            Even though these key aspects play a pivotal role into the reason why Suicide Squad is my favourite film this summer, it is also due to the fact that all throughout the film, Ayer managed to build up an immense amount of tension, engaging me, as the audience, and enticing me into the film even more. Also, no matter what kind of scene it was, whether comical or action, you were always engaged in each characters background story, and towards the end of the film, it felt like you knew the characters and their life story.

Why was the film, 'Deadpool', such a success?

                Tim Miller’s film, ‘Deadpool’, was unexpectedly a box-office hit for a variety of reasons, including the fact that the lead was played by Ryan Reynolds. Over the years, Reynolds has starred in many films, including: X-men, The Green Lantern and most importantly, Deadpool. Whilst the majority of his films have been very well executed, he has also starred in a couple of films that did not stand up to our expectations, for example, The Green Lantern and his first role as Deadpool in the x-men films. These few films have led to the world wide curiosity of viewers, which ultimately led to everyone wanting to see whether his new film, ‘Deadpool’, was going to be shockingly bad or amazing.

            Furthermore, the fact that the film has many different themes, allows the film to appeal to a wider range of viewers. For instance, within the film, we see that a main theme is the fact that Wade Wilson is suffering from terminal cancer, which gives the thousands of cancer patients in the world the chance to relate to his character and fully empathise with him. Additionally, a second key theme is love; we can see in the film that Wade Wilson is willing to go to the extreme in order to win back his love, which is something that a lot of people can relate to.

            Moreover, the marketing that was made for, ‘Deadpool’, was a key factor that helped the film become more successful. The original idea for a Deadpool film was scrapped however, some of the test footage was illegally leaked and the reaction was enormous. This led to thousands of people becoming very excited for a possible film. The marketing team used the fans to hopefully spread their excitement to friends and so on. Despite the fact that the film was already popular, they wanted to exceed their expectations and so, they made billboards that were sexualised and even made a brand of emoji’s, which spread the eagerness for the film to the social media universe.

            Likewise, another reason to why ‘Deadpool’ was so successful is that it contains multiple genres which attract a wide variety of viewers. The writers of the film managed to combine a number of genres into one film in order to attract in as many fans as possible. For instance, it is a comedy, action, romance and adventure. Although most films contain one or two genres, this film contains four which is a unique feature of the film and is a one of a kind film. Many viewers saw this as a chance to experience a new kind of film and something worth watching, which is a reason to why ‘Deadpool’ is one of the most successful films that has been released.

            Also, Miller’s film was released in February 2016, which is earlier than when most marvel films are released. The majority of marvel films are made public around the time of summer however, Miller decided to release his film early in the year, which made a dramatic impact on its popularity. The number of people that wanted to see the film increased a great deal when they found out that the film would be released earlier than predicted as it had peaked their interest.

            Overall, Tim Miller’s film was so successful due to many reasons. The factors that increased is successfulness included: release date, genres, cast and marketing. It is clear that if these factors were out of the image, then it would never have been as successful as it actually is today.