Mise-en-scene Case Study

1. Instant family - Daddy for the First Time Scene

• Action happens on a soccer field. Frame picks up the background, where girls who play soccer can be seen. Main characters of the scene are placed in the middle of the shot. They stay there until Lita says ‘thanks daddy’ to Pete, Ellie in shock leaves the scene after Lita. Pete stays on the scene. Before that in the different shot (same scene) we can see that Ellie got surprised, yet offended showing it through the gentle push she gave to Pete. We should remember that Pete and Ellie are still getting used to their new and first children, therefore it seemed confusing to Ellie that Pete got such a great award (got called ‘Dad’) for such a small thing; she wanted to experience that too.

• Characters wearing casual/everyday clothes, however the background is filled with girls playing in a soccer uniform. Other people are in the corners of the shot filling the scene with groups of friends to show that an actual event is happening. Characters wear everyday makeup, the scene's mood is casual as well, however it changes after Lita’s line. Normal lightning in the scene, daylight. A shallow depth of field is used, referring to a small area in focus. The subject is in focus, while the background is blurred.

2. The Hustle - Trashy dress

• This scene is an introduction to the character named Penny Rust. Her personality and career is shown through her frauds. In this particular scene we can see how she gets out from her another great scam. She goes to the bar, where talks to a nice-looking guy, yet he is her victim. Penny does not care about guys, the only thing she cares about is money, however she is never aware of the consequences from her dishonesty. In this scene, Penny got away from another close end. The trash bags that are part of a set and props saved her life! She wears a latex black dress that blends into the trash bags, therefore she blended in with them and no one ever noticed her. A dark light also helped to create a mood of a sneaky moment, as well as represented night time. A deep depth of field is used, capturing a larger area in focus, keeping everything in the image sharp and clear. The camera is stable, the movement of characters is the only thing that changes in the shot, its full and wide shot. The intense music stops as well and Penny leaves the scene after another successful adventure.

3. Five Feet Apart - Stella meets Will

• In this scene a new character is introduced in the movie to the main character. Actions are happening in the hospital, we can see characters in the foreground wearing oxygen tubes. In previous scenes it was revealed that characters, Will and Stella, have cystic fibrosis. Will noticed Stella and decided to become friends with Stella. He approaches her in the baby's room. Looks like Stella is not interested in meeting Will, she looks unbothered, while Will looks concerned and excited in some way. The lighting brings up a calm mood and reminds us that it is usual for Stella to spend time here. The background is much brighter than in the foreground where we can see the main characters, this effect might bring up a feeling that meeting an unexpected buddy is not awkward to Stella. However, she is still not welcoming Will, she acts with an attitude as she sees him as an irresponsible patient with such a hard disease.

• The main actions are happening in the foreground, where characters are wearing their normal-everyday clothes and makeup. However, there is also a story going on in the back. The back characters are nurses wearing their uniform. They add up vivacity and aliveness to the scene. The camera moves and shows a close up of a character when they talk to bring the viewer attention and flow them through the dialogue.