Mise-en-scene Case Study

Stranger Things (Season 3, Episode 4)

From the season 3 of Stranger Things in this scene where the young teenagers are fighting a possessed Billy in the locker room at the community pool of Hawkins, Indiana. Different elements of the scene such as hair, costume, color, props and such came together to portray the 80s era and an intense fight scene. For hair, the infamous "bowl cut" was shown in this scene along with a "half up half down" tied with a scrunchie that was popular in the 80s. As for costume, the loud pop of colors for each character show how lots of colors were popular in the 80s and present in the show to imply that these were kids fighting. The vibrant reds, blues, purples, and yellows make the characters' costumes stand out and seem cartoonish. The different patterns in their costumes show a certain state that the characters are in the series where Eleven, played by Millie Bobby Brown, is in her phase of rebellion with the splotches. Where as Billy is wearing his lifeguard costume to imply that he has been at the pool all day and is night at this time. Continuously, throughout this fight scene Eleven fights Billy with her powers and is protective of her friends and this is shown in this photo where her arms are infant of the other characters to show how she is brave to protect her friends against this strong monster. For the props, there is a weight lifted in the scene at a point with a heavy weight that Eleven carries to push Billy to defeat to show how strong Eleven is when her powers are motivated by emotion and care for her friends. Regarding the lighting, it is dim to imply that is later in the day and after pool hours when no one is around to help. Lastly, the fast frame rate is to guide the viewers through the intense trap and fight scene. It makes for the viewers to have a high adrenaline and anticipation as if being there and experiencing the emotions. Overall, the many aspects of this scene help make for an 80s inspired and extreme fight scene.

Don't Worry Darling

In this scene of the Don't Worry Darling film, the couples of the isolated desert town called "Victory" are gathered by the founder, Frank, for a friendly gathering set in the 50s. Throughout the scene there is something off putting with the "perfect" people and town. The "perfect" aspect is presented with the beautifully styled hair, makeup, and costume. The women have perfect hair and the men have the notorious gelled back hair that was prominent in the 50s. All the characters' hair is placed and styled perfectly to look effortless but chic along with the makeup on the women. All the women have a nice makeup and some with a colored lip to express elegance and femininity. The costumes are all designed with lots of color and that is especially presented in this picture of the scene. Each character is seemed to have a unique and colorful outfit with most women wearing dresses and men in button downs and trousers. These style choices give an elegant and exclusive effect that only few get invited to these parties. Following the scene, the set is in the backyard of Frank's mansion house that is stylized with 50s furniture to express the era's designs. The blocking of the scene is placed with the couples together in a organized manner of a semi-circle to listen to Frank speak. The character Frank is holding a pair of glasses and waving it around as he walks through the scene to show authority and attention to him. While the couples are all holding a cup with a drink to show they are at a party and enjoying it. They all seem to be too happy and enjoying almost. All these elements and Frank's inspiring speech of the gratitude and luck for this amazing opportunity of a town shows how there is someone in power with all the people listening whenever he speaks and as if the characters are placed in a fantasy dream.

The Waterboy

The Waterboy starring Adam Sandler includes a comedic scene outside where Robert is with he is introducing his girlfriend on the left to his mother on the right. The different elements of costume, props, makeup, and such make a for a funny and weird scene. As presented in this photo, each character has a distinct style to express their personality. Vicki, the girlfriend, wears a bold red lip with thin eyebrows, a tattoo, and a gold pearl personality to show her "too cool" personality. Her hair is very girly and put together to show that she is a pretty girl and might be too pretty for Robert. Robert wears an odd pink coat with a patterned button down to express his weird and unique personality. Following the recent events, Robert has a black eye from the football play he hides from his mother and his hair is not done just normal to show he doesn't care about it. While Helen, Robert's mom, is wearing a pastel green cardigan topped with a floral hat and earring to show her soft and motherly personality. Her curly ginger hair makes her seem southern and still cares about her looks. The funny and odd aspect are shown through the lines but also the props. Seen on the table are baby crocodiles and a uncut or washed potato with a red liquid in the cup that wouldn't look like juice. It is not normal to eat crocodiles and uncut potatoes so it shows how odd their family is. The scene is set in Robert and Helen's backyard in the woods on a picnic table. The wood setting is to show that they are away from society and isolated in their area. Overall, the scene consists of fun props and costumes to present a funny scene and peculiar traditions of Robert and Helen compared to Vicki.