Mise-en-scene analysis

 

Mise-en-scene is something I have noticed in movies and TV shows for years. I just did not realize exactly what it was. I was able to recognize what the setting was in every show, film, or play I watched. For my analysis I will be watching the Netflix Original, Dash & Lily. With the quirky and vibrant characters and the show taking place in New York, I figured it was perfect for this assignment. 

For this picture, I will be analyzing the costumes. Seen in the center with a sparkly blue dress with red boots is the protagonist Lily. All her life, Lily has struggled to come out of her shell due to her "quirky" personality and teasing from classmates. However, her love interest, Dash encourages her to go to a punk show. She steps out of her comfort zone and goes. Everyone around her is wearing dark clothes such as black, brown, and gray. She is the only person wearing something with color. This emphasizes the fact that she is the center of attention for the night. It also ties in with her interesting personality. The bright color matches her bright demeanor. Everyone at the show's eyes are on Lily and with this costume the audience's are too. 

For this picture I will be analyzing the staging. This scene had very elaborate staging and seemed like it was all in one shot with no cuts. This so suspense is added to the scene. We are following Lily through the club, anxiously waiting to see what happens. The camera was also shaky at a low angle. There are two reasons for this. The first one is too emphasize Lily's nerves. The people around her do not know she is nervous, but with the shaky camera the audience does. The low angle and crowd of people creates a sense of intimidation. This is a group of people Lily has never seen before and is no comfortable with. With the low angle the party goers seem large and like they are towering over her.

Lighting plays a key role in Mise-en-scene. The lighting in this scene is primarily bright green and yellow.  The yellow represents the energy and buzz in the party. The bright warm lights make the audience alert and drawn to the scene. It also represents Lily's sunny personality and optimistic persona. However, there is a bit of green light on the walls. This represents the nervousness and second thoughts that lurk in Lily's mind. She is glad she took a chance and went out, but she is not sure it was the right thing to do. The two colors together represent the internal conflict. 

The final element I will be analyzing is setting. This setting takes place when Lily is back at her house in her room. While the club was dark and cramped, her room is bright with depth. This shows that her room is where Lily has space to express herself. She is allowed to be who she really is. It is where she feels safe, unlike the party. The bright pink walls is representative of her bubbly personality. The vintage decorations is a call back to when she said she goes thrift shopping. Her slumped posture shows she is laid back and comfortable in her room. 

Mini-Analysis

The American Sitcom has been around for generations. From I Love Lucy to Friends, they have become a staple in many homes. As of recently, some of the most popular ones have been Ted Lasso and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu have increased popularity for older shows, like The Office and Parks and Recreation. However, I believe that there is an underrated sitcom that is better than them all. A hidden gem. That show is Community. I watched it on Netflix during quarantine, and I truly think it is one of the most clever shows I have ever seen. The episode I will be analyzing is the iconic paintball episode. In this episode, the central characters are competing in a paintball fight to win first priority for picking their classes. This episode is uses many techniques that we have gone over in class.

This is one of the first shots shown in the episode. This is what is called an establishing shot. This shot shows how much destruction has been caused by the paintball fight. The entire school is in ruins. The average watcher of the show will see this and realize that the setting has changed drastically. The paintball game is something that Greendale Community takes very seriously. 

 

This next shot is a point of view shot. It is from the three of the main character's point of view. Troy, Jeff, and Abed just tricked them into getting hit.  This shot shows how severely they hit the victims. Not one, but multiple paintball marks. They had to make sure they were hit. This emphasizes how seriously the game is being taken. 

This is a close up shot of the character Abed's face. Abed adds a lot of comedic relief to the show. While his face is serious in the shot. the fact that it is serious is adding comedy to the show. The paint marks in the back and the goggles on his head add to his character. All of the small details add up and develop the idea that Abed puts his entire heart into everything he does. He tries hard so he makes it to the end. 

This is a low angle shot of the character Chang. He is an antagonist in this season. In the context of the shot, he is attempting to end the game. The dean decides that it is gone too far and it must come to an end. Chang tries to save the day by bringing in huge paintball guns and shooting the final competitors. The low angle adds to his intimidation. 

This is an extreme close up of Jeff's gun. This is taken in a moment of desperation. Jeff quickly grabs the gun. This shot creates an image larger than the audience would usually see. This emphasizes how much he needs to gun in the moment. It is very important that he wins, he is one of the only people left. It is all resting on his shoulders.