Mise-en-scene Case Study

Scene One: Legally Blonde

Background: Legally Blonde follows the main character Elle Woods (the blonde with glasses) on her journey through law school. This scene is when she intentionally runs into her ex-boyfriend, Warner (navy sweater with his back towards the camera), who believes she doesn't belong at Harvard Law.

The use of Mise-en-scene helps to convey that feeling of standing out. For starters, the props used in the scene range from their bags to bulletin boards and benches. Those props make the set design look like a regular school hallway. All the other students are taller than Elle even though she's wearing heels. This can imply that they're all smarter and better than her. In terms of costumes, Elle's outfit is colorful and extravagant while the students around her are in duller clothes with no prints. This makes her seem as though she doesn't fit in with the other students. Her makeup is bright and noticeable which is in stark contrast to the minimal makeup of the other students. However, the color palette for the scene works together by incorporating muted shades. The characters closer to the camera are bright and in clear focus while the background characters are in shadows and are in shallow focus. Elle is kept in the center of the frame which means viewers are continuing to be drawn to her. At the beginning of the scene, inspirational music is played which gives viewers a feeling of hope for the main character. As she walks from her dorm to the hallway, the music speeds up and creates a more urgent feeling. Then, it stops when she starts her conversation with Warner.

Scene Two: Clueless

Background: Clueless is the story of a wealthy teenage girl and her high school life. In this scene, Cher (in yellow) is giving her side of the argument of a debate in class.

The props used in the classroom setting are everything regularly found in a school such as desks, chairs, and paper with the addition of two podiums for the debate speakers. The use of podiums gives Cher and her opponent a more powerful and commanding stance. The school is set in Beverly Hills, California which is an area where looks are a top priority. This is evident in Cher's and her classmates' costumes. They're all trendy except for her teacher. Her teacher is wearing an all brown outfit which is boring compared to his students. This costume choice adds to his boring personality. Cher's makeup is there but on the more natural side while her opponent is wearing noticeable makeup. This builds upon the flashy, shallow personality of her opponent. The color palette shows a lot of different tones including muted shades and brighter colors. The lighting is natural daylight that comes from the windows to the left of Cher. This results in her being lit up more than her teacher and opponent. The characters in each frame are always centered and evenly dispersed. For example, the shot above spreads the three characters out in different areas of the frame and when there is just one person in the frame, they are in the center. The only sound is the dialogue between characters until Cher gets to the end of her speech. There, the music conveys dramatic, patriotic, and victorious feelings.

Scene Three: 10 Things I Hate About You

Background: 10 Things I Hate About You is about Kat (shown in the shot above) and how her path crossed with a boy named Patrick. In this scene, she is reading a poem aloud to her class about how she wishes she could hate Patrick, but only ends up loving him.

The set is a standard classroom filled with props like desks, tables, computers, and paper. Kat holds a binder filled with her assignments which she's using to read off of. As for costumes, the bully in class is wearing a bright yellow shirt which implies that he wants attention. Her outfit is still relatively normal, but the embellishments on her shirt lead me to believe that she doesn't care about fashion standards and trends. The teacher is wearing a dress shirt, a tie, and surprisingly, cargo pants. The pants reveal that he wants to be seen as young and cool to be accepted by the students. The scene's makeup is meant to be natural, and if the characters are wearing any makeup it's not very noticeable. The color palette showcases a lot of cool tones with pops of color here and there. The lighting seems to come from overhead lights and the windows which creates a very natural-looking effect. The lens can be seen shifting who's in deep and shallow focus in the scene which helps the audience know who to look at. When Kat reads her poem, the only sound is her voice until the end when she starts crying. It is at that point that somber music starts playing and Kat storms out of the room.