Analysis of Mise En Scene

Consists broadly of 8 areas:

• Colour: The teenage girl is wearing a mixture of white and red. This may suggest that she is at an in-between age, and the colours may show a mixture of innocence and danger. She is also wearing red lipstick which may add to this idea and suggest that she is quite rebellious. The two adults are wearing quite plane colours, such as blues and beiges which match quite closely to the background setting where the walls are blue and there is a variety of whites and beiges, for example on the curtains. This may suggest that they are quite a conventional family. The use of these colours almost makes them merge into the background, which makes the teenage girl stand out more which may suggest that she is meant to be our focus of our attention.
• Costume: The two adults are wearing more formal wear which may represent their age. They are both wearing good quality clothing which matches the setting and may show that they are quite well off and of the middle/ upper class. They are both dressed for the occasion, as the dinner looks well presented. However the teenage girl is wearing a red, white and blue jumper which looks more informal and may show her age and rebellion. She does not want to conform to what everybody else is doing around her but maybe wants to stand out and be the centre of attention. The two adults are wearing wedding rings which may suggest that they are a married couple and that they are a family. The way the women dresses may suggest that she is quite sophisticated and the male may have a good job based on the fact that he looks smart and well presented.
• Lighting: The lighting in this image is generally quite dull which may suggest that there is quite a dark presence in the room, they may be arguing or having a disagreement. The main source of light is the candles in the centre of the table, which again suggests that this family are quite old fashioned. The use of these candles in the centre of the table also create light on the teenage girl where as the two adults are in darker lighting. This may suggest that the girl is the centre of attention and that maybe the discussion and focus in their conversation is based around her and something that she has done.
• Body language/posture: The two women's posture differ quite significantly. The elder woman is sitting up right and has good posture where as the teenage girl is more slumped. This may be a stereotypical representation of her age and creates the idea the young girl may have a bad attitude and doesn't really care. The teenage girl is looking at the man with a stern and unhappy expression and the man has his fists clenched and has a sarcastic and frustrated expression which may represent some kind of conflict between the two. The women also looks annoyed by something, but looks like she is trying to refrain more from the argument.
• Framing: The whole of the scene and the way that the props are arranged is quite symmetrical. This may show a contradictory image of the family as the scenery makes everything look perfectly presented, whilst we can see them arguing around this. This may suggest that they are quite superficial and try to present a perfect image of their family when there's actually quite a lot of conflict amongst them. The distance of the characters spread along the table may also suggest that they are not very close.
• Hair and makeup: The teenage girl is wearing minimal makeup and has her hair tied up in a ponytail. This may suggest that she is not too bothered about her appearance, especially when she is around her family. She is wearing red lipstick which may suggest that she is quite rebellious, as a teenager she is keen to make a statement and stand out and this may be why she choses to wear the lipstick. The man has a normal hairstyle and represents an average middle aged man. The woman has short hair, which is more typical of elder woman which has been styled, which may suggest that she is quite sophisticated and takes pride in her appearance.
• Setting and props: The props are set up symmetrically which presents the family to be quite superficial. They try to present themselves to be the perfect family when in reality as we can see in this image they argue quite a lot. The props include things such as candles and some bright red roses which suggest that they may be upper class and suggest wealth. The red roses may show conflict, danger, love and lust. They are placed directly in front of the teenage girl, possibly because this relates to her character the most.
• Facial expressions: The teenage girl has quite a stern face. She is looking directly at the man who has almost a sarcastic expression on his face which may suggest the two are arguing about something. The woman seems to have a stern and unhappy expression to, but the way she is leaning back more and isn't looking directly at the characters may suggest that she is not directly involved in the conflict but is still not happy with one of the two.