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With reference to examples from The General and Double Indemnity, compare how mise-en-scene creates aesthetic effects. 

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With reference to examples from The General and Double Indemnity, compare how mise-en-scene creates aesthetic effects. 

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The General (Buster Keaton, 1926) and Double Indemnity (Wilder, 1944) effectively use elements of mise-en-scene in order to create aesthetic effects, tones, and atmospheres for the audience, however they each do this differently or to create different effects.

One notable difference between the two films is the way each of the characters use body language and facial expression. In The General, Johnnie's body language is very dramatic and theatrical and his emotions are constantly on display. This is exemplified during the final scene where Johnnie realises he is being enlisted as a soldier and there is a medium longshot of Johnnie who reacts quite theatrically while wearing a shocked but proud facial expression. This aids in the comedic tone of the film and creates an optimistic atmosphere. In Double Indemnity, on the other hand, Walter’s movements and facial expressions are kept to minimum even when he should be in a substantial amount of pain. An example of this is displayed just before Walter has the chance to kill Phyllis. There is a medium longshot where she shoots him in the shoulder and he reacts by barely taking a step back and merely placing his hand on his chest without a change in facial expression. This creates a very sincere atmosphere and emphasises the more serious tone of the film.

A similarity between both of the films is the significance of costume and how it used to represent something. In Double Indemnity, phyllis wears the colour white countless times which ironically represents purity and innocence. This is evident throughout the film, but a specific example is within the first time we meet phyllis where there is a longshot of her at the top of the staircase wrapped in a white towel. Her costume is used to disguise her true character even during her death scene where she not only shoots Walter, but confesses to her selfish and violent intentions. Then, in The General, Johnnie wore an oversized, stolen costume that made him appear child-like and lifted the mood of the film by creating a comedic atmosphere. Then, towards the end, Johnnie was awarded a new well-fitting uniform during the final scene. This shift in costume not only represents the shift from him being a ‘disgrace to the south’ to the hero of it, but creates a more sentimental atmosphere for the film to end with.

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With reference to examples from one film from 1930–1960 and one film from 1961–1990, compare how mise-en-scène creates aesthetic effects. [35]

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With reference to examples from one film from 1930–1960 and one film from 1961–1990, compare how mise-en-scène creates aesthetic effects. [35]

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Double Indemnity, directed by Billy Wilder and released in 1944, and Do The Right Thing, directed by Spike Lee and released in 1989 are very different in their use of mise-en-scene techniques, with both of the films creating different aesthetic effects and meanings for the audience.

Firstly, Double Indemnity intends to create an eerie atmosphere for the audience as the narrative focuses on a man and a woman murdering her rich husband. For example, lighting techniques have been used throughout the film in order to create this effect, by using chiaroscuro and low-key lighting to create sinister shadows and hide parts of the character’s faces. In the scene in which Walter and Phyllis first meet and have a conversation, there are the shadows of blinds across the room, which cover Walter, giving the impression that the blinds are bars and possibly foreshadowing the dark ending that he will find himself in. Furthermore, in the scene in which Mr.Dietrichson is killed includes a lot of low-key lighting to further create a sinister effect, especially as Walter’s face is hidden within the shadows. However, Do The Right Thing has used very different techniques in order to create the effect that tensions are rising due to the physical heat of the day. For example, a lot of the film is very bright, with bright colours included in the setting and costumes that the characters are wearing. For example, in the very first scene of the film, we see Tina dancing with lots of fierce and confident movements, and she is wearing a red dress with a yellow/gold backdrop. The backdrop also turns red and she wears red boxing gloves as she dances. While colours such red, yellow and green are common throughout the film as they represent the African flag, the warm colours such as red and yellow symbolise the heat and tension of the day.

In addition, the film Do The Right Thing further shows the rising tension of the day due to body language. As the day goes on and arguments become more heated, the characters grow louder and their actions become more animated. For example, the fight between Radio Raheem and Sal in the pizzeria is an intense scene, as the characters are physically aggressive with one another as they yell, with sweat on their foreheads to further emphasise the tension and heat of the day. All of the characters are then visibly shocked when Sal breaks Radio Raheem’s radio with a baseball bat, before Raheem drags Sal over the counter and they get into a physical fight, showing how much things have escalated. On the other hand, Double Indemnity has a very different aesthetic to Do The Right Thing, as the body language is more gentle and the film feels cold and sinister throughout. For example, in the scene in which Mr Dietrichson is killed by Walter in the car, we don’t see the action occurring, as we do throughout Double Indemnity, and instead we see Phyllis staring out of the window as she drives with barely any emotion on her face, portraying her as cold and emotionless to the audience. The main reason as to why we don’t see his death is due to the HAYs code that was in place when Double Indemnity was created.

The cold aesthetic of Double Indemnity seems to be established right from the start. For example, the opening scene has very dark lighting and we are first introduced to Walter, although he is wearing a large coat and hat, similar to a detective’s costume, and these are almost hiding his face, already portraying him as something sinister, especially as he physically fills the screen. There are then cast shadows on the walls as he walks, as if he is creeping through the dark, and he enters a room with low-key lighting, with the shadows of the blinds across Walter again. We are immediately given insight into how this film might end as he seems distressed, as he loosens his tie and is sweating and out of breath as he speaks on the phone. We are then given an establishing shot of the city street that looks very dark, which is classic for film noir. Also, in the film Do The Right Thing, the warmer aesthetic is also created right from the start, as we hear Senior Love Daddy telling people how warm the day will be, before the camera pans across the street using a crane shot and the warm tones and sun glinting off the white car on the road tell the audience how physically hot the day is. (was going to write some more of DTRT here).

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throughout The General, Keaton uses cinematography to create the films comedic and at times patriotic aesthetic. The films uses very simple cinematography, utilising many establishing and long shots to clearly show the action. For example, when Johnnie rushes to enlist, many long shots are used so the audience can follow his path through town and watch him take many shortcuts in am attempt to be first in line. These wide shots help to enhance the comedic aspect of his journey, as the audience can see both Johnnie's exaggerated actions and his environment that he's disturbing. It also clearly shows Johnnie's excitement to join the army, as we can clearly see his exaggerated movements, that are unwavered by his disturbance of other characters and objects in his way.

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In The General (Buster Keaton, 1926) aesthetic effects have been created through the use of cinematography within the scene where Johnnie realises that his train has been stolen and attempts to get it back.

Firstly, there is a longshot of Johnnie pointing towards his missing train. This longshot also employs the rule of thirds and allows the audience to see Johhnie, the men he is talking to, and the surroundings behind him. The shot then cuts closer to a medium longshot to emphasise Johnnie's panicked body language and mark the moment he decides to chase after the train. A few shots later, there is a high angle longshot depicting Johnnie running after the train ahead. This high angle along with the longshot causes Johnnie to appear powerless and vulnerable, which reflects his emotions in the scene given that his train has been stolen. There is then a medium longshot of the men behind him watching as he chases the train. The contrast between their calm demeanour and Johnnie’s frantic behaviour creates comedy for the audience and emphasises Johnnie’s emotions.

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- when we first see Annabelle the music is very nice and warm. This tells the audience that she is a character that should be liked.

- this contrasts to the music we hear when we first see the kidnappers get off the train. Here, the music is very low and deep. This foreshadows that they are going to do something bad.

- The contrast in music also emphasises their opposite roles: Annabelle is the damsel and the men are the villains

- when Annabelle is actually kidnapped the pace of the music rapidly increases to intensity the action and create a tension filled atmosphere

- the music slows when the train takes off, as though to show that the action has stopped and that Annabelle has been conclusively kidnapped

- then we see Johnnie and the music increased in pace again once he realised that Annabelle is gone

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- music shifts to reflect the characters on screen, the music for annabelle being gentle and romantic, whereas the kidnappers are represented with harsh trumpet sounds
- the music speeds up and gets more complex with the action emphasising how suddenly the train is taken

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non-diegetic music starts off quite slow

then the music grows in pace when the men are told to get on the train and they kidnap annabelle

creates tension, especially when we see Johnnie looking around to see what is going on

quite jumpy, fast paced music, possibly signifying that there will be action

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- Music is sombre, low tempo to potentially emphasise them resting
-Continues as we see Johnnie washing his hands
- music tempo picks up as the train is taken, becomes erratic and upbeat to suggest a chase has began

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-cinematography draws attention and displays how johnnie is compared to the other people going to recruit which creates comedy for the audience

-in the enlisting scene the cinematography is very much displayed to the audience as if it were a stage production-the camera doesn’t move from filming straight on sort of as if it were a set

-the use of the cinematography being simple and clean coupled with the lack of dialogue allows the audience to not get confused/disoriented- if complex cinematography was used might take away from the nature of the scene and make it harder to understand

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there are many normal, still, angles that establish the plainness of the cinematography

The composition uses the rule of thirds and allows us to see everything happening, even when the other characters can’t

For example we can see Johnnie comparing himself to the taller man, however the man himself is not aware of the situation. This adds a comedic element

This long shot of Johnnie and the taller man also draws our attention to the height difference

There is also a long shot where Johnnie is stood in front of the door outside and is stood on a step. Even then, he is still only as tall as the people behind him on the ground. This height difference becomes a running gag throughout the film and adds comedy

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- extreme long, establishing shot of Johnnie going to sign up for recruitment, emphasises what’s going on
- steady, simple camera shots to make up for no dialogue/allows audience to understand what’s going on
- title cards notify the audience but shows the chaos in narrative that plays out within the scene
- audio/non diegetic music changes in tone and tempo to emphasise Johnnie’s emotional disbelief

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establishing shot of men walking towards the enlisting office

johnnie jumps in front of them, he is stood on a step yet is still smaller than the other men, creating comedy

we see through a long shot that he jumps in front of the other men to the front of the line, the camera is then brought in so that the office is in the frame where Johnnie speaks to the other character

we are told through cards what is being said between the characters and we find out that Johnnie is not being enlisted

his body language is dejected as he is rejected from being enlisted, showing how much he wanted to enlist

we see him comparing himself to a much taller man, before there is a man who is a similar height and build as him, this creates humour

mostly long shots/medium long shots are being used so we are able to see all facial expression and body language, making up for the fact there is no dialogue