Agent Carter Aice Media Pratice Exam

The Film " Agent Carter" begins by creating suspense, tension, confusion and overall emotional distress in the opening scene. The audience is exposed to Cutaway editing, which occurs when the scenes switch between Agent Carter and her apperent lover. The cutaway is so slight , which is used to develop the tension the audience is already experiencing. Agent Carter is also exposed to another editing technique called  a Chocker shot; which holds the camera squarely on her face so the audience recieves the raw emotion Carter experiences. The plot is developed by the combination of these two elements early on in the movie; which catches the audience completely off guard. The contrast in Lighting of Agent Carter's setting versus that of her significant other's shows the difference in mood of both characters. This element of Mise- En- Scene establishes the extreme emotions Agent Carter is about to experience, almost acting like a foreshadowing element in the plot. The Low Lighting in the room Carter is in hints at sadness , or almost grief; where as her significant other remains in a joyous High Lighting, which symbolizes the happiness he has contributed in Agent Carter's life. Seconds later, the scene becomes completely dark, almost as if a reset of the plot has happened or a dramatic event has altered the course of the story. A larger cut-away is seen as the time frame advances a year ahead; which builds the tension among the audience as we do not know the events that have developed over that time frame.

The Digetic Sound of the alarm blaring transitions the audience into the next scene. The alarm symbolizes the change of Setting ( another element of Mise-En-Scene), which develops the idea that Agent Carter has experienced a development and change in her life. The audience should feel almost confused or shocked that the events accorded so rapidly in the plot. Another element of Mise- En- Scene, costume, changes drastically over this one year transformation. Agent Carter and her other co-workers are dressed in proffesional attire, which develops the notion of just how much her life has changed. After this scene develops, the Lighting and Setting once again switch to a Low Lighting dark office; which potrays a mysterious mood. This moves both the plot and audience mood along; as it is clear that something dramatic is going to occur. The repetiton of the previously mentioned Digetic sound, the alarm blaring, followed by the phone ringing, is used to create tension. The audience should be wondering who would be calling the empty office at this hour. 

The scene then transitions into a head-shot of Agent Carter walking towards a desolate building. The head-shot brings emphasis on Agent Carter's presence, showing the audience that for once, she is an important agent. The Mise- En- Scene element of staging is scene by the way the two men are positioned inside of the building. They are standing next to each other, and close to the window which indicates to the auidence that they may have plans to leave the building soon. During the fighting scene with Agent Carter and these two males, the presence of Non Digetic sound is seen. A third male is sitting inside of the building; oblivious to the violence occuring right behind his window. His sheer calmness and inability to hear the fighting sounds from outside adds an element of comedy and irony to this plot, which gives the auidence a relief from the tension that comes with the main plot.

Film Elements Graphic Organizer

 

Mise en Scene 11/6

The movie I chose to observe was " Mean Girls". Mean Girls is a popular movie created by Paramount's theater , but is often overlooked when looking at the technical aspects of the film. Typically , Disney movies are what we think of when exploring the world of mise-en-scene areas , because the High lighting and unique costumes are often memorable.

The movie features a scene where the main character, Cady, is invited to sit at the Plastic's lunch table. The Lighting is noted to be a high lighting feature, which is commonly scene in comedies or musicals. The brightness of the scene represents optimism , which may even indicate that Cady meeting this group of girls is a positive achievement. The presence of light in the scene is key to telling the story of how Cady would meet these girls who played such a key role in her position in the movie.

The evolution of the main characters wardrobe plays a key part in the progression in the movie. Seen in the opening of the movie, Cady wears outfits unique to her own style and that of the style her parents have chosen for her. As Cady is recognized as becoming more " popular", we see her style become less of her own and more of a Plastics. Her character develops with her style; the more trendy her outfits become, the further gone she is. Towards the end of the movie, the final scenes show Cady wearing her club jackets and finally embracing her true self.

Examples of blocking are seen throughout this movie, with the placement of the plastics appearing to give them more power. In a particular scene in the middle of the movie, Cady is left standing on the driveway after Janice yells at her for not coming to the art show, and calls her a slew of names. In this moment, Janice appears taller than her because she is yelling at Cady from her car; giving Janice more power over Cady. This scene shows the turning point of the movie, and the low point for Cady. In fact Low lighting is shown during this scene to create a contrast from the Cady in the beginning of the movie to the current Cady.