How is mise-en-scene used in the opening of 'Romeo and Juliet' to make meaning for an audience?
Mise-en-scene is a french term meaning 'put into the frame'. When analysing a film it refers to what the viewer can see in the frame. Mise-en-scene includes lighting, angles, setting, props, costume and make up. All of these things are used in order to deliver a message to the viewer in an alternative way than just through actions or sound. I will be talking about the elements of mise en scene and how they're used to influence the audiences understanding of the different characters and their feelings towards them.
The Montague's are first to be seen in the opening scene and their costume gives away their character almost instantly. They're wearing very colourful clothes and have relatively striking hair do's with one being a bright pink quiff and the other having shaved his head around the word their family name. This tells me that the they are proud of and want people to know who they are, it also tells me that they are quite flamboyant and young in their style. As a viewer this tells me they may be less mature than their enemy and possibly more innocent.
Unlike the Montagues, the Capulets are wearing rather tight and figure hugging clothes that resemble some form of a suit. Their choice of colours are much more muted in comparison to the Montagues; their clothes are darker and look more tailored, as well as their hair which is much more slick and natural. This gives me the impression that the Capulets are much more mature due to their tidiness and effort when presenting themselves. It also gives me the impression that they may be more wealthy than their rivals due to their smarter, well presented image including their steel boots on the borderline of looking somewhat western.
Rather than promoting their family name, one of the Capulets have a cross that has been shaved into their head, as well as this one of them is wearing a Jesus shirt whilst another has the word 'Sin' written across his Silver teeth. This tells us that the Capulets are more proud of their religion than themselves, it shows they're less indulgent than the Montagues and in its place are more religious. Whilst their family pride is still displayed by having their surname plastered on one their guns, they aren't afraid to dedicate a part of their life to their beliefs - again indicating a more mature way of life rather than a younger care free one such as the Montagues.
The first view of a Montague is 1 of the 3 relatives wearing sunglasses on his head whilst the first view of a Capulet is of Abra wearing them on his face. When I look at this in a deeper and more metaphorical viewpoint it suggests to me that it is about protection and mystery; the Montagues don't seem at all mysterious, all of their face can be seen and their loose, carefree image and costume matches their 'big ego' personality - its very much 'what you see is what you get'... however the Capulets are almost at a polar opposite to this. Like I have mentioned, their clothing is darker and more tightly fitted, the first shot of a Capulet is of Tybolts foot stepping out of a car and the first shot of ones face was when he has sunglasses on - a cover. All of this symbolises mystery and tells me that the Capulets are more unpredictable.
Looking at it from and even more metaphorical point of view I believe the sunglasses and tightness of clothes can give the audience a whole other meaning. Sunglasses - aka protection - on and tight combat like clothes suggest to me that the individual is prepared for a dispute, whereas no sunglasses - aka no protection - and tight loose clothes suggest that the individual is in no way prepared to fight. Due to this the Capulets are more likely to be perceived by the audience as the 'aggressors'. This is because of the mystery surrounding their image from the dark clothes and the sharpness in the way they look, as well as the combat-like, easy to move in outfits that almost make it seem like in coming to that petrol station, they expected a fight.
Unlike the Montagues, the Capulets are wearing rather tight and figure hugging clothes that resemble some form of a suit. Their choice of colours are much more muted in comparison to the Montagues; their clothes are darker and look more tailored, as well as their hair which is much more slick and natural. This gives me the impression that the Capulets are much more mature due to their tidiness and effort when presenting themselves. It also gives me the impression that they may be more wealthy than their rivals due to their smarter, well presented image including their steel boots on the borderline of looking somewhat western.
Rather than promoting their family name, one of the Capulets have a cross that has been shaved into their head, as well as this one of them is wearing a Jesus shirt whilst another has the word 'Sin' written across his Silver teeth. This tells us that the Capulets are more proud of their religion than themselves, it shows they're less indulgent than the Montagues and in its place are more religious. Whilst their family pride is still displayed by having their surname plastered on one their guns, they aren't afraid to dedicate a part of their life to their beliefs - again indicating a more mature way of life rather than a younger care free one such as the Montagues.
The first view of a Montague is 1 of the 3 relatives wearing sunglasses on his head whilst the first view of a Capulet is of Abra wearing them on his face. When I look at this in a deeper and more metaphorical viewpoint it suggests to me that it is about protection and mystery; the Montagues don't seem at all mysterious, all of their face can be seen and their loose, carefree image and costume matches their 'big ego' personality - its very much 'what you see is what you get'... however the Capulets are almost at a polar opposite to this. Like I have mentioned, their clothing is darker and more tightly fitted, the first shot of a Capulet is of Tybolts foot stepping out of a car and the first shot of ones face was when he has sunglasses on - a cover. All of this symbolises mystery and tells me that the Capulets are more unpredictable.
Looking at it from and even more metaphorical point of view I believe the sunglasses and tightness of clothes can give the audience a whole other meaning. Sunglasses - aka protection - on and tight combat like clothes suggest to me that the individual is prepared for a dispute, whereas no sunglasses - aka no protection - and tight loose clothes suggest that the individual is in no way prepared to fight. Due to this the Capulets are more likely to be perceived by the audience as the 'aggressors'. This is because of the mystery surrounding their image from the dark clothes and the sharpness in the way they look, as well as the combat-like, easy to move in outfits that almost make it seem like in coming to that petrol station, they expected a fight.
Props
The props also play a big part in causing the audience to make a judgment on the two families.
The Montagues own a bright yellow convertible car, this matches their personality shown perfectly being very young, fashionable and vibrant showing just how eccentric they are. Both them and the Capulets have personalised number plate again showing that they may have a substantial amount of money to spend. The fact they both spent it on promoting the family name through these number plates also shows a similarity between the two arch enemies in the sense that they are both proud.
The capulets have a darker and more old fashioned car, like the costumes, suggesting a higher level of maturity than the capulets, one of them also has a leather case for their gun, showing they can afford luxury items and that they wish to spend their fortune on protecting their weapons - as though they feel like they need them.
A prop used towards a Montague was an elderly womans purse as she hitting him with her purse as he took shelter from the upcoming gun-fire, this makes the Montagues seem more comedic an funny in the audiences eyes however it also makes that particular Montague come across as cowardly.
Through the props and acting, the Capulets show a much higher level of strength, bravery and fearlessness for example; Tybolt lit his cigar - which sends out a message of luxury and sophistication - with a match in a petrol station, this is obviously known to be dangerous in itself, but what is even more striking is that he then intentionally drops the alight match on the floor before putting it out with his steel shoe in a manner that shows he's in no rush at all. This shows that the Capulets are not afraid, not even of a fire that could possibly kill them - they are clearly confident in their skills and abilities to save themselves and this shows bravery, strength and it gives the audience the impression of yet again mystery and audacity but also that they have power, as well as intriguing them further into this family's life.
The setting of this is very important and shows a lot about all of the characters, whilst some are stronger than others, they're not afraid, not of police or their surroundings, and I can see this due to the fact all the provocative and aggressive behaviour is done in a public place near houses; particularly in a gas station, one of the most obvious of places not to provoke, bring fire to or dispute in due to how dangerous the outcome can be.
The opening of the story is set in a City. This gives the film a younger feel and is therefore is more likely to interest a younger audience, which i believe must have been one of the producers intentions in order to widen the market for this fictional story.
Camera Angles
The camera angles used help create different atmospheres among the audience which include mystery, suspense and uncertainty.
One of the most effective angles throughout the entire opening sequence is of Tybolt getting out of the Capulets car. This is because the only thing that can be seen in this shot is his feet moving out of it wearing steel boots, that a few seconds later put out a cigarette. This instantly causes the audience to associate mystery with the Capulets because no face can be seen, and all that has been seen was a risky action made by a Capulet when he decided to throw a cigar onto the ground at a petrol station.
Another angle that stood out to me was that when the first Capulets face was shown (Abra) it was shown at an angle looking up to it. This suggests that, because essentially the audience are, people look up to the Capulets, not necessarily due to respect but possibly due to fear or maybe even because the Capulets look down on others rather than others looking up. This is something that would most likely cause the audience to form a dislike against this character and perhaps his whole 'gang'.
There is a sign in the petrol station that reads 'add more fuel to your fire' and the angle used is looking from the point of view of Benvolio Montague as he holds his gun towards the Capulet as if to fire. This acts almost as a warning to benvolio because he literally is adding more fuel to the fire by contributing to the escalation of the event rather than taking a step back and trying to diminish what he could clearly sense coming. The word 'fire' also creates suspense because of what is about to happen; a fire, and the angle used after this zooms in on Benvolio's fearful face and its almost as if he knows what his actions will lead to. It shows us that he is the most courageous of the Montague's for standing up for himself whilst the others cower off and take shelter from the intense scene.
Whilst Benvolio looks up at the sign, he also turns back to look at Tybolt and the camera angle then transforms into point of view shots as well as close ups of each others faces as they communicate and tensions escalate. After this the camera shots move into extreme close ups, filling the entire frame with only the eyes; 'the window to the soul'...showing exactly how each of the characters feel. It makes it even clearer and confirms to the audience that the hatred between the families is strong and that what is about to happen could have serious consequences.
Theres also two particularly striking angles that help to portray the Capulets, particularly Tybolt, as fearless and delivers the message that they take no prisoners and have no mercy. As I have mentioned it's commonly known that lighting a cigarette is dangerous in a petrol station, there is an angle of Tybolt doing so, however his eyes are not in the shot and as a viewer I feel this takes away any emotion he is feeling. This may lead the audience to believe the Capulets are fairly relaxed and have confidence and faith in themselves to the extent that they don't need to feel stressed or act quickly and so instead indulge into a luxury. Along with this is the shot that captures the alight match falling to the floor between Tybolts feet. This shows both fearlessness and a metaphorical sense of control and skill. The sense of control and skill coming from the fact Tybolt managed to drop the match almost perfectly between his legs causing no harm to himself and the idea of fearlessness, which is an apparent trait of the Capulets throughout the opening, due to the danger and risks of fire coming into contact with fuel.
The final angle I believe to be significant in this sequence is one of the last. Its in the target view finder of Tybolts gun as he aims to shoot one of the Montagues. The reason I think this is an important angle to mention is because it stands from the rest, its not the point of view of a person, its the point of view of a person whilst they're looking through an object in order to accomplish something - in Tybolts case, an accurate shooting. The cross target is also important because it shows the audience which Montague in particular Tybolt is aiming to cause harm to, it leaves the audience in suspense for a few seconds, questioning whether or not he will, by his intentions, 'successfully' injure him.
Overall, theres no hesitation in saying that miss-en-scene was definitely used well in the opening of Romeo and Juliet and that it portrayed the different characters in a variety of different lights that would cause the audience to feel a certain way towards them. It gives a very strong first impression and, at least for me, entices the viewers into watching the rest of the film.
