M. Corkern- Mise En Scene

The film, Super 8, written by JJ Abrams and produced by the legendary Stephen Spielberg, is set in the summer of 1979 in a typical rural town. The film centers around a group of friends who are trying to shoot a zombie movie. One evening, they sneak out to film a scene for their movie and end up witnessing a terrible train wreck that nearly took their lives. This incident sets off a chain of events in their town, complete with conspiracies, military cover-up, and creatures from outer space.

The misc en scene of the above image was very interesting to dissect. In the image, Alice’s father is dominant, as he is in the center and commands the attention of the scene. He has just interrupted Alice and Joe’s conversation, and is clearly the authority figure. The children, who were the main focus, suddenly become secondary when her father arrives. The lighting appears natural, and it is as though the audience is just sitting on the porch observing this heated exchange.

The character proxemics suggest an intimacy between these three people. Of course there is closeness between the father and his daughter, but Louis also feels strongly toward Joe Lamb, as he feels responsible for the death of Joe’s mother.  When taking a shift for Louis, who was too drunk to go to work, she is killed on the job. Joe does not know this, and is simply afraid of him. Also, because of Joe and Alice experiencing the train wreck together, there is a level of intimacy they share, though it isn’t as obvious- likely because they don’t realize it either since they are so young.  I enjoyed watching the relationships between these two children and their parents develop through the film.