Phillpott, Mise en Scene in Super 8

I chose this scene from Super 8 to do my mise en scene analysis because I feel like it captures many different elements of this terrific science-fiction movie. In the particular scene, we are presented with the military, the civilian parent, the law enforcement parent, and the children's reactions to the alien leaving Earth.

The dominant in the scene is the four characters in the foreground of the frame: Jackson, Joe, Alice, and Louis. Because they are in the foreground, it shows the significance of their reactions and interactions. In this scene, the military is removed from importance by the depth of this frame because the soldiers are sent to the midground and background of the shot, and they are slightly out of focus. The lighting is high key on the main four characters, but the military is literally left by their selves in the dark.

The character proxemic is intimate because the four characters are very close to one another. Both fathers are physically in contact with their own child. And Joe and Alice are merely centimeters apart. This closeness and unity seem to emphasize how the parents have now resolved the conflicts they were having with their children. The events surrounding the alien have had an effect on them and their relationships. The fact that Joe and Alice are very close highlights that they have made a close bond over the events of the movie, and it is not one that will easily break.

This scene is a closed form because the characters have been staged so that you can see particular things. It is not a haphazard or "normal" setup. The audience's attention is supposed to be on the main four characters so they have been positioned in the center and in the foreground. From this scene, the audience can determine that the military did not want the alien to leave Earth, but the four central characters are happy to see it go.