American Beauty- scene analysis
American Beauty scene analysis-
Representation-
During this scene, Lester is presented as a very childlike character and his supposedly father and alpha male like stereotype is replaced by his daughter Jane, as she is displayed as much more sophisticated and mature. Additionally his wife, Carolyn, is a very formal lady as her character emphasises authority through her actions. As the family are united at the dinner table they appear to the audiences eye as vulnerable. Lester is not a stereotypical alpha male due to his immature habits for example when in the presence of his own wife he mutters under his breath which suggests he can't feel he can talk due to his patronising wife's behaviour and attitudes. Throughout this scene it is clearly portrayed that Carolyn intimidates Lester, which however does not convey a typical, conventional family. On the other hand, although Jane shows elements of a mature woman she still presents herself as a typical moody teenager.
Mise en scene-
Throughout the film, there has been a constant appearance of roses, the red roses are positioned in the middle of the dining room table and on the window sill. They symbolise one of the three traditional American colours of red, white and blue. Furthermore, they relate to the title and the theme of the movie, 'American Beauty' as roses are associated with beauty. Not only in this scene but in other scenes in the movie there is a persistent colour scheme of red, white and blue which exemplifies a typical American family with the national colours. The layout and background of the dining room is designed in an old-fashioned way. The lighting is quite dull as if they are in the shadows on Lester and Carolyn as they sit on the side of the table, whereas, Jane sits in the middle and is lit up. Overall, the costumes are very bland especially Lester who wears a plain blue shirt and a suit. Jane wears baggy and quite dark clothing, however, Carolyn dresses very formally and wears a full face of makeup including red lipstick. At the beginning and the end of this scene, the photos of the family demonstrate much happier times and the family appear as they are enjoying themselves.
Camerawork-
As the scene begins to develop the camera very slowly zooms in on the Burnham family eating their dinner whilst having a brief conversation and discussing each others days. Also, in this scene, there are multiple camera shots of family photos and the framing is reminiscent of the theatre. Towards the end of this scene, the camera changes shot the the video camera and back, in the media industry this is known as film stocking. There is cross-cutting between the shot reverse shot/two shot of Lester and his daughter and then the boy.
Sound-
The music used in the scene is from the musical, South Pacific and is called, 'Bali Hali'. The music is old-fashioned which is a clear representation of Carolyn missing her the past and reminiscing by listening to that type of music whilst they family gather to eat dinner. The music is soft and gentle which contrasts with Carolyn's stern and oppressive attitudes. The boy with the video camera is portrayed as very creepy as he stands in the shadows of the house filming the girl in the kitchen. The music changes from diegetic and becomes non-diegetic. The boy makes the Burnham family vulnerable.
Representation-
During this scene, Lester is presented as a very childlike character and his supposedly father and alpha male like stereotype is replaced by his daughter Jane, as she is displayed as much more sophisticated and mature. Additionally his wife, Carolyn, is a very formal lady as her character emphasises authority through her actions. As the family are united at the dinner table they appear to the audiences eye as vulnerable. Lester is not a stereotypical alpha male due to his immature habits for example when in the presence of his own wife he mutters under his breath which suggests he can't feel he can talk due to his patronising wife's behaviour and attitudes. Throughout this scene it is clearly portrayed that Carolyn intimidates Lester, which however does not convey a typical, conventional family. On the other hand, although Jane shows elements of a mature woman she still presents herself as a typical moody teenager.
Mise en scene-
Throughout the film, there has been a constant appearance of roses, the red roses are positioned in the middle of the dining room table and on the window sill. They symbolise one of the three traditional American colours of red, white and blue. Furthermore, they relate to the title and the theme of the movie, 'American Beauty' as roses are associated with beauty. Not only in this scene but in other scenes in the movie there is a persistent colour scheme of red, white and blue which exemplifies a typical American family with the national colours. The layout and background of the dining room is designed in an old-fashioned way. The lighting is quite dull as if they are in the shadows on Lester and Carolyn as they sit on the side of the table, whereas, Jane sits in the middle and is lit up. Overall, the costumes are very bland especially Lester who wears a plain blue shirt and a suit. Jane wears baggy and quite dark clothing, however, Carolyn dresses very formally and wears a full face of makeup including red lipstick. At the beginning and the end of this scene, the photos of the family demonstrate much happier times and the family appear as they are enjoying themselves.
Camerawork-
As the scene begins to develop the camera very slowly zooms in on the Burnham family eating their dinner whilst having a brief conversation and discussing each others days. Also, in this scene, there are multiple camera shots of family photos and the framing is reminiscent of the theatre. Towards the end of this scene, the camera changes shot the the video camera and back, in the media industry this is known as film stocking. There is cross-cutting between the shot reverse shot/two shot of Lester and his daughter and then the boy.
Sound-
The music used in the scene is from the musical, South Pacific and is called, 'Bali Hali'. The music is old-fashioned which is a clear representation of Carolyn missing her the past and reminiscing by listening to that type of music whilst they family gather to eat dinner. The music is soft and gentle which contrasts with Carolyn's stern and oppressive attitudes. The boy with the video camera is portrayed as very creepy as he stands in the shadows of the house filming the girl in the kitchen. The music changes from diegetic and becomes non-diegetic. The boy makes the Burnham family vulnerable.
An effective analysis of the scene. You have started to use terminology in a suitable manner. Good work Emily.
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