Jaws - Mise en scene analysis

Jaws - Mise en scene analysis

The dominant in this shot is the medal-stick-like cage because the cage is the biggest and brightest object. The bright color of the dominant makes it stand out from the rest of the objects appear in the frame. The cage draws all the attentions to it because it appears to be really big and extremely close to the screen. In order to make it like that, the director uses an extreme low angle shot, which the camera is placed extremely close to the cage, suggesting a sense of vertically and heighten the importance of it.  

From the shot, we can conclude that Chief Broody, Quint and Hoover are doing something with the cage. Just by looking at the shot, Chief Broody is pushed to the left corner of the frame and he is standing inside the cage while Quint and Hoover are outside of it. By placing Broody in the left corner without any space to move around, we can say maybe he is stuck inside the cage, trying to get out. All the three characters are facing away from the camera. The distances between the three are about more than 8 inches between, personal distances. There aren’t alot of spaces between the character. The characters seems to be structured into the confines of the frame and the spaces seems to be enclosed. It’s clearly a closed form and a tight framing.

15 Elements

• Dominant:
• The cage and the top part of the frame, the brightest
• Lighting key:
• Back lighting using the natural lighting source. Key light and fill light.
• High key lighting? b/c the features are bright and that features few shadows on the principal subjects
• Shot and camera proxemics:
• Medium-close up shot
• Angle:
• Extreme - low angle
• Suggesting the height the importance of the cage.
• Color value:
• The dominant color: bright silver, the other objects are in darker color, make the dominant stand out.
• Contrasting foils: no because the three figures look like they are all fixing or trying to open the cage.
• Lens/filter/stock:
• Seems like the director used wide angle lens
• Subsidiary contrasts:
• The 3 man figures
• Because there are only 2 main things in the frame, the 3 men and the cage.
• Density:
• The shot has a little degree of density because there aren't many texture in the picture.
• Composition:
• Vertical: based on the vertical sticks of the cage, suggesting strength
• Binary structure:  emphasize the parallelism
• Form:
• Closed form: structured within the confines of the frame. Space seems enclosed and self-contained.
• Framing:
• Tight: because chief Broody and Quint are very close to the edges and they kind of go off the frame. and have no room to move.
• Depth:
• 3 planes:
• The 2 figures at the bottom of the screen, foreground.
• The cage and the other figure, mid-ground.
• And the sky, background.
• Character placement:
• Chief Broody and Quint: place at the left and right bottom of the frame. Suggesting the meaning of powerless against the cage.
• Hoover: place at the top of the frame and he’s on top of the cage, not inside the cage like chief Broody.
• Staging positions:
• All 3 characters facing away from the camera.
• Character proxemics:
• Personal distance between the 3 figures - more than 8 inches apart from each other.