Forrest Gump Mise en Scene Analysis

While playing the part of a person with special needs must be extremely difficult, especially in emotional scenes, Tom Hanks does an amazing job playing Forrest Gump, an adult with special needs. This scene is from the movie Forrest Gump, directed by Robert Zemeckis. In this scene Forrest’s wife, Jenny (Robin Wright), passes away and Forrest has to deal with that and goes to visit her grave. There are many stylish film techniques used to help the audience reflect on Forrest and Jenny’s lives and also feel remorse because of her death.

Some visual design techniques Zemeckis used in this clip are set design and lighting. One big thing that takes up a lot of the set, is Jenny and Forrest’s tree. This tree is important for many reasons. First of all, this Forrest and Jenny had a lot of special moments under this tree so it symbolizes their relationship. However, it also symbolizes life, and since Jenny has just passed, it it symbolizes her life specifically. Also, this scene is set in a large, open field. This makes you feel free, which represents Jenny being in heaven, since it is thought to be very open and free, like this scene. Another visual design element Zemeckis uses is lighting. This scene is set in the late afternoon to evening. At the end of the clip you can see that the sun is going down, and since Jenny has just passed away it represents her going to rest, like the sun.

There are also a lot of great cinematography techniques used in this scene add depth and motion and there are also different shot types used to show different things. There are lots of “over-the-shoulder” shots in this scene that help to give this scene with lots of talking some depth. These are very interesting especially because one of the “shoulders” is Jenny’s gravestone. This makes it seem like Forrest really is talking to Jenny, even though she is dead. These shots help show how close they are, because of how close Forrest is to the grave, but also how far away they are, since she is gone. There are also many close-ups used in this scene. This is to make the audience feel personally connected to the scene, and be able to feel sympathy for Forrest, especially as he begins to cry. As Forrest leaves, however, there is an extreme long shot that shows, the sunset, the tree, Jenny’s grave, and Forrest. This lets the audience take a breath at the end of the scene and take in everything that has just happened. It also makes the audience feel at peace, as Jenny’s grave was placed in such a beautiful, personal place.

Since this scene has a lot of talking, the wonderful editing techniques used in this scene help it to not feel boring, but to also get into the sad mood and feel for Forrest. First of all, the long takes and slow pacing of this scene make the audience feel sympathy for Forrest and really focus on what he is saying. If the scene had quick takes, the audience would feel high strung and would not be able to focus on Forrest’s words. However, because it is slow, the audience is able to listen to what Forrest is saying, see how he is feeling, and is forced to feel that way as well. There are also lots of spots in this scene with voice over narration. These spots help the audience connect on an even deeper level with Forrest because it essentially puts the audience in his head. It also makes the scene less boring because it gives the audience something to look at while Forrest is talking, rather than just watching him talk.

Overall, there are many great techniques Zemeckis uses in this scene of Forrest Gump to help the audience feel sympathy and remorse, and also to help reflect on Forrest and Jenny’s lives. The visual design, cinematography, and editing techniques all put together, create a one-of-a-kind scene that leaves the audience with all sorts of emotions, all the way from freedom to sympathy to sadness. Tom Hanks’ acting is only one small part of the emotion behind this scene, it is all of these thing put together that create true feeling.

Visual Design Analysis

Morgan VanOtteren

Visual Design Analysis

The Great Gatsby, 2013

Directed by Baz Luhrmann
The 2013 award-winning film The Great Gatsby, directed by Baz Luhrmann, is based off the book by F. Scott Fitzgerald and takes place in 1920’s New York. The film follows Nick Carraway (played by Tobey Maguire), a recovering alcoholic, through his memories of what led him to become one. The main plot of the film follows the love story of Daisy Buchanan (played by Carey Mulligan), a now married woman, and Jay Gatsby (played by Leonardo DiCaprio), a millionaire who throws extravagant parties in order to find Daisy, his long lost love. In this scene, Nick has set up a meeting for Gatsby and Daisy. Gatsby has set up a room in Nick’s house with plenty of flowers and snacks, making sure everything is just perfect for his meeting with Daisy. At the start of the scene, Daisy arrives in the rain and goes inside. She is unaware of who is going to be there waiting for her. This scene is particularly good at showing off the spectacular costumes and makeup that show off the 1920’s style, and the color palette that shows how different the characters are.

One aspect of this scene that is interesting is the 1920’s costumes and makeup. In this scene, Daisy is wearing a knee length light grey dress with plenty of ruffles and straps that show her shoulders. During this time in history, women began to wear shorter hemlines and overall began to wear more scandalous clothing. These women were called flappers, and Daisy is a great example of one. Another common trait of flappers was short hair, which before the 1920’s was considered inappropriate for women. Again, in this scene you can see Daisy’s bob haircut, which is very with the trends of the time. Both Jay and Nick have short hair, parted and slicked back. This hairstyle was very common for men in the 1920’s. Jay is wearing a white suit, with a thin lapel. Before the 1920’s it was common to have wider lapels, but as women’s dresses got shorter, men’s lapels got thinner. Gatsby also has cuffed pants which had been also new. All of these things help the film feel more realistic. With Gatsby throwing such big parties, Daisy’s new flapper wardrobe and attitude fit right in and even augment the craziness of the parties. Gatsby’s stylish and fancy clothing and hair show his wealth, and also help enhance the feelings of the parties he throws.

A second visual aspect that reinforces the film is the color palette. The first thing to notice is the many white flowers in the room. On top of that, Gatsby is wearing a white suit, and Daisy is wearing a light grey dress. This doesn’t seem important until it is compared to Nick. Nick is wearing a dark green sweater with dark pants and besides the flowers, everything else in his house is dark. The difference is that colors represent wealth. The lighter the color, the wealthier or more expensive the person or object with that color. Since Jay and the flowers are both white, this shows how wealthy Jay is and how expensive and extravagant the flowers were. Daisy is wearing a slightly darker color, light grey. This shows that she is still pretty wealthy, but Jay is above her. Finally, since Nick is wearing such dark colors, it shows how poor he is compared to the others. This also comes into play with lighting, because Jay and Daisy are much lighter than Nick. This heightens the film because it puts the characters into levels. It tells the viewer who should be considered the best or most important.

The attention to detail when it comes to set design is spectacular. Catherine Martin and Beverley Dunn won an Oscar for best production design and it shows through in this scene. Two things that stand out to me in this scene are the silver tea set and the wooden clock. Fancy tea sets were very common in the 1920’s because when people got together, they often drank tea. The dark wood of the clock and the design of the face and hands show its age and clearly show the the attention to detail the production and set designers put in to make everything in the film seem authentic. Temporal factors play a clear role in this scene: rain. Throughout the entire scene it is raining outside and this represents the renewal of Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship, and the washing away of the old. Social structures and economic factors also play a role, and even though Gatsby and Nick are on opposite ends of the financial spectrum, they can still be friends and help each other out.

Through the careful use of setting, the manipulation of the color palette, and costume design, The Great Gatsby makes the viewer feel as if he/she is in the 1920’s. The techniques also provide a sense of separation of wealth between Gatsby, Daisy and Nick. In the grand scheme of things, wealth will never be able to supply all of one’s needs. Like Gatsby’s parties, fortune can only can subsequent for so long. Overall, The Great Gatsby is a great movie to go see with many interesting characters and scenes. Make sure to watch for the amazing visual design techniques used in this film.