Mise en Scene - 8 areas (American Beauty)

Colour

Everything seems to be focused on the red roses in front of the girl in the middle. Most of the colour is simple which could suggest that the family is quite boring and plain. It is a very old fashioned table and the dining room in general is very retro. This shows that the family could be living in the past.

Costume

Their clothing is very smart and they have clearly dressed knowing that they will be eating at the dinner table. The two adults are wearing very plain coloured clothing and the girl is wearing red and also has the red flowers in front of her. This could indicate that she is possibly dangerous and rebellious compared to her parents.

Lighting

The candles are surrounding the girl which focuses the attention on her and can demonstrate that she is being selfish. The lighting highlights the colour red which represents danger.

Body Language/Posture

The Dad is sitting on the edge of his chair and he is clenching his fists which could suggest that he is angry or frustrated at the girl. He is facing her direction and it looks like he is the one talking so this could show that he is telling her off. The woman looks very agitated and scared. She has her hands out in front of her and looks as if she doesn't really know what to do with herself. In my opinion this shows that the Dad and the daughter are having an argument and the mother is in an awkward situation because she is caught in the middle. The girl looks as if she is being sarcastic with her Dad or even as if she isn't paying attention to what he is saying. This portrays the typical teenager who doesn't get along with her family.

Framing

The parents being pushed to the edge of the frame gives the idea that all the attention is on her especially as both parents are looking at her also. This is backed up by the lighting being focused on the girl and all the candles are surrounding her. The only things in the shot are the dining table and people around it which shows that they are trying to keep the scene simple.

Hair and makeup

Hair and makeup is very simple, they seem to be a family that don't try too hard but are very smart and sophisticated at the same time.

Setting and Props
The setting and props are very basic. The dining table and house furniture is very plain and boring which could represent the family. The house looks as if it could be quite old yet big and the vase, lamp and painting along with other things suggest that the family take pride over their possessions.

Facial Expression
The girl's facial expression could suggest that she is being sarcastic or is not happy with what her father is saying. Her father's face looks as if he is quite angry at the girl. As well as his fists being clenched he looks as if he is talking to her in a stern and meaningful way. The woman shows no real facial expression but she does look shocked or scared of the man because of what he might be saying.

The Grand Budapest Hotel Research

The Inbetweeners Frisbee Clip review

Why is the clip funny?

The clip is made to make people laugh at Will. He throws the Frisbee in the first place to try and impress Carly and the rest of the girls however it ends up hitting the girl in the wheelchair. The clip is funny because of how awkward the situation becomes. Everyone is watching Will as he tries to deal with what he’s done and it is made more awkward because the girl is disabled and therefore he handles the situation differently than he usually would.

How is the disabled girl being represented?

The disabled girl is viewed as the victim. It is made out that because of her disability, everyone should feel more sympathy for her. The girl is, unfortunately for Will, represented as the target of a trying to get the girls involved in the game. Because of the reaction of Donovan and the other lads playing football, the girl is represented.

Are we meant to laugh at the disabled person?

The disabled girl was unable to move out of the way of the Frisbee whereas a person who isn’t in a wheelchair may have moved. As the viewer of this comedy show we are obliged to laugh at the disabled person however some people would argue that you should laugh at the joke itself rather than the disabled woman. If we were not supposed to laugh at the woman, the scene wouldn't have been included because it is meant to be funny.

Are they the 'butt' of the joke?

Will is the main butt of the joke because it is supposed to be embarrassing for him rather than the disabled woman. It is obvious that Neil and Jay are embarrassed because they run off from Will. Simon being the kind person he is gets caught up in the joke and ends up getting chased by Donovan and the other lads. Will is the centre of the joke because he has made a fool out of himself in front of the girls.

How do you think disabled people will respond to this?

I think that disabled people shouldn’t take it to heart because they are not the main centre of the joke. You could say they were being used more as a prop to assist the joke as Will is the person who the audience should be laughing at. Obviously there will be some people who find this offensive but that will come with most comedy as somebody or something has to be the target of the joke.

Are we as a society cultivated to think we should pity the disabled?

As society we do tend to pity the disabled however this shouldn’t always be the case because they would want to be treated equally to everyone else. I think that disabled people are more bothered about them being treated differently rather than them being like everyone else.