STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS   

MICRO ANALYSIS

MISE-EN-SCENELocation

• Flashback- The locations of the flashback are shown in a fast paced sequence, the settings are depended on which characters are in the scene, for instance when the younger version of Rey is in shot it is located on a desert like planet, meaning that she is isolated and alone as her parents are taken away. In other shots Kylo Ren is on screen therefore the setting is of buildings in ruin or after a battle, by showing this character in specific locations it makes the audience associate him with death and violence, whereas Rey is shown as an independent, alone character, hence the setting reflects the demeanor and past of the individual characters.

• Forest- The forest provides Rey a place to hide, the coverage is key to the later scenes where she is tracked down by Kylo Ren as it shows them to be predator and prey, in addition to this the forest makes Rey isolated from the other characters making her vulnerable in the audiences eyes, moreover the fact that the forest has no distinct features the sense of being lost is shown as well as playing on paranoia because it gives the villain a chance to attack the hero without warning.

• War Zone- The main battle is located in a temple ground this gives the setting an old and derelict look, in addition the ruins shows the destruction that the villain is capable of as the buildings are destroyed and turned into rubble, furthermore the broken buildings allow the characters to have action sequences as hiding and using the setting as coverage allows the audience to feel like it is realistic in terms of an action science fiction movie , moreover the location raises the sense of danger because like the forest the villain could attack from anywhere.

MISE-EN-SCENELighting

• Flashback- The lighting in the flashback reflects the characters on screen, the red and blue tints and glows in the setting allow the audience to identify which is the hero on villain in the shot. As Rey is portrayed as the hero the blue lighting shows her a innocent and the red lighting on Kylo Ren identifies him as the villain but also linked to the connotation of death and violence. The contrast between daylight and night time is significant as the day shows that the characters are on the good side whereas the night shots are of the characters on the dark side. The use of contrast to show the different sides in the film are typical in the Star Wars franchise and are used in the extract to tell the audience the differences between each characters morale's.

• Forest- The forest is in daylight however the fog effect used makes it look darker and creates shadows, by doing this it builds tension when Kylo Ren is in chase as the character and the audience cannot see what is there, making the audience empathise with Ren.

• The lighting used in the death star sequence is made mostly of red and black, showing the danger and desperation of not only the characters but the evil of the villains side (the First Order). By carrying on the themes of red for evil it means the audience can link the death star and the deaths caused to Kylo Ren because of the colour of his lightsaber in other scenes. Following the same theme the blue tints on Ren means that the audience also associate Finn with being on the goo side because of the glow of the lightsaber he uses, as the colour of the lightsabers directly link to the side of the character it makes them more identifiable in action and fast paced scenes.

MISE-EN-SCENEProps

• Lightsabers- The weapons in the extract reflect the characters therefore the colour of the lightsaber is important in the demeanor of the characters. Luke’s lightsaber is significantly important as the story line is based around finding him in the form of a map, when the lightsaber is shown in a treasure chest is shows that it is valuable in the terms of the story as well as the characters motivation. Kylo Ren’s lightsaber is important as it varies in design from other sabers, the shape of the prop is like a sword which is meant to inflict damage, the shape makes the saber recognizable to the audience because of the familiar design as well as the difference in design shows that the villain differs in show way from previous villains, by doing this it depicts Kylo Ren as stronger plus unknown as it has not being seen before.

• The technology specifically the laser guns shows the audience that the universe of the movie is more advances which allows the extract to show heighten action and devices which is not real or capable of existing, as this happens it means that the props are more dangerous in causing damage as well as being more engaging for the viewers.

• The vehicle in the extract, such as the tie fighters and resistance ships, are familiar in design of actual jets and planes as it allows the audience to relate to the action in the scene and makes them more empathetic and relatable to the events in the extract.

MISE-EN-SCENECostume• Rey- Her costume can be considered typical of the sci-fi genre as it is not something a person would usually

wear. The clothing is also all white to depict her as the hero, the colour connotation represents her innocents and in science fiction movies that she is on the good side. Furthermore in the extract it allows the audience to spot her in the action sequences as the white contrasts from the smoke and shadows in the forested area she hides in.

• Finn- Finn is dressed in what look like civilian clothes by doing this it tells the audience that he is not the main character although is one of the significant ones in the extract, the dark shirt and trousers indicate that he was once on the dark side.

• Kylo Ren- The villains costume follows the style of previous Star Wars film in the way that the clothing is completely black and his face is covered by a helmet. The black colouring shows that in contrast to Rey that he represents the dark side in the film. In addition to this his helmet makes him anonymous to other characters, this dehumanizes him and makes him seem more evil as he has no face, moreover it links him to previous villains in the franchise like Darth Vader, as well as showing the audience that he is related to the storm troopers as they are also hidden in their costume. By having the character completely covered it makes him more powerful against others who are vulnerable because their clothing shows their face and in general not for armor purposes, whereas Kylo Ren's is designed for fighting and keeping him hidden.

• Storm Troopers- The storm troopers costume doesn't vary from individuals, this makes them anonymous to the other characters and audience, by doing this in wide shots the costumes makes them stand out against the setting, this shows that they are used as targets and also disposable because there is nothing to differentiate between them, moreover the costume and the repetitiveness of the design gives the illusion of that there are more of them then there actually is. The fact that the costumes are the same for each trooper highlights that they are on the same side as well as giving the military and controlled feeling to the audience.

MISE-EN-SCENEActors Movements

• Finn- Finns movements are of panic when his is confronted with the storm trooper, his actions are unsure as well as shaky, by showing that he is vulnerable it makes him weaker than his opponent. When Rey is captured by the villain he runs towards the enemy showing the he is also brave, in addition to this it means that Rey is important to him as he is going against is immediate response to avoid confrontation.

• Rey- Rey is shown as scared throughout the extract firstly the flashback and then of Kylo Ren, her movements are shown as frantic as she runs away from both because of this the audience would also have tension as they would be empathetic to her. When Rey is paralyzed by Kylo Ren her movements are jittery to show her struggle, this could be seen as either her tying to fight or flee either of which the audience would relate to and therefore make the audience more involved

• Kylo Ren- The villain of the extract is depicted as cold and calculating as his movements are slow to imply that he doesn't need to rush as he is in control, the lack of reaction or emotion makes him seem dehumanized, hence the audience would become detached from him and lean towards the good characters. As Kylo Ren uses the force his movements, for example the outstretched hand is made to make him look intimidating and manipulative all key to creating a villain persona.

• BB8- The droid is childlike in the way he follows Rey around and doesn’t want to be left behind, because of the audience would feel protective of him, as BB8 is not capable of movements like hand gesture or facial expressions he relies on character interaction to become more life like, therefor Rey is shown as the matriarch figure as she protects and worries for him hence giving BB8 a childlike sense in movement and personality.

SOUNDDiegetic sound

• When BB8 is following Rey in to the basement of the temple the robot rolling down the stairs crates a thudding noise which gradually becomes the most predominant sound, this cause the tension in the scene to rise as the repetitive noise makes it seem that something is about to happen, in addition to this the single sound makes the setting feel empty which also isolates the character.

• Lightsaber- The sound of the lightsaber is iconic as it links to the sci-fi genre and also recognizable to the prop.

• The changes in music from scene to scene shows the audience that it is happening at the same time because the sound does not fade in or out , by doing this it makes the shots flow better as the audience is aware that the events are in sequence and are not confused by the change in character or location. The switch between the loud battle of Finn and the quiet isolation of the forest for Rey shows that they are all in danger and almost feels like being surrounded as in every shot there is a confrontation or tension shown through the overwhelming noise or the empty sound.

• The sound effects when the force is used makes other diegetic sounds muffled, by doing this it creates what Rey is going through where she is surrounded, confused and unable to escape which the sound is reflecting in the lack of clarity of what is happening.

• Kylo Ren voice through the helmet he is wearing is used as a disguise, by doing this it heightens the fact that he is hidden behind his costume, furthermore the voice doesn’t sound human which cause tension in the scene as the villain remains unknown to the characters and the audience.

Non-Diegetic Sound

• The soundtrack specifically the imperial march dramatizes the events and battle making them seen more adrenaline fueled and dangerous. The orchestra used creates either a subtle background music or overwhelming sound, as the loud music is linked to the dark side therefor would play if the villain is about to appear or something immoral is happening

CAMERA• Wide Shot- In the scene where the First Order arrives on the planet, a wide shot is used to show the approach of

the villains, the wide shot uses a focus pull as the sun's red and yellows hides the ships heading towards the characters. Another wide shot is in the fight between Finn and the Storm trooper, as the two characters fight when Finn is forced back the wide shot shows the distance between the two, showing that the storm trooper is stronger than Finn.

• Close-up Lightsaber/ reaction shots- The close-up on Luke's Lightsaber shows that it is a key prop in the movie, as well as the importance to the storyline of the movie. The reaction shots of Rey and Finn allows the audience to see their emotions about what is happening, the most prominent emotions are fear and relief, therefore the close up gives the audience similar feeling to the character because they would empathise.

• Arc of Han, Chewbacca, Finn. The of the three characters shows that they are all fighting on the same side, the unity between them shows that they are more adapt to fighting the other side as well as giving the audience hope in winning the battle.

• Crane- The crane shot establishes the scale of the fight as it shows the amount of storm troopers at disposal, by doing this it highlights that the good side are greatly out numbers and are likely to suffer losses, creating apprehension from the viewers. The shot also has elements similar to as Hitler speech showing the link between evil. The white and red contrast to make the later colour more overpowering.

• P.O.V- The point of view shot as Rey makes the audience empathise with the character, in addition to this the camera has very little movement as Rey to show she is trapped and claustrophobic, the lack of movement creates tension as the audience knows she is being hunted but with nowhere to go.

• Cantered angle- As Rey is capture the cantered angle shows the disequilibrium in the scene as well as the fact that the sides of good and evil are displaced.

EDITING • Practical Effects- The practical effects such as BB8 means that the actors can physical interact with the

effects, making the shots more believable to the audience. In addition the explosions in the battle sequences are practical effects to allow the audience feel involved and it be more realistic.

• CGI- Characters such as Maz are created using CGI, this is to allow the aliens not to be limited in appearance by what can physically be made in the art department. The larger scale shots like the death star and the planets being destroyed are made to look like a larger scale, is it to bring dramatization to the extract making the film have a larger reaction from the audience.

• Pace- The pace of the film in the flashback condenses Rey's past into a short sequence, by quickly editing them together, the audience would get glimpses of the characters background, furthermore the shots have no order to them reflecting the characters distress and confusion about what is happening. The pace of the forest scene is slowed down to create paranoia in the character as the character Kylo Ren is unpredictable as well as the setting allowing coverage for the use of a surprise attack. The extract switches from fast and slow paced editing to keep the audience engaged without them becoming bored by the repeated action fighting scenes. The pace is different for Rey and Finn as Rey is almost waiting for Kylo Ren whereas Finn is used to conflict therefore has more chaos and violence in shots where he is present.