Representation in Films

1. Representation in Films
1. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
2. Clueless
3. Juno

2. The mise en scene presented in this opening sequence demonstrates the social class
the audience will be, in this case, upper class. We can identify this due to the
location and house in which the family lives in. The house itself is very big and looks
as though it’s well looked after and with the number of cars outsides suggest money
isn’t a an issue. The housing and location can attract the upper class audience as
they can relate to the lives the family live.
Mise en scene is also expressed through the use of costumes and make up. The
mother’s make up is fairly sophisticated and looks as though she’s spent a lot of
time doing it which may imply she thinks appearance is very important. She’s
wearing very formal clothing with some accessories to go with it, suggesting she’s
got a successful job. This also inks to the clothing the father is wearing as he’s
wearing a suit which also suggests he’s very successful in what he does.
Camera angles can also demonstrate
what social class films attract. There are
many extreme close ups and close ups
which represents the upper class as
these particular camera angles are used
to express people’s importance in the
film.
Along with the location and the house
itself, the interior can also represent the
upper class. Ferris’ room is fairly large and
is covered in posters with lots of his
belongings scattered around his room. This
shows money isn’t an issue as he has many
expensive things, such as a television, and
large space to keep it all in.
The sound used within this opening sequence doesn’t particularly demonstrate the
upper/middle class as it’s just dialogue between the parents and Ferris. The parents use words
like ‘pumpkin’ and ‘sweetie’ when speaking to Ferris which can link to the target audience of
being families. This is because children may relate to being called these particular words and
parents can relate as they’re guilty for calling their children them.
Along with the sound, the editing doesn’t give away any hints on the social group being
upper class. The opening sequence doesn’t include any unique camera transitions as
they’re all cuts. It also doesn’t include any special effects which shows the film is realistic
and also links to the genre as it’s based on the theme of high school which is the norm for
children to go to.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

3. Mise en scene is presented through the use
of setting as we’re being shown the interior
of the house in which the family live in. The
massive landing and chandelier show this is
an upper class family who are very successful
as they can afford to live in a house like this.
This character is also an example of mise en scene due to the clothing in which she’s
wearing. She’s dressed in an outfit which suggests she’s the family’s personal maid which
also gives the audience a better understanding on their rich lifestyle.
Just before this screenshot, the way the
man comes into shot is by opening the
doors and walking through. This implies
he’s an important character and his
entrance shows off his power. This is
also an example of an enigma code as
he’s facing away from the camera which
leaves the audience questioning about
his identity.
These two screenshots represent mise en scene through the use of location as the house
that belongs to the girl’s friend is very large which suggests all of her friends come from
upper class families like she does. Also, from the palm trees on either side of the road and
the size of the houses, the location is Beverly Hills in Los Angeles, California. This is an
extremely wealthy place where the rich live which suggests the parent’s are very successful
in what they do.
Clueless
For a girl her age (older
teenager/young adult) to have a car like
this is a very fortunate thing to have,
especially when you’re a high school
student. This shows she could
potentially be quite spoilt and doesn’t
have any financial problems.
This particular opening sequences includes non-diegetic sounds such as a voiceover of the
girl informing the audience about the type of life she lives. She explains how much her
father earns an hour and how he bought her the car. She also explains she’s friends with
girl above as people are ‘jealous’ of them, suggesting she likes the attention of being in a
wealthy family.

4. Juno
At the very beginning of the opening
sequence, mise en scene is immediately
presented through the use of costumes.
Judging by the girl’s clothing, I believe this
represents either the lower class/working
class due to it because very casual and a little
bit scruffy. Mise en scene is also presented
with props, in this case, the big carton of
orange juice the girl is carrying and drinking
from. This comes across as being a very lazy
thing to do and could link to the
lower/working class.
The editing of the opening sequence is
fairly creative as it all done around the
theme of cartoons. Even though this
relates to the possible class it attracts,
it also gives hints on the target
audience as the cartoons will engage
the younger generation and families
with children.
They’ve included a variety of
camera angles like high
angled shot, medium shot,
close up, side shot etc. This
engages the audience and
keeps them interested but
also gives the viewers hints
about the environment in
which they live in. This
represents what sort of
background they have and, in
this case, represents the
working class due to the area
where she lives and the
clothing she’s wearing.
The way the
camera is always
following her as
she’s walking on
her own makes
the audience feel
like they’re on the
journey with her.
With her being on
her own suggests
she likes being
independent and
gives an insight
on her
characteristics.
Shots like these
is an example of
enigma codes as
her face isn’t
showing, leaving
the audience
questioning
about her
identity.
The sound used doesn’t include any diegetic sounds or dialogue, just background music which is a country song. This could link to the
type of place she lives in and sets the mood for the rest of the scene as it is an uplifting tune.