2. Mise-en-scene
• The costumes of the extras in the background clearly show that the film is
set in the 80s.
• The scene works well in establishing the park, as this is the first time both
the audience and the main character have seen it. The props used (like the
‘flighing dutchman’ sign) are a clear example of the park’s almost pathetic
nature, and also add a comedic element to the scene.
• Although they are both wearing uniforms, the costumes of the two
characters in the scene are different enough that it is easy to differentiate
between the two and also make assumptions about their character. Joel
wears glasses and red corduroy trousers, which highlights him as
somewhat nerdy and awkward, while James wears a very plain outfit of
just jeans and the Adventureland t-shirt.
3. Camera
• For the majority of the scene the camera is not stationary (usually
tracking), which keeps up the energy of the scene.
• In the first shot of the scene, the camera backs away from Joel as he walks
towards James and then cuts to James and continues towards him. This
almost puts the viewer in Joel’s position and makes it clear that James is
out of his element in this environment.
• When they are looking up at the basketball hoop, the shot is a Birdseye
view, allowing the viewer to clearly see the misshapen hoop.
• There is also a close up of Joel dropping the ring onto the bottle neck and it
falling off. This again draws attention to the corrupt nature of the theme
park, but due to the comedic tone of the scene, makes it almost charming.
4. Editing
• The editing of the scene mostly sticks to the rules of verisimilitude,
with simple cuts as transitions which don’t draw attention to
themselves.
• Eye line matches are used to make clear what the characters are
looking at, for example the ‘Flighing Dutchman’ sign.
