In Harry Potter, the characters' positioning conveys important information about their mental states. Hermione alone in the middle of the room shows how affected she is by the news article. Harry spying behind curtains suggests he shouldn't be looking. Ron outside alone implies he wants space from his family. In Now You See Me, the magicians are always centered in front of audiences to convey authority and hold attention. In one scene, a woman is positioned aside to shift focus to the men. In Forrest Gump, the characters' positioning on a bus bench focuses viewers on them, with a gap between the characters mirroring the woman's reluctance to interact with Forrest.

1. Mise-en-scene
JOANNE HOULDEN

2. Hair and Makeup
All the characters have
limited/unrecognisable makeup. This
includes Hermione which goes
against the stereotypically women
however fits Hermione's personality.
Their hair is also very simple apart
from Rufus. The blackness gives an
air of fear and powerful. Its
messiness could represent the
laziness side of his personality
In now you see me all the characters
wear limited/simple makeup which
goes against what the viewers would
expect for magicians working in New
York – including men. The first man’s
hair is very long and covers part of his
face which gives out an air of suspicion.
The next character hides his with his
hat and the final character has well
manicured hair which is what would be
expected
In Forrest Gump he is wearing no
make which matches viewers
expectations of a regular American
man. However his hair looks very
smart and very fresh which goes
well with his very smart suit. This
could suggest that he is off
somewhere where he needs to look
very smart and has therefore had a
recent haircut.
Harry Potter and the Deathly
Hallows
Now you see me Forrest Gump

3. Props
In Harry Potter a couple of important props
are used. The first is the use of cameras in
the first scene with Rufus. These show the
viewer that they are media and that what
he is talking about is important and
something to document. Secondly the
newspaper held by Hermione is important
as it informs viewers of a big event that has
happened without the characters saying or
doing anything. Finally the moving boxes
used in Harry’s scene show the viewer that
his family are moving.
In now you see me there are also a couple
important props used. The first is the pack of
cards in the first scene. The whole magic trick
is based around the pack of cards therefore
they are one of the main focus’ of the scene.
Secondly the poster in the café scene helps
inform the viewer of what is happening
behind the shot before it comes into shot. It
also tells confused viewers what is happening
if they don’t understand from the mans
actions. Finally the spoon in the third scene is
just like the pack of cards. It is the whole
magic trick, therefore it is one of the main
focus’ of the scene
In Forrest Gump there are 2 important props.
The first is the Woman’s newspaper. This is
important as it makes the viewer and Forrest
aware that she doesn’t want to talk to Forrest
and gives her something else to do, rather
than talking to him. Secondly the box of
chocolates is an important prop as well as it
reinforces that the Woman doesn’t want to
talk to Forrest when she fails to accept a
chocolate and it also allows Forrest to say the
most famous quote of the film “Life is a box
of chocolates, you never know what you’re
gonna get”
Harry Potter and the Deathly
Hallows
Now you see me Forrest Gump

4. Facial Expressions and Body language
The lack of dialogue after Rufus’ scene means
that facial expressions become very
important. However Rufus’ facial expressions
become important when getting his passion
across. After Hermione reads the newspaper
she looks very upset and shocked showing
the viewer that the topic of the article means
something to her. Secondly the sadness and
curious facial expression of Ron shows that
he doesn’t look forward to going inside in his
house and also that he is looking and
focusing on something. Also the slumpness
of the characters show how worried they are
In now you see me facial expressions are
usually used on the audience to show
confusion and focus on the magician. In 2
of the 3 scenes there is a big audience
which means that their emotions can’t be
shown through dialogue so therefore
facial expressions are important
The characters also usually have very
straight posture which gives them an air
of confidence and control over the
audience as they have more power over
them and shows the audience that they
know what they are doing.
In Forrest Gump uses a lot of facial
expressions. His character is someone who
struggles to get his feelings across using
words. Therefore his facial expressions used
when he’s describing his first pair of shoes
shows that pain and the hurt associated with
them.
There aren’t many body language features as
both characters sit relatively straight on the
bench for the whole scene which shows that
they are alert and even though the Woman
on first glace seems to be paying no
attention, is actually listening to what Forrest
is saying
Harry Potter and the Deathly
Hallows
Now you see me Forrest Gump

5. Positioning of characters
Hermione being in the middle of the room shows
how fixed she is and how much the newspaper
article affected her. This is evident in the long
shot and shows how she is alone. Putting Harry
behind a window and curtain suggests that he is
spying on the people below and the curtain
suggests that he shouldn’t be looking and is
trying to not be seen. Positioning Ron outside
away from his house gives the viewer the idea
that Ron wants some time to himself and doesn’t
want to be inside with his family. All 3 characters
are alone and avoiding people which links them
all together and could also show their fear as
well.
In now you see me the characters are always
central in front of people. This gives them all
an air of authority and power and also shows
that they are giving a show. The characters
are all positioned where the whole audience
can see them which shows that magicians are
popular in Chicago and their tricks bring in an
audience. The café scene shows the Woman
being put to the side. This goes with the fact
that she has been stopped from talking.
Putting her to the side shows that what she
thinks isn’t important and brings the focus to
the two men
In Forrest Gump the positioning of the
characters is quite important. Firstly they are
placed on a bus bench which is always central
to the shot and therefore makes the viewer
immediately focus on them. Secondly the
characters are positioned on the bench so
that there is a big gap between them. This
shows the viewer that the Woman doesn’t
want to talk or be associated with Forrest and
therefore leaving a big gap means that
someone coming along will have to sit in-
between them. It also makes each character
more prominent in the shot as they are
presented singly.
Harry Potter and the Deathly
Hallows
Now you see me Forrest Gump

6. Note
 I have missed out the follow parts of Mise-en-scene as I have
dedicated whole blog posts to them. They are:
 Lighting and colour
 Setting
 Costume