Love actually: Mise-en-scene, cinematography, sound & editing analysis.

Mise-en-scene

The setting of this scene sequence is located in front of the house of Peter and Juliet and the street adjacent to it. The scene portrays an interaction between the characters Mark and Juliet in which Mark reveals his hopeless and forbidden love towards her. Due to the setting being located in a relatively urban area the viewer is shown the whereabouts of where these people live and instantly becomes accustomed to the type of housing visible, the area where this scene takes place is neither poor looking nor particularly wealthy, this infers to the reader that Peter and Juliet are of middle class and helps to further build on their characters by showing their place of living.  As the camera jump cuts between the two characters as Mark pours out his feelings through signs the street behind him is visible. With this scene being based around evening/Night time it is dark outside yet the street that would normally look ominous, due to the lack of other people walking down it, it is a reasonably tranquil setting, This is most likely to do with the littered Christmas lights and decorations surrounding the area, implying festivity and therefore joy.

The use of lighting within this scene is pivotal in displaying the relationship between Mark and Juliet during their interaction. The lighting throughout this scene is positive and bright, all thought exclusively artificial. As the scene begins the front door opens and Juliet emerges instantly complimented by the bright light that floods from inside her house; the nature of the scene itself is the displaying of affections from one character to another and the lighting follows. As Mark lays eyes on Juliet her face is lit up, this could emphasise to the viewer exactly how mark feels about her, she is beautiful and perfect to him, and therefore nothing dark could dwell in such a temple. As the scene cuts to the street behind mark other artificial light is visible through the curtains of the house behind him. Furthermore the only other source of light in this scene comes from Christmas lights scattered around the street. The festive colours of red, green and gold flicker in and out of focus during this scene and effectively establish the stereotypical ‘wonderful’ time of year of which the whole movie is based around.  The use of these Christmas lights compliments the scene by instilling spirit not only into the characters but also the viewer and takes both the protagonists and viewer on the same emotional and exciting journey.

The character expression and movement in this scene is limited yet highly effective in displaying to the reader exactly what these characters are actually feeling. As the scene begins the viewer is greeted by a wide smile from Juliet as she sees Mark, implying her happiness to see him, however an underlying tone of surprise is also present. Due to the distinct lack of dialogue in this very little conversation is exchanged however throughout the scene both characters are smiling as Mark shows Juliet how he feels. After sharing his feelings Mark raises a thumbs up to Juliet in order to confirm everything he has said to both Juliet and himself. Subsequently Mark has boldly stood up to the woman he has loved for years he simply strides off, the way in which Mark departs could be viewed as sombre, however I believe Mark walking away simply relieved at his confession. As the camera remains stationary whilst Mark moves towards it Juliet is shown running from her house to greet him in a way that seems urgent even though the two characters had been interacting previous to this. The camera takes a side profile shot of the two characters as Juliet kisses Mark. She proceeds to embrace him softly implying that even though they are polar opposites and their love is impossible, she still cares deeply for him. Marks face seemingly lit up by the streetlights behind him smiles openly in disbelief and true admiration is depicted to the viewer.  Following this Juliet returns to her front door in the same rapid manor and mark talks to himself and continues to possess a childlike smile.

The costume within this scene varies between the two characters primarily due to their position within the sequence. Mark is shown wearing a long black coat, a jumper and possible other layers; this is obviously because he is outside and has possibly walked a variable distance from his house or workplace. This costume choice implies season and tells the reader the weather is cold and it is winter months. On the other hand the costume choice for Juliet is lighter, she is shown wearing a white sleeveless hoodie with festive patterns, this further emphasises to the viewer that the Christmas season is upon them, additionally this hoodie seems inappropriate to be outside with and is more suitable for cosy-indoor home use. Lastly, the final character in this scene Juliet’s husband Peter is shown wearing casual clothes, in these case, jeans, a t shirt and a light jumper; these costume choices indicate the comfort  of home and that Peter is warm, relaxed and has nowhere of importance where he needs to be.

Prominent hair and makeup in this scene sequence is primarily visible on Juliet. She is shown with long straightened and well-kept hair, she is also wearing a full face of makeup, these characteristics help enhance her beauty and the viewer understands that this character potentially does a lot to make herself look nice and presentable. Mark Is shown to have his hair styled and neatly made, this could give the indication that he is trying to impress Juliet and this in itself is complimented by the nature of the whole scene, the emphasis on Mark purposefully looking smart could also imply this exchange has been long thought and lead the viewer to believe Mark has practised this.

In this scene, the props are arguably the most effective feature of mise-en-scene; the whole of the sequence essentially revolves around the use of props in order to narrate a story. Props are first introduced when Mark reveals himself to Juliet, places a CD player next to the door and begins to play ‘silent night’. This prop is continually present even though not visible again until the scenes culmination, it remains in this scene as the music plays whilst the characters share a heartfelt exchange of words without talking. Furthermore the use of Christmas lights and decorations as props are present, the use of festive items simply explains to the reader the zealous time of year and the effects of these are aforementioned in lighting. Subtle props can be visible in and around the home of Peter and Juliet and these are purposefully built so the viewer sees this place as a home instead of a set, the majority of these remain out of focus but are still visible around the peripherals of the characters. The use of TV remote is also used by Peter to demonstrate relaxation and regular home activities, the viewer can relate to this action and disregards it as ordinary further bettering the aura of a ‘home’ being created. Lastly and most importantly hand written large cards held by mark throughout the scene are props displaying his long-term love for Juliet and depicting comedic and sincere imagery to almost ‘break the ice’ in the scene whilst keeping it genuine. Without the use of these props this scene would effectively be two characters standing opposite each other saying nothing. These props are the main character in this scene and the characters are almost extras whilst these sign cards talk. As mark bravely tells Juliet he is in love with her the use of cards infers he is almost too scared to say it in person and an almost childlike interaction is depicted.

Cinematography

The Cinematography aspects in this scene all work together to compose an interaction that is almost magical. The essence and nature of the scene is captured in its entirety by clever and discreet camera work creating the impression that both Mark and Juliet care very deeply for one another. This scene begins with an establishing shot of Juliet opening the door and is greeted by mark telling her to inform her husband that carol singers are at the door. This shot is simple and seemingly pays no importance to the scene whatsoever, however I believe this opening immediately foreshadows the way in which this scene is composed, the opening of the door symbolises the opening of Mark’s heart as he proclaims his love; and the eventually closing of the door corresponds with Mark’s acceptance of what is eventually ‘enough’ for him. After this, an over the shoulder shot of Juliet facing mark is used to demonstrate she is watching him intently as he prepares to talk with her through pages at a time. There is a short cut in which the camera faces Peter, Juliet’s husband from a slightly low angle whilst watching TV, the viewer is first introduced to Peter at this point, after a brief action of Peter changing the TV channel the focus returns back to Mark and Juliet. The camera then takes of an almost POV shot of Mark turning ‘Silent night’ on the CD player. The scene cuts from over the shoulder shots of Juliet looking at Mark from a somewhat high angle, to close up shots of Juliet’s face as Mark would see her. The incorporation of making Juliet’s face both bright and bold in comparison to Mark’s emphasises to the reader than Mark views Juliet as almost ‘godlike’ the two character’s position differences could also infer morality; After all Mark is confessing his love to a newly married woman regardless of how respectfully he does it.  

As Marks non-verbal speech continues there is intervals in which the camera jumps to and from these close-up shots of Juliet to display her reaction to the viewer, and the medium shots of Mark to keep with the progression of the scene. When time comes that Mark reaches the slide that perfectly informs Juliet exactly how he feels the scene almost freezes; the camera jumps between close-ups of now both the character’s expressions; Juliet is waiting to understand the whole reason for Mark arriving at her home, and Mark is waiting in great anticipation to reveal his emotions. As mark hesitates and an indication of regret and nervousness flickers into his eye through use of another over the shoulder shot. The scene progresses as over the shoulder shots accompany the characters and follow their emotional journey. After Mark’s has finished his revelation the camera makes use of a close up shot behind Mark facing Juliet.

 The last element of Cinematography in this scene sequence is the positioning of the camera at the end of street in which this whole beautiful relief of an event took place. The use of a long shot is incorporated to represent the long stretch that Mark has overcome and the final path he needs to take to acceptance. Mark slowly begins to walk towards the stationary camera over a medium-length duration and becomes more and more visible as he begins to approach it. The camera remains stationary positioned directly in the middle of the street and an undeniable effect of symmetry is projected created an aesthetic undertone that enhances this shot of the scene. After Juliet chases after Mark she gives him a subtle kiss and returns home; the camera proceeds to pan backwards in a short yet effective dolly shot of Mark as he continues walking talking quietly to himself.

Sound

There is very little character dialogue in this scene that contributes to the sound aspect, the majority of the sound incorporated comes from the music that Mark manually introduces through a CD player. I believe this CD player plays the most crucial role in creating the joyful atmosphere that is aimed to be projected. To begin with the scene opens with one of the protagonists Juliet greeting Mark as he arrives at her door; she greets him with a soft tone which establishes the character as polite and gentle. There is no following dialogue until Juliet’s tone is immediately reversed when she shouts out to her husband informing him that ‘carol singers’ are at the door.  This sharp change of emotion transforms the scene from peaceful to temporarily harsh before returning back to peaceful, this is effective as it varies the ambiance of the scene and doesn’t keep a constant and generic expression and volume level. Her husband shouting back from the living room continues this tone and returns her comment about carol singers, the scene’s dialogue then seizes until much later on in this scene. From this point onwards the only sound present in the scene comes from the aforementioned CD player. Mark proceeds to play the song ‘silent night’ and it continues throughout the whole scene, I believe the use of music instead of dialogue is extremely effective. An example of this is the song choice itself; with ‘Silent night’ being a famous Christmas song the viewer makes the instant link between the song and the type of year, this is also enhanced by the previous mentioned use of lighting at this point. Arguably ‘silent night’ is a beautiful and gentle song which I believe compliments the nature of the scene perfectly. The love and peace shown by Mark reflects the respect and acceptance demonstrated by Juliet and all aspects fall perfectly into the rhythm and lyrics of the song. The situation in itself, however being an anticipated and nerve racking point in Mark’s life is surprisingly relaxed and calm, the musical classic walks with the characters and follows the flow of the scene until the very end.

Another example is that the song replaces what the characters would normally be saying. Instead of two people talking with one another the music seemingly talks to the audience instead. This is not only due to Mark talking to Juliet with signs, but also to emphasise that nothing more needs to be exchanged with the characters, after Mark has claimed his affection neither of them say anything and nothing is need to be said, the music continues playing and the characters reach mutual understanding. The final piece of dialogue in this scene takes place as Mark walks away from Peter and Juliet’s home as he says to himself ‘enough, enough now’ this final display of speech is used to tell fully assert to the viewer that what’s Mark has been through whilst riding his emotional roller-coaster is over, all whilst silent night continues to play rounding out the scene and retaining the elegance of the moment.

Editing

Within this scene the editors and director utilise cuts in order to keep the rhythm of the characters interaction whilst simultaneously refreshing the viewer’s understanding of their emotions throughout. However, there is not a great array of cuts and the style of the scene retains continuity and doesn’t change greatly. This scene almost exclusively utilises two shots, the jump cut and the match on action. Due to the nature of the scene being a conversation between two people it is ‘normal’ for us to be able to see the reactions of both characters as they converse, this is where the introduction of the jump cut is crucial. Whilst Mark displays his physical signs of love the Juliet the camera is ‘flicking’ every 3-4 seconds displaying her reaction, this repeats itself during the most part of the scene until Mark has said what needed to be said. The reason these Jump cuts are so effective here as it instils into the viewer a situation of both elegance and tension, the jump cuts capture a calm situation (with sound undeniably complimenting this) in which joy is captured through returning to the characters expressions yet tension is built up due to the underlying question of how Juliet will react.

Additionally, match on action shots are used to enhance the natural movement within the scene, even though new angles are taken the character remains performing the same action. An example of this utilised successfully is when Mark is shown reaching for the CD Player and pressing play, the camera cuts to Juliet’s perspective (a different angle) and his arm is shown returning from just starting the music as if the camera was never moved and we as an audience were watching him.  Match on action shots are also effectively used in this scene when Mark reaches to display a card to Juliet, the camera changes perspective yet his arm is still in motion. This is effective as it immerses the viewer into the world they are watching and helps create the illusion that they aren’t just watching from a screen, they’re almost watching it in the same universe as the actors are performing in. Lastly a semi-invisible shot is used at the end of the scene sequence, A long shot of Mark walking down the street and Juliet following him before they share an emotional moment has just take place, As Juliet returns home Mark slowly steps towards the camera until his cheek is almost against the lens and he passes out of frame; albeit not being a complete Invisible shot I believe mark closely approaching the camera before the scene helps bring the scene together In a full cyclical motion; the viewer has gained an understanding of Mark necessity to confess to Juliet and has followed him on his path until he declares it is ‘enough’ for him and the implication of an invisible cut tells the viewer it is also ‘enough’ for them.

Joss Lonsdale