Quentin Tarantino's Use Of Mise En Scene In Pulp Fiction

The classical Hollywood narrative is one of simplicity, linear continuity, and comprehensive storytelling, something typical American audiences were used to for most of films history. Quentin Tarantino, however, is not one to abide by the rules of cinema. The arguably auteur director reconfigures this narrative style with his 1994 classic Pulp Fiction. This film not only presented itself as a completely new and innovative take on what a film could be, but also created a foundation for which many films since have built their narratives from.

The term Mise-en-Scene is used to signify the director’s control over what happens in the film frame. In English the phrase literally translates to “putting in the scene” (Bordwell, 2010a). ‘Night of the Hunter’ (Charles Laughton, 1955) is a prime example of a film that uses aspects of Mise-en-Scene to sway the audience’s opinions of characters and their understanding of narrative themes and to create a certain atmosphere in the film. “Although the fundamental aspects of Mise-en-Scene in both theatre and cinema are those of lighting, blocking and production design (costume, props and sets),

Mise en Scene are used in every aspects of filmmaking. The term refers to the overall look and feel of

Suspense is a crucial ingredient in the making of horror and thriller films. The significance of suspense in horror films is to bring out the “twist or unexpected moment of realization that makes someone scream and one's heart race. In the film industry, there are various types of genre, but as different as films may seem, they all have one element that links them all together. That element is known as Mise-en-scene. Mise-en-scene is a French phrase that means “putting into the scene.” Mise-en-scene includes elements such as setting, lighting, costume, and figure movement and expression (acting).

The images and lighting are similar to images that record the suffering of people during the depression of the 1930s. However, inside the park the weather starts to brighten making everything look lush and vibrant. It seems absurd to see such a strong contrast after passing through the imperial gates. This brings to mind the saying “The grass is always greener on the other side” This helps to show how the members of the public see this part of London as a desired thing and that everything is better, but this saying usually ends up being false; these people still live in the same world, it is all an illusion, Further on in the scene Theo says to his cousin Nigel, “A hundred years from now, there won’t be one single sad f**k to look at any of this (meaning his apartment). What keeps you going?” To which Nigel replies “You know what it is, Theo? I just don’t think about it”. He is just ignoring the inevitable.

The mise-en-scène in Hell or High Water reveals character and shapes the audience’s emotions by the overall visual aesthetic that the film makers accomplish. The mise-en-scène can be broken down into many different aspects, but for now I am only going to touch on a few. Starting with the costumes, the audience can infer that the brothers are not well off due to the worn button-down shirts, sweat-stained cowboy hats, and faded jeans. The hair also ties together the notion that the brothers do not have much because their hair, including facial hair, is quite scruffy and dirty looking. The visual effect of dirt and sweat also create the impression that the men do not cleanse themselves on a regular basis. Opposite of the brothers are two Texas Rangers, Marcus

Pulp Fiction is a black comedy, and crime movie that was written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. The movie features graphic violence, drugs, and a mysterious briefcase. Pulp Fiction tells several stories in a nonlinear way, meaning that the narratives are not told in a chronological order and do not follow the rules of space and time. The usage of a nonlinear format in Pulp Fiction was quite compelling as it did not follow the typical cause-effect sequence in any scene, instead Tarantino chose to open the movie with a non-typical effect rather than a cause.

Pulp Fiction by Quinton Tarantino falls into the genre of a Gangster film but has elements of other genres as well like Film Noir and Black Comedy. Pulp Fiction has a balance of drama and comedy along with hard to watch scenes like rape, violence, gore and heavy drug use. Tarantino’s style of movie making help make Pulp Fiction the classic it is today. The mise-en-scene, cinematography and other elements of movie, including sound effects and round characters leave us intrigued as well as content with the story structure as well as its ending.

Director Alfonso Cuarón’s 2006 film Children of Men paints a disheartening picture of the future: a prolonged period of worldwide infertility has led to the near collapse of society by the year 2027. The essence of the film is chilling, undoubtedly due to Cuarón’s attention to detail in designing this dystopian society. His meticulousness lends the film a sense of authenticity and makes its story even more compelling. An element of film style that Cuarón uses to achieve this believability is mise-en-scene. Mise-en-scene consists of all of the elements that are placed in front of the camera and appear in the frame. Four categories that exist within the broad scope of mise-en-scene are setting and props, lighting, costume and makeup, and staging and acting. A filmmaker can manipulate the elements of mise-en-scene in many different ways, and these decisions have a significant impact on the film as a whole. In this particular scene Children of Men, Cuarón uses the first two categories, setting and props and lighting, particularly effectively. He uses these two categories of mise-en-scene in order to depict a believable dystopian future and to highlight the hopelessness that plagues the characters in this world.

I was a little late on the Kill Bill train and did not watch the movie until last year. As soon as the film started, I knew that it was going to be extremely intense. The same goes for Pulp Fiction. These two films directed by Quentin Tarantino were very different from all the other films that I’ve seen in my life. The mise en scene, dialogue, and music, were all different factors that intrigued me. I watched Pulp Fiction after watching Kill Bill and at first I thought that Pulp Fiction was an odd spin off to Kill Bill or that it took place in the same kind of universe because the worlds are so similar, the characters are just as intense, and the amount of violence was just as common. These are just a few things that make Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill similar. In this essay I will be discussing more similarities and slight differences between the two films.

Citizen Kane has many good examples to show Mise-on-scene usage. The scene that I believe is the most significant and powerful mise-en-scene that I have this seen this semester exists in this movie. This occurs when the parents of the young boy are speaking with a gentleman in the house. As the people are speaking we see the boy playing in the snow as we look into the background through the window. This scene

Anderson also provides balance in the frame by employing symmetry and placing the actors in the middle. Additionally, another way Anderson uses mise-en-scene is he uses long tracking shots, this

Both of these writers have been influenced by 'The Godfather', its stereotypes, plots and gangster families, and although both writers have both influenced the genre in their separate ways, neither of them have made quite the impact that 'The Godfather' did. However, 'Pulp Fiction' adopted a large cult status, it became increasingly popular and became a Hollywood blockbuster, it did in its own re-invent the gangster genre regarding the association of humour and the subversion of the original 'Godfather' genre. Tarantino made 'Pulp Fiction' in 1994 and it was regarded as innovative and different, he plays around with the timeline of the three inter-connecting storylines that leaves you dazed and confused, but strangely satisfied. Tarantino manages this by introducing the protagonist of each story in the previous story, either as a minor character or a stock character.

The scene up for analysis is from The Wizard of Oz. Put simply, mise en scène is what the audience sees in a scene, and this includes the actors. (Goodykontz, 2014) Dorothy, scarecrow, tin man, and the lion finally make it to the wizard’s palace for the first time. After the wizards frightening voice that says, “Come forward!”

This opening introduces the family’s lifestyle and sets the scene for the audience, from the shot following Leister’s shower, the audience gets the sense that the wife is the head of the house as she gardens in a bright, contemporary looking garden. The camera goes to a close up on the rose as the woman clips it from the bush. This rose is called American Beauty which is also the name of the film. She is dressed in a plain grey suit and a clean white apron, again fitting in with the colour scheme of the interior decor. She also wears pearl earrings and a pearl necklace with her hair perfectly framing this and has impeccable make up, indicating what the perfect American housewife should resemble. She also converses with the homosexual neighbours about the secret to her roses flourishing so well; she seems happy and overly enthusiastic. The audience then see a shot of Leister, again, enclosed in an environment- this time the window. The audience sees him behind the window panes, in between two bright blue shutters, indicating his isolation and loneliness within his own home. The colour blue is also an interesting choice by the director. Blue suggests calm and tranquillity within the home, and also reflects on the colour of the perfect blue sky. Leister seems to fit in as he reflects on his own life and his past happiness, and also seems unsettled within himself, contrasting to the