Mis En Scene - The Aviator

The Aviator is a film directed by Martin Scorsese, it's a face paced action film and a prime example of how exemplary mis en-scene can produce a captivating, good quality film.

The scene shows an adventurous pilot (De Caprio) test flying a new model of plane, in a desolate desert. Leonardo De Caprio's style of acting throughout the scene is exciting and fast paced which really conveys the films genre, being action. He achieves this through his personality, coming off as a bit of a dare devil as well as somewhat reckless with his immense speed of the planes crash landing and then casually standing on the side of the plane may also suggest a care-free attitude. The setting that the scene is taking place in is a desert surrounding with a testing ground for airplanes as well as a tarmac and a sandy cliff used for taking off. The deserty, sandy cliff and surroundings may be natural, but the tarmac and testing ground/sheds and planes would all be props and would have been built to match with the time and place of the clip. The lighting throughout the scene is particularly bright suggesting mid day to late afternoon. The harsh lighting gives off a yellowy, orangy tinge and really sets well with the surroundings that are mostly dirt and warm colours for example the sand. The colour of the plane is silver, with the bland surrounding colours this allows your eye to be more easily drawnt to the plane and therefore the centre of the action.

In conclusion the well formulated mis en scene combination results in a truly amazing film (clip) that captivates the audience, and takes them on a journey they will never forget.