Viewing - part 2

This exercise is about choosing a particularly interesting scene and, after watching it a number of times, ask the following questions about the shots that are withing the sequence:

• How does the scene feel?
• How has this been achieved?
• Has the mise-en-scene played a part in this?
• Is there any meaning conveyed by the mise-en-scene?

My choice was the last scene of the film "Moneyball":

Probably, this not the best example of a mise-en-scene from the perspective of putting elements in the frame in order to get an specific feeling. It's more that the framing makes it. The protagonist is pretty unhappy because he's turning down a job opportunity for personal reasons. At some point, he falls apart and breaks out into tears. The sadness is well represented by a close up of the eyes of the character. However, when analysing the scene shot by shot, it transpires that there's an intention behind the arrangement of items to boost the despair of him. 

In the first shots, it's difficult to see something else apart from the logical setting which is the inner part of the car - the radio, the mobile. And it could be said that, as the car goes along, the movement is reflected by a slight tilt of the camera just when the man is looking for the CD. 

But, at the same time, the atmosphere is established from the beginning. This is down to the background that appears through the windows. It's an industrial area and the factories here provides a more than hopeless scenario. 

Then, there is the close up that confers all the meaning. Nonetheless, this shot is combined with shots of the background where lorries and cranes can be seen clearly. These footages reinforce the sense of anguish that surrounds everything. 

The scene ends by showing how this person looks at the horizon like he was wondering what he is doing. There are other things that can be added to the composition and contribute as well to produce the meaning of misery like the song that is played on the radio and the lighting - the car, so dark, and the background, not very sunny.