The Matrix

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Recommended: Elements of film mise en scene

THE MATRIX Various films have one mutual element, mise-en-scene which associates them all together. Mise-en-scene is setting, lighting, costume, figure movement, and expression to help support the plot of the film. In this scene we capture Neo receiving a package from an anonymous person. Inside the package there is a phone that aids Neo about the dangers that are coming his way. Mise-en-scene encompasses the most detectable attributes in The Matrix. It reinforces the idea of fantasy versus reality that is the dominant factor throughout the whole scene. Argumentatively mise-en-scene can thus affect the viewer’s perception of the film. It is also both a powerful and vital cinematic technique in film, although the typical …show more content…

“The director then plays around with saturation which refers to the intensity of a specific hue based on colour intensity, which is determined by its brightness. At this point the director desaturates the colour so that it almost converts to grey. This is an unbelievably beneficial technique in film because it adjusts the mood of the scene.” (Net, n.d.). “When bad news occurs, the saturation decreases to approach us with darker colours so that the intensified mood is successfully created.” (Net, n.d.). Lighting frequently appears as beams that seem to pierce through the darkness. It is “symbolic of the truth piercing through a world of lies, hope shining through despair.” (Dew, n.d.). We see a sudden flash of light as Neo moves past a man operating a copy machine in his office building, which reinforces the statement that correlates beams of light as the ‘truth’ or ‘hope.’ This is also interconnected with side lighting, which is “lighting coming from one side of a person usually in order to create a sense of volume, bringing out surface tensions, or to fill in areas left shadowed by light from another source.” (Steve, n.d.). As previously indicated, all is cast in a slightly greenish hue, which seems to be symbolic of The Matrix code. It also conducts a connotation which adds meaning to this scene. The Wachowski brothers said, “This use of green tint…was a whole motif inspired by the phosphorous green …show more content…

Neo is wearing a suit in this scene which conveys his personality and also status. It also enhances the point that he is a salaried individual. In other cases, “costume also signifies the era in which the film is set.” (Steve, n.d.). Whether it is in the present or not and furthermore what society it is in. Evidently the props in this scene are minimalistic to strengthen the idea of escape. The other props that we realise in this scene are the sunglasses that the agents are wearing, as they enter the office in search of Neo. The sunglasses have a much profound and poignant meaning linked to them. “They are a representation of sleep, unbelief, ignorance, and denial, as they illustrate the obstructed view of the truth” (Dew, n.d.). The sunglasses also boost the intention of escape. Ultimately the sunglasses hide any emotions or signs of weakness as well as create a

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