Titanic Mise En Scene Analysis

From still photographs to motion pictures, filmmaking has come a long way. According to the periodical, Moving on Up, “[Titanic was] one of the first films to use motion capture to animate back ground crowds,” which provided a new cinematic technique to the filmmaking process (Robertson, 2007). It takes a lot of cinematic techniques besides motion capture to make a film these days. The placement of everything that appears in the framing is called mise en scène. Although there are many elements that create a mise en scene, the overall look is important when establishing a theme. Let’s take a look at the second biggest film ever made, Titanic, and explore its very well-known theme of love. There are three cinematic techniques to include lighting, camera framing, and acting styles, which have established and maintained the major theme of love throughout the entire movie.
The first cinematic technique

that helped establish the major theme is the lighting technique. Many uses of lighting took place throughout the movie. According to the periodical, Video Lighting Tips from Grips and Gaffers, “Some first-time video directors moving into motion from the still photo world can struggle with lighting” (Scoblete, 2013). For specific, the famous scene of Jack drawing Rose, provided the prefect shadows and low-key lighting for a dramatic love scene. According to our textbook, Film: From watching to seeing, low-key lighting, “is marked by extreme use of deep shadows, with very high contrast between the brightest parts of the scene and the darkest parts, which are obscured in shadows” (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014). On one side of the room, softly colored lights illuminated a quaint fireplace, and on the other side, it had a small wall unit with slightly dimmed lights. The shadows casted a glow on Rose’s body as she laid on the couch, and the lights illuminated Jack’s face so the audience could see his reaction and focus. Another scene that portrayed the theme of love, is when Rose went to find Jack on the bow of the ship. He grabs her hands and they stand together facing the ocean. The lighting used is the natural lighting from the beautiful sunset. It set the perfect shadows on their faces for a romantic love scene. In making movies, there is more to cinematography than solely making the actors visible and filming them. For the best results, the theme of the film must be carefully constructed with the use of lighting, along with other effects.
The second technique that is crucial to establishing and maintaining the theme is the camera technique. Our textbook states, “The camera is the basic element of making a movie” (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014). Each shot is specifically framed for a combination of dramatic effects and aesthetic balance. Let’s take a look back at the scene of Jack drawing Rose. In each shot, there were different camera angels and positions used in order to present the feeling of love. Each camera shot of nudity did not expose too much skin, so it kept it a passionate feeling and not a sultry feeling. The camera position was placed at eyelevel, allowing the close ups of each character to be neutral, to feel like you were right there a part of the scene. At first, the scene begins with showing the full bodies of Jack and Rose, but it steadily gets more personal and more passionate. That leads the camera into smaller frames of just their heads and neck emphasizing on the loving relationship between the two characters. The camera frame movement used in this scene helped maintain the feeling of love. Zooming in and out of each characters eyes accentuated the theme of love and created a very romantic scene.
The third technique that is important to creating a theme in a movie is the acting style of the characters. The love story in the film has not been proven a true story but the actual ship sinking is factual. Since the actual ship, RMS Titanic, is a true story and happened in a particular era, this type of acting is called period acting. Jack, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, is considered a character actor as he plays the lower class guy that tries to fit in with the higher class. He uses what he has learned on the street to make ends meet and to break bread with the rich. His character is somewhat a comedic, which brings a bit of humor to his role. Despite his lower class, he uses that to his advantage to impress the young high class character, Rose. Rose, played by Kate Winslet, takes on a role of a woman that actually existed as a lady of the RMS Titanic that lived to tell her story. She plays a 17 year old girl, in an arranged marriage, due to a financial crisis in her family. She boards the RMS Titanic as a first-class passenger, and meets Jack in her desperate attempt to commit suicide. Kate’s acting style brings Rose to life with her attitude. She knew how to play the high class lady and yet, when she meets Jack, she proves that she can be a down to earth kind of gal. Kate plays Rose as a wild card and does it ever so easily. She is outgoing, tenacious, and courageous. Both of their acting styles played very well together. They were able to establish and maintain the love story throughout the film.
In some occurrences, the mise en scène is used to evoke lasting feelings throughout the movie and not just for particular scenes.

In order to make a film, you must have a story, and when you have a story, you tend to have a theme. The overall emotion of love is noticed during the entire movie using all elements of mise en scène. However, the three cinematic techniques of lighting, cameras, and acting created such a dramatic experience and told an everlasting story of love. If such techniques were not used, the dramatic love story would not have been conveyed. The director, producer, and editor chose the correct cinematic techniques to make this film epic. This unforgettable film touched the hearts of so many people around the world. It is incredible seeing how all of the elements of filmmaking came together to create such a masterpiece. You don’t just watch the movie Titanic, you experience it. This is a film that sweeps you away into a world of spectacle, magnificence, love, and a realm of fantasy unimaginable without the elements of

cinematography.