Mise en Scene
Mise en Scene Analysis
Grey's Anatomy "Flight"
Grey's Anatomy is a popular TV show known for being an intense, emotional, and high-energy drama, so of course, it is the perfect choice to be an inspiration for my project. My group and I plan on making drama the choice for the genre of our movie, which is why I immediately thought of Grey's anatomy because you can't find a more conflict drive, heart-tugging, and suspenseful drama. The epitome of a true drama!!! A drama genre features stories with high stakes and numerous conflicts. What also defines a drama is a clear narrative plot structure, portraying real-life scenarios or extreme situations with emotionally driven characters. The Mise en Scene of the episode named "flight" in Grey's Anatomy uses setting, costume, lighting, and staging to convey the story and follow along the lines of a true drama which overall makes the episode a success.
Setting:
A majority of the setting takes place in the woods which helps convey a sense of isolation, despair, loneliness, danger, and vulnerability throughout the episode which is significant in portraying the story since a group of surgeons had just been involved in a plane crash. The setting also contributes to the dramatic sense of the episode by creating drama through the idea that the surgeons are stranded without aid or rescue which builds emotion and intensity. Realism is also a factor since the setting takes place in the woods which realistically a plane could end up crashing in this location. The setting has all the components of a real forest/wooded area, since it has the essentials such as large trees, that are portrayed to stretch for miles, dirt, and plants, etc. All these components give the viewer a feel for a real forest and the realness of the setting makes the emotions and storyline feel all that more real, therefore, all the emotions in the episode have a strong impact on the viewers. For me, this has an emotional appeal and makes the episode all the more intriguing since the viewer feels like the situation is actually real and is actually happening. Moreover, The episode is set at a plane crash site which helps in creating a clear conflict for the viewers and explains why the scene is so intense and emotional. The real-life scenario that there is a plane crash explains why the scene is so emotional and has high energy.
The woods amplify the emotion of the scene as Meredith(one of the surgeons) screams desperately for her loved one Derek(Her husband, which is another one of the surgeons involved in the crash) but the setting tells the viewer that her emotional efforts are essentially hopeless because of the magnitude and great size of the woods. It seems as if she is wondering aimlessly and screaming hopelessly but nevertheless this creates emotions, sympathy, and suspense. In contrast, the setting at the hospital is organized and clean which contradicts, intensifies, and emphasizes the disorganization, disarray, and chaos of the plane crash scene. From the inclusion of two distinct settings, the viewer is able to see a clear difference between the two settings and the tensions created. Throughout the episode the scene cut between the hospital and the woods/plane crash. This helps in creating this high pace factor and intensity which is an important component of a drama as it keeps the viewer engaged and filled with anticipation and suspense.
Lighting:
The lighting was a key component in the episode as it conveys to the reader the mood and tone for the episode before anything significant is even shown. From the very beginning(and throughout the episode) dark lighting is utilized (the episode starts off with a black screen and dark/dim lighting) which creates a sad or uneasy feeling. There is also flashing lighting similar to lightning which corresponds with the thunder audio played. This creates a sense of urgency and an uneasy feeling of something being wrong. The flashing light also creates suspense and tells the viewer the tone of the episode is going to be dark. Furthermore, flashing lights create intensity, chaos, and disorientation. This dramatic use of lightning helps in defining the episode as a drama since it creates emotion and a sense that there is some type of issue or conflict. Throughout the episode, the lighting is rather muted to match the dark mood, but specifically, towards the end of the scene, dark lighting is used to show low spirits and morals, and dramatic emotions. This is fitting since as the scene goes on, the characters' morals go down since they feel like death is creeping upon them as they feel like no one is coming to their rescue. The light helps in making the point clear.
Costume:
The initial costuming starts with a group of fresh and young-looking individuals appropriately dressed (semi-formal/business casual) and dramatically switches to a group of some of the same individuals dressed in blood and torn scrubs. This immediately tells the viewer that something bad is going to happen/is happening. This creates a dramatic factor since the viewer is clearly noticing the dramatic and clear difference emphasized through costume between the characters at the beginning to the characters at the plane crash site. This creates suspense and intensity. The costuming and makeup alone tells the viewer something is clearly wrong and that the characters have all gotten hurt together and are clearly in danger or in some type of life-threatening situation. Moreover, the scrubs that all the characters are wearing create a sense of unity which helps develop the idea that they are all in this bad situation together. Also creates this idea that they are bonded and are going through this awful and terrifying issue as a collective. Makeup is done to make the characters look roughed up, dirty, hurt, and bloody. Overall the specific choice in costuming and makeup/special effects help in portraying the severity of the situation and emphasizes key components such as the hurt and deteriorating conditions of the surgeons after the plane crash.
Staging:
Most noticeably, the scene is staged using props of a broken and wrecked airplane which helps in portraying that the plane has crashed. The props/piece of the plane is scattered which helps in shaping the disarray and chaos of the scene. There is a big prop on one of the surgeons, Lexie,(assumably a piece of the broken aircraft) which showcases the magnitude of her dire predicament which eventually leads to her death. Afterward, the characters are staged around Lexie in a semi-circle to show they care for her as there are symbolically and literally surrounding her with love as they mourn the loss of their loved one. This showcases how the staging was used to create emotion whether it be fear and suspense as the viewer anticipates the death of characters or if it's the love, and unity of the characters as they face obstacles and hardships together. Moreover, the characters were initially staged at different places in the woods to create a sense of vulnerability, fear, and suspense which is important as the story goes along and they all come together in their hurt and damaged conditions. Since they were initially staged to be far apart when they come together the viewer cannot only feel but see the change and a new sense of unity formed. In a different scene, Two surgeons are staged separately and are walking far apart but in an instance of emotion and conveyed fear through dialogue they come together dramatically/intensely and hold one another to show love support, and determination to get through this crisis. Altogether it is clear that the use of staging helps in creating ideas and conveys such points to the reader in a clear way. The way things/characters are placed on screen makes certain points clear and understandable even if it is subconsciously understood. Subtle things in staging make a huge impact.
In another section of the episode, the staging was used in order to make a contrast. Two surgeons (who were involved in the plane crash) are staged on the floor around mark(on the floor with his head on a rolled-up t-shirt) who has the same deathly condition as a man in the hospital scene who is staged on a hospital bed surrounded by equipped and unharmed doctors. This is essential to the storyline by showcasing that the surgeons at the plane crash site are vulnerable and severely disadvantaged since they don’t have the equipment or resources they need to save the lives of their friends (these two scenes cut between each other) overall creating intensity and fear as they viewers can see the difference in the layout of the scenes and come to the conclusion that there is little the surgeons in the woods can do in their circumstance. The clear conflicts and obstacles the group faces helps in defining the episode/ show as a drama since it shows the high stakes in the situation, being that the surgeons are in a life or death scenario in instances where they cannot save their loved ones on or find help. Overall the staging helps in the emotional aspect, as well as the viewers, feeling unease, fear, and concern for the characters involved in the plane crash.
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