Hello everyone, welcome back to my blog! Today I will be analyzing the Mis-en-scene for the movie "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire"
COSTUME:
In any movie, the costume of a character can cause the audience to interpret the character in many different ways. In this particular scene, Katniss' dress represents her rebellion and her spirit. To start, the long wings help create the figure of a "mockingjay", which is a symbol Katniss represents, showing defiance against the capitol. She is dressed up in this costume particularly to catch the capitols attention with her known brand, and earn sponsors. This may make the audience see Katniss as a confident person, with a fiery spirit. However, the colors of the dress not only help create a better image of a mockingjay, but also helps show Katniss' emotional distress going through The Hunger Games a second time. The blue represents sadness, and also a "blue flame" which still shows how she has rebellion. It gives off a balance of her vulnerability and her rebellion to the capitol. This may make the audience feel sympathy for Katniss, and see her as a strong person.
LOCATION:
The location of a movie can help the audience interpret the plot in different ways, and different locations might be easier for directors. In this case, the Quarter Quell was filmed in Georgia, and since this location is a real place, and not CGI, it adds a sense of realism to the audience. Since the location is a real place, it is not very controllable. Also, real locations may be more expensive to manage. The location emphasizes the fact that the arena is very isolated. It makes the audience feel empathetic for the tributes, and have a more negative view on the Hunger Games.
PROPS:
One of the main props in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire that marks a turning point for two of the characters is Finnick's bracelet. In the picture, it is the gold bracelet on his wrist. This bracelet was given to him by Haymitch, a mentor of Katniss. This symbolizes the alliance between Haymitch and Finnick and develop the narrative by making Katniss ally with him later during the Hunger Games. This makes the some of the watchers infer that Finnick is a good person, while some other watchers may still have doubt on him. This also develops the narrative by introducing a new protagonist.
FRAMING:
The framing of a shot, such as the positioning of actors or props can create a meaning to the audience. In this shot, the other two tributes are very small and it is very obvious that they are far away from Katniss. The islands they are standing on is also very small, and it looks wobbly as well. Also, we can see the back of Katniss' head turning over towards them. To start, the positioning of the two tributes helps emphasize the fact that they are very isolated, and makes it look as if the tributes are inferior and vulnerable to the water, surrounding them. The little amount of props also helps the watcher understand how far away they are from each other. It could also make the watcher infer that the capitol, who put them in this situation in the first place, does not want to help them at all, so they gave little supplies to them. The positioning of Katniss makes the watcher feel as if they are right next to her, and may make them feel uneasy.
ACTORS:
The main actor of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is Jennifer Lawrence, who plays Katniss. In many scenes, she is praised for her amazing acting. In this particular scene, her acting is phenomenal as it shows many different emotions that Katniss is feeling at once. For one, she looks hurt, due to being nearly blown up after shooting the arena. However, she also looks hurt due to not knowing where Peeta is, and wondering if he was taken as well. She also shows confusion because she has no clue of where she's going. She shows maturity and acts as a role-model to many children in this movie.
