Do the Right Thing Film Analysis Essay

Mise en scene refers to the most visual and observable attributes in a film such as actors, setting, props, costumes, makeups, and the other natural or artificial aspects of the areas filmed. These features might be used to inform the viewers about the film's subtle information. In the scene at Sal's shop, the film's cinematographer and director put so much to the movie by altering the camera angles and shots' choices such that the speech in the film is of limited consequence. There was a mix of low-key lighting, rapid-fire shooting, and canted angles to show an atmosphere of tension and surprise. On the same note, there was an onscreen flood of emotion built by the racial tension. Intuitively, this stands as the central reason why the film Do the Right Thing is considered one of the seminal works of the director until today.

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One of the props in the film is the number 42 Brooklyn Nets shirt that belongs to Jackie Robinson that Mookie wears for almost the first half of the film. Principally, this signifies that Jackie is breaking the racial barrier that happened when Robinson became the first black player in the Major Leagues. The scene of Clifton wearing the shirt of the basketball player Larry Bird also triggers a confrontation after Martin Lawrence mocked him "throw those shits out" is also a famous scene. This goes beyond any conversation in the cultural props and orientation that exist at that time especially in the face of the extravagant air Jordans that were the flashiest wears at that particular time to communicate their social status.

Another scene is where a crowd has gathered in front of a shop after white police chocked Radio Raheem to death. Mookie is positioned in the middle ground between the shop-owner, Sal who is placed at the foreground and the crowd stood at the background. This picture depicts Sal as the firsthand recipient of the ordeal through the death of his employee and Mookie as the cool-headed person with some leadership qualities upon Sal and the crowd who carry the public opinion of the current state of affairs. Mookie even goes ahead to console his brother.

The film "Do the Right Thing" involves regular camera movement and some incidences of still camera photography. In one scene, especially the one involving confrontation amongst Martin Lawrence, Buggin' Out and Clifton, camera movement is used to capturing the speech of Martin Lawrence. Another scene where camera movement is used entails where there is a physical confrontation between Buggin' out and Clifton.

The use of still camera complements the film's narrative since it presents the vivid sense of loss and feelings of anger in the scene after the death of Radio Raheem. Here, the still camera photos bring out more information about the prevailing opinion and reinforce the verbal disgust of the crowd. However, even without the verbal expression, the use of a still camera adequately presents the non-verbal cues and communication.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Minse en scene plays a critical role in delivering a full cinematic experience in a particular film. Inadequate presentation of a film's setting; lighting or still photos can seriously omit the contextual information making viewers misunderstand the movie or from a different perspective. However, filmmakers should always be careful when using Minse en scene ensure in their movies since using it wrongly can have detrimental effects both to the audience and to the producers themselves.