Mis-en-scene homework

"The Fighter" - 2010

IMDb Synopsis - In Lowell, Massachusetts, in 1993 former boxer Dicky Eklund, who once fought Sugar Ray Leonard, believes the TV crew are filming his come-back. In fact it is a documentary on 40 year old Eklund's descent into drug addiction. Younger half-brother Micky Ward is now the family's great white hope for a boxing world title but Dicky and mother Alice seem to think they have a stake in Micky. His girlfriend and father believe he should ditch them for a professional trainer and manager but when the crucial fights start to come Micky's way it's Dicky's advice that helps get him to the top, uniting all of them as Micky becomes world champion. This film is similar to our final film as it is a "Sport Drama" and includes elements and conventions of that genre as does our film, such as training scene montages. Setting

One of the most important and crucial settings would be the main character, Mickey Ward's hometown of Lowell, Massachusettes. This is the generic "small town suburb" that would make the film relatable to many other people who live in towns like these. Films usually set their stories in places that are iconic that everyone knows such as big cities, or small towns.

The boxing ring where his fights take place is another important setting as without this, the film would fall apart. "The Fighter" revolves around the struggle that Micky Ward has in the ring, and therefore this is an important setting in depicting his struggle. Costume

Clothing is important in distinguishing the sport aspect of this film as the typical boxing wear is shown in the picture above. The characters generally wear simple clothing throughout the film, refelcting regional identity or social class maybe, as they may not be well off financially due to the place where they live and the social class they are. Actors

Mark Wahlberg plays the protagonist, Micky Ward, and this is a typical role that he is likely to take because he is normally involved in movies where he fights with people, so the role of a boxer is suited for his acting skills. They have chosen him for this role as it may draw in the same type of audience he is usally associated with, and he also looks the part; stereotypical white American male.

Amy Adams plays Micky's girlfriend and barmaid, Charlene Fleming, and at the time she was a fairly unknown actress who took on diverse roles each time, whether it was a princess in "Enchanted" or a pilot in "Night at the Museum 2". This is suited to her however, as she plays and looks the part.

Christian Bale plays Micky's half-brother and former boxing champion turned crack addict, Dicky Eklund. This is a typical Bale role as he always plays someone with a problem or something completely different to what he actually is in real life. Lighting

The only source of light in this scene is from the row of lights facing towards the boxing ring; meaning that the boxing ring is the focal point of attention as the audience is shrouded in darkness and you can just hear them rather than see them.

The picture above is minimal lighting, used to reflect the characters emotions as he is bent down with his hands on his head, quite obviously disressed and upset. The only light in the scene is casting a shadow on him, making him a sillhoutte, which could connotate that maybe we cannot see or understand what he is feeling in that moment of the film. Body Language/Facial Expressions