Midnight in Paris - Mise-en-scene

Gil Pender (Owen Wilson) is the main character in the film Midnight in Paris. In the opening scenes, mise en scene helps to portray Gil as a wealthy man, who is fascinated by the atmosphere and setting he is in, as well as being excited to pursue his career as a writer.


Setting

The first scene where we see Gil, is by the beautiful river where the famous artist Monet used as an inspiration to create one of his greatest masterpieces. Gil is there with his fiancé which shows he is a romantic person and likes to spoil her.

The second scene is in a fancy hotel, with gold and yellow walls to show wealth. The marble floor is pristine, and the room is decorated with bouquets of flowers and huge chandeliers, and everything is in its place. This shows just how wealthy Gil is, as only the rich would be able to stay in a place like that.

Costume, makeup and hair

Throughout the film Gil is dressed fairly smart but it is a bit more laid back as he is not wearing a tie and his top button is undone. As well as this his blazer is also not a rich material which shows that even though he may have enough money, he may not like to dress fancy all the time. Gils hair is neatly brushed which shows that he likes to take care of his appearance, and his face is freshly shaved which shows he is not a type to dress scruffy and that looking clean is important not only to him but for his high status appearance. His fiancés parents are much more smartly dressed which shows that Gil doesn't always make an extreme effort in the way he dresses which suggests that his is more common and laid back when on holiday in Paris.

Figure expression

Gil is always laid back in the way he moves. He keeps his hands inn his pockets when he walks making him seem more casual and he's not trying to look professional like the other men he associates with. He also walks slowly behind his friends, almost dawdling, which suggests that he is taking everything in while everyone walks on, as he is trying to get some inspiration for his writing. Another scene where his figure expression is key is when he is wondering the streets of Paris at night and he stops in the middle of the road, obviously lost and doesn't know where he is. However, instead of searching around, he sits on some steps and lays back on them in a casual way, suggesting that he doesn't like to rush, and he doesn't care how long he has to sit there, he's just content with being alone in the city of lights.

Props

Wine glasses are a prior prop to this film. When Gil is with his fiancé and her parents there are many wine glasses on the table which shows they are celebrating and doing what a lot of rich people do (wine tasting). This suggests that Gil has been brought into an even more wealthy environment and he is not used to it. Every social event has wine glasses and bottles all over the place. Gil doesn't seem to know what all the different wines are, he just wants to drink them as his cheeks are red from him drinking rather than tasting, which shows that he doesn't fit in.

Lighting
In the hotel that Gil is staying in, it is very well lit as huge chandeliers fill the room. High key lighting is used a lot throughout the first few scenes to show that everything is happy and exciting, but also to show their wealth and that they are safe and comfortable. In the evenings there is more low key lighting but the buildings are still well lit, to show wealthy areas and the streets are still fairly bright with the street lamps. Also the quieter back streets have more low key lighting but it is not too dark to show that Gil is in any danger.