In this essay I will be conducting a micro analysis of the opening seven minutes of Spider-man 3, focussing on mise-en-scene and diegetic sound. Spider-man 3 is an American superhero-based film produced by Marvel Entertainment and Laura Ziskin Production and distributed by Columbia Pictures in 2007. The film is based upon the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-man and is the last film in its trilogy. The main focus in this essay is how the mise-en-scene and diegetic sound represent the contrast in the differing positive and negative atmosphere.
An example of mise-en-scene that can determine the atmosphere is the use of casting in the movie. In the opening seven minutes of the film we are introduced to three main characters: Peter, i.e. Spider-man, Mary, his girlfriend, and Harry, an old friend who holds a grudge against him. From the beginning of the film it is obvious to the reader that Peter/Spider-man has been labelled as the ‘hero’ in the film; this is by the young children admiring his actions being shown on a large screen, keeping Manhattan safe. As the opening continues we are introduced to two further main characters, Harry and Mary. The audience gather the impression that Harry will be portrayed as the villain in the film; this is because of the previous tension shown between Peter and himself, and the expectance that Harry will be looking for some sort of revenge. Harry also buys Mary the same type of flowers as Peter does, but much bigger, possibly showing that Harry is attempting to ‘out-do’ Peter and disturbing his relationship with Mary. Mary is shown as the ‘heroine’ in the movie, the hero’s girlfriend and the tension between Peter and Harry, along with the incident with the flowers, gives the impression that both the hero and the villain will have to fight over her at some point throughout the course of the movie. The atmosphere created by Peter and Mary is a positive, content one, whereas the presence of Harry puts the audience on edge and makes them question what he is capable of.
The setting in the first 7 minutes of the opening plays a large part in determining whether the atmosphere created is positive or negative. The film takes place in urban America, specifically Manhattan in New York City, named one of the greatest and busiest cities on Earth. An example of a positive atmosphere is during the daytime, where the weather is bright and Spider-man is making headline news. Peter stands on a curb watching on as young kids admire the video being played of Spider-man on a large screen. Hearing the children’s admiring comments, the headlines on newspapers and the covers of magazines promoting Spider-man as Manhattan’s hero makes Peter feel good about himself and the whole atmosphere is portrayed as positive and the future looks bright for Manhattan and Peter, Spider-man, himself. An example of where the setting creates a negative atmosphere is when Peter and his girlfriend, Mary, are laying underneath the stars and begin to head home, both unaware that they are being followed by an unknown, black, slimy, moving object. The setting is dark and gloomy, leaving you unable to see everything around you clearly, therefore the added intensity of what the object could want with or what it is planning to do with Peter and Mary, showing a hidden, sinister twist to, what was, a romantic moment and therefore creating a negative and apprehensive atmosphere.
Another factor of mise-en-scene that plays an important part in determining the atmosphere throughout the film is the props used in the framing of the scenes. An example of some props that create a positive atmosphere are the newspaper headlines and magazine covers which portray Spider-man in a positive light to the civilians of Manhattan – making Peter feel proud of himself and the audience feeling content with the uplifting atmosphere the safety of having their very own hero, that Manhattan is producing. Although, an example of some props that create a negative, sinister atmosphere in when the audience is introduced to what looks like Harry’s ‘futuristic lab’, which contains all kinds of costumes and masks, all of a dark colour, highlighting the mysterious and dark meaning behind Harry owning these items, producing a creepy, mad-scientist feel and creating a nervous and suspicious atmosphere for the audience.
Lighting is another factor of mise-en-scene that plays a vital part in the contrasting atmospheres featured in the opening seven minutes of the film. The type of lighting used most in the opening is artificial, as the majority of the opening is at night opposed to day. When the audience are introduced to Harry’s lab, it is dark and gloomy with almost a sinister feel, putting the audience on edge as to what this new scenery is capable of. Harry enters the lab through a lift and green smoke covers the majority of his being, the green colour possibly representing the jealousy he feels over Peter being Spider-man and having Mary as his girlfriend; jealousy turns the atmosphere in Harry’s lab sour, therefore keeping the audience on edge as to what Harry himself in capable of.
Another factor that can contribute to the atmosphere created is the costume and make-up of the main characters. Peter is dressed in casual clothes, exactly what you would expect an everyday student to wear, implying that there is nothing special or out of the ordinary about him, especially not stereotypically seen as a superhero. However, the image of Peter is strongly contrasted with the image of Spider-man; Spider-man is shown wearing mainly red, but instead of representing danger, the colour gives the feeling that he is saving the civilians of Manhattan from danger. During her performance, Mary is shown wearing a very delicate, elegant white dress; this can imply that the white shows her innocence and that she is oblivious to the tension between Peter and Harry. All of these images produce a positive atmosphere: the ordinary feel about Peter, the superhero ‘save the day’ image from Spider-man and the innocent portrayal of Mary. The positive atmosphere is soon contrasted with the dark sense that Harry creates; Harry is shown wearing mostly black, a dark colour to represent a dark being, supporting the other sinister influences made about him as a character.
A final factor that can influence the atmosphere within the film opening is the diegetic sound. Examples of this that create a positive and uplifting effect are the scenes where Peter is narrating to the audience explaining the change in his life, him becoming Spider-man, and how it has helped him, and the scenes where Peter walks past a jewellers and a ring inside catches his eye, with the audience questioning ‘is he going to propose?’ and where Mary is performing on stage and he announces to the two men sitting next to him that “that’s my girlfriend” – clearly showing how proud he is of Mary. Examples of diegetic sound that produce a negative atmosphere are when Peter narrates to the audience that clearly some things have not changed in his life, how he still manages to get picked on by others during his lectures, and the scene where the audience are first introduced to the first piece of dialogue in the opening between Harry and Peter where there is clearly a tension between the two and Harry makes a remark about Peter apologising to his father’s death bed opposed to him – implying that a past event has corrupted whatever friendship they once had and therefore keeping the audience on edge about what this negative tension and atmosphere could lead to.
In this essay I have analysed the opening seven minutes of the film, Spider-man 3, through the focus of which parts of the mise-en-scene and diegetic sound produce which type of contrasting atmosphere: positive or negative. From my analysis I can conclude that the mise-en-scene and diegetic sound play a massive part in determining the atmosphere created and can change the audience’s perspective by the use of a costume or a prop or the setting.
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