The mise en scène elements of acting, lighting, and color in Steven Soderbergh’s Out of Sight (1998) correlate closely with the moods of different parts of the film, contributing significantly to the film’s storytelling process. In the analyzed shot, many of these elements work in tandem to suggest to viewers a turning point in the storyline. As argued below, the mise en scène elements of acting, lighting and color in the shot of Jack Foley and Buddy packing to leave Miami function to emphasize a major transition in both the location and tone of the plot. This shot lasts for about 25 seconds (52:31-52:56) and takes place at Buddy’s place, a setting with a warm, yellow hue. During the whole shot, Foley (George Clooney) and Buddy (Ving Rhames)
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In much of the story before the shot, Foley moves in a laid back fashion, as if the world were a game. However, in this shot, Foley for once seems pressured as he moves with purpose, hurriedly packs his belongings (as, in a previous scene, Foley and Buddy discover the surrounding area swarming with undercover police). George Clooney’s acting delivers viewers a sense of urgency, as Foley and Buddy narrowly miss the police raid. The color of the shot features two nearly complementary colors: orangish yellow and blue. The actors wear a full dress of blue while they are surrounded by the warm yellow of the room, making the two pop out. This color difference immediately draws eyes to Foley and Buddy, contrasting the actors from the surrounding room; it’s almost as though the two do not belong in the room, in the warm yellow of Miami. The white highlights on Buddy’s back, produced by backlighting, further compounds this effect, setting him apart from the room. Additionally, Foley mostly brings dark colored, blue clothes in his bag. When he encounters his red Hawaiian shirt, he hesitates for a moment before deciding to leave the shirt behind; the red shirt would not belong in his future destination, so Foley leaves it behind in warm Miami. By leaving behind the warm colored red shirt and dressing in cool blue, Foley abandons his former carefree attitude for one more suited to the cold and dangerous city of Detroit. As the characters begin associating themselves with the color blue, viewers begin to expect a major turn in the story. The mise en scène elements of the shot work together to mark a transition in Foley’s demeanor, from playful and carefree to serious and purposeful, as well as a transition in the mood of events, from warm safety in Miami to the cold danger in
In much of the story before the shot, Foley moves in a laid back fashion, as if the world were a game. However, in this shot, Foley for once seems pressured as he moves with purpose, hurriedly packs his belongings (as, in a previous scene, Foley and Buddy discover the surrounding area swarming with undercover police). George Clooney’s acting delivers viewers a sense of urgency, as Foley and Buddy narrowly miss the police raid. The color of the shot features two nearly complementary colors: orangish yellow and blue. The actors wear a full dress of blue while they are surrounded by the warm yellow of the room, making the two pop out. This color difference immediately draws eyes to Foley and Buddy, contrasting the actors from the surrounding room; it’s almost as though the two do not belong in the room, in the warm yellow of Miami. The white highlights on Buddy’s back, produced by backlighting, further compounds this effect, setting him apart from the room. Additionally, Foley mostly brings dark colored, blue clothes in his bag. When he encounters his red Hawaiian shirt, he hesitates for a moment before deciding to leave the shirt behind; the red shirt would not belong in his future destination, so Foley leaves it behind in warm Miami. By leaving behind the warm colored red shirt and dressing in cool blue, Foley abandons his former carefree attitude for one more suited to the cold and dangerous city of Detroit. As the characters begin associating themselves with the color blue, viewers begin to expect a major turn in the story. The mise en scène elements of the shot work together to mark a transition in Foley’s demeanor, from playful and carefree to serious and purposeful, as well as a transition in the mood of events, from warm safety in Miami to the cold danger in