Mise-en-scene Merlin

Mise-en-scene Merlin

We watched a clip from the TV series Merlin and analyses how miss-en-scene was used to represent different class and different social status. The setting in this clip was a medieval style castle  which shows instantly that there will be a range of different class and status. We saw Merlin who is a peasant get into a fight with Arthur, who is of a much higher class. Their class is highlighted by their clothing; Merlin was wearing a ragged t-shirt and jacket along with ripped trousers to emphasise his lower class. In contrast, we saw Arthur who was wearing a bright red tunic with plates of armour on him for protection, this immediately reveals his higher class to the audience as it shows that he is able to afford better clothing and protection.

The colour of clothes plays a big role in representing the difference in class and status. Poorer, less important characters (on a scale of social status and not on importance to the show itself) are usually shown wearing blandly coloured clothes that are usually damaged. Whereas characters of a higher social class are usually shown in brighter colours to show that they are richer.

The lighting also gives a good representation of the difference in class and status by showing Merlin in a room (that he is not supposed to be in) as dark until the royals walk in, where the room becomes much lighter to show how much richer they are than Merlin. However, when outside there is no lighting apart from natural lighting from the sun; this is to show how the peasants are of a much lower status.

Props also highlight key differences between the two sets of characters. In the clip when Merlin is in the castle, we see various expensive items like stone pillars, huge wooden tables, and big glass mirrors. In contrast, we see the peasants village where there are makeshift homes and fireplaces with cheap cooking equipment. The higher living standards of the rich emphasise their higher class and status compared to the poor peasants.