How Mise-en-Scene Techniques Affect Character Development in the Film True Grit

Categories: Culture Grit Psychology Violence

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In True Grit, the lighting of characters, the depth and camera angles of the people and objects, and the costuming all contribute to the development of the three main characters. The scenes that have a major change in the emotions of the characters are viewed later in the film when the characters are in the wilderness and away from society The three characters, Mattie an innocent l4<year-old girl. Rooster. a stone-cold killer and a witless drunk. and Laboeuf, a rough and tumultuous ranger, traveled all over the Indian territory together.

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All three characters are developed individually and strengthened their relationships, enabling them to grow. Later in the film. the audience meets Labouef in Mattie‘s bedroomt LaBouef in this scene depicts him as, a creepy and abusive Texas Ranger, that is willing to help capture Tom Chainey. Without exception. Labouef makes no verbal sounds through most of the bedroom scene. The camera angles, the costume, and backlighting of LaBouef all contribute to showing him change from a person of excessive pride who only cares about the law, who learns to care for Mattie, respects her for her gender.

and saves her from Tom Chaney.

LaBoeuf is seen at a high camera angle, which implies that he is more powerful and authoritative than Mattiet There are also close- up shots of his leather clothing. which implies that he is rich and more civilized than the other townspeople Later in the journey of chasing Tom Chaney. LaBoeuf learns to care for Mattie and his chase is not just about capturing Tom Chaney, it‘s about helping and taking care of Mattie.

LaBoeuf shows this by saving Mattie from Chaney he is seen at a high angle, while hitting Chaney with his rifle, The high angle makes LaBoeuf seem more heroic towards Mattie, The mise-en—scene techniques such as high angles, costuming, and lighting suggests to the audience that LaBoeuf has changed to a more caring person.

In the film, True Grit. the angles of the camera, the costume/appearance, and the lighting all contribute to depicting Rooster as a fearless and mysterious U.S. marshall, however, later in the film turns into a kind-hearted person with “true grit.” Beside the man’s bed. lies bottles of whiskey. The audience sees him in white clothes, covered in whiskey, and living in a restaurant. Rooster is portrayed as a vulnerable man with no "true grit,’l but later in the film, he is viewed at a high camera angle, which makes him look more powerful, while saving Mattie from being beaten by LaBoeuf. Another example would be when Rooster saves Mattie from the snake bite, which he had to go through in the dark wilderness in order to find a doctor for Mattie. The scene views him at a high angle in Mattie's eyes. tear-filled and glazed. which makes Rooster motivated to save herl The situation makes him look like a hero and a man with "true grit." Rooster lighting is seen in low-key lighting with more shadows at the beginning of the film, while at the end of the film Rooster is seen in higher-key lighting with less lighting to show how he has changed into a more heroic person.

The mise-en-scene elements such as the angles of the camera, the costume and appearance of the characters, and the lighting, all contribute to the change in the character of Rooster throughout the film. After Mattie's father was murdered by Tom Chaney, she travels to Fort Smith to find U.S. Marshall Rooster Cogburn and Texas Ranger LaBouef. and then into the Indian Territory to find Chaney. At Fort Smith, she experiences and watches the violent hanging of the townspeople criminals. Mattie finally moves from being an innocent little girl that sees multiple acts of Violence from the townspeople and in the wilderness to committing an act of violence by killing Tom Chaney, and she is physically and psychologically affected by it. The hanging scene focuses on the group of criminals waiting to be hung by the sheriff, who is seen from a medium shot and a high angle of view. When all the townspeople gather in the same dark clothes and say the same things.

A the strange and mysteriously uniformed group in the middle of the city, while the criminals defend themselves. The facial expressions and the tone of the townspeople, especially Mattie, is full of sadness and sorrowful when watching the lynching. The background of the shot shows the resilient lighting of the sun and scorched desen, illuminating the wilderness as the crowd's backyard. Furthermore, the Native American man does not receive the chance to give a testimony, due to the war between cowboys and Indians, like the "cultured" civilization vs. the "ravenous" wilderness habited Indians. The mise-en-scene technique in this situation helps readers to imply that Mattie is not the tough person that she tries to impress people, like Rooster and LaBeouf. The scene also implies the importance of the civilization vs. wilderness aspect of this scene. However, Mattie changes later in the film by shooting and killing Tom Chaney, which makes her less innocent while affecting her mentally and physically, When Mattie is on top of the mountain with Chaney, she decides to shoot him, which Mattie is seen at a high angle and has a riﬂe in her hand, while Chaney falls off the cliff and is seen at a low angle to show the audience how vulnerable Chaney is during this situation. When the audience sees Mattie‘s facial expression, you can see her innocence fading away.

These angles can change the mood, as Mattie is no longer seen as an innocent girl. The lighting of the shot is also dark when Mattie shoots Chaney, because Mattie is on top of the mountain, filled with bright light until she falls into a dark, gloomy hole that emphasizes a fearful, mysterious mood. The scene suggests that Mattie has changed significantly throughout the film. Mattie, Rooster, and LeBoeuf all developed as characters in the western film True Grit. LaBouef is changing from an overly proud person who only cares about the law, who learns to care for Mattie, respects her for her gender, and saves her from Tom Chainey. Rooster has changed from being known as a fearless and mysterious U.S. marshal] to being known as a kind- hearted person with "true grit," Finally, Mattie moves from being an innocent little girl who sees multiple acts of violence from the townspeople and in the wilderness to committing an act of violence by killing Tom Chaney, and she is physically and psychologically affected. All character development was done and examined using mise-en-scene techniques such as low and high camera angles, costumes and character lighting.