Mise en Scene: Almost Famous

 Almost Famous Mise-en Scene

This movie is one of my all-time favorites solely because of the setting (70s) and the plot. All these scenes helped to tell the story because after every single one, more about the character is revealed or the plot just furthers. This movie came out in 2000 and had grossed $47 million against its $60 million budget. Despite this, I think that its cultural impact was worth the lost money. Lighting was one thing that I noticed had an impact on the characters- there was one scene that will be discussed where lighting was the key driving point in how the plot advanced and truly reflected the characters personality. I really liked this movie because I love the 70’s and I relate to most of the characters – William because of his nerdiness and about music, Russell about his love for rock and roll, and Penny because of her optimism and personality that just radiates sunshine. I think that this movie captures every good aspect about the 70s and every time that I watch it, I feel a little closer to that decade. I, too, would have hopelessly fallen in love with Russell Hammond and travelled across the US in a stupid tour bus listening to rock with him if I was in the 70’s.   

    Penny Lane Alley Way Meeting Scene                 

    The setting of this scene was a dark alleyway during the nighttime. It was the back entrance to a venue where all of the rock stars hang out. It had grimy, dirty walls, a metal door, and a ramp where the character (William) is at bottom and got denied entry while the girls at top get entry later in movie. For the lighting, there is imitation moon light, streetlights, it it is nighttime, so it is dark. Next, the costumes. Since the setting was the rock scene of the early 70’s, it was mainly 70’s attire. The Band Aids (girl group) wore their most stylish outfits while William wore a jacket and satchel and held a magazine. Penny Lane wearing a penny lane coat and sunglasses. This scene took place in an empty alley way, William is underdog and put at bottom of ramp – always talking up to Penny Lane. The lights are low but shine specifically on Penny. Characters are still visible, but the background is not. 

 

  Russell/William Rooftop Party Scene  

·          The setting for this scene was a house party after Russell, the guitarist, wanted ‘something real.’ The lights were dim in some areas except for the spotlight on Russell when he was on roof (moonlight.) As for the costumes, everyone was in casual outfits still and in 70’s attire. William wore his usual ‘nerd’ attire while Russel wore a flattering button down classic 70’s shirt. Every other minor character wore normal clothes – a graphic tee and jeans. They were designed to look like ‘real people,’ what the guitarist wanted. Moving on, the house is cramped and dirty, and there were people and cups everywhere. It was set up to look like an authentic house party set up. When Russel got on the roof, he was in the spotlight and all the attention was supposed to be on him. 

 

3.     Penny Lane Conversation             

·           The setting for this scene was a park outside during the middle of the day. The sun was shining bright and illuminated Penny in specific even though it was a super emotional scene. It was only Penny and William, and they were talking about a previous scene where Penny, who is in love with Russel, gets rejected by him and ‘sold’ to another band for “$50 and a case of beer.” Her character plays the part of the happy-go-luck, sunshine persona, so her next line after Wiliam told this to her was ‘what kind of beer?’ She stated this as she wiped away a tear and smiled, which sums up her character perfectly. She wore a sheer white top and jeans, a casual outfit, and William wore his normal nerd attire. The costumes weren't the key part of the scene, it was mainly lighting and the characters' actions. In this scene, it was only the characters alone outside. 

 Tiny Dancer Scene                                     

·          This scene was set in the band's cramped tour bus as they were on their way to another gig. It was set after the guitarist had a breakdown, went to a party, took too much acid, and threatened to leave the band. Its primary purpose was to show that despite the challenges, all these people are family and will always come back to each other. For the lighting, there was sunlight coming from the windows of the bus and spotlight on the characters that spoke. Russell (right) was in a towel because he was picked up from the party where he jumped into a pool, but other than that, every character is in their usual 70’s clothes. The characters are staged on either side of the bus but are always interacting with each other- laughing, hitting, smiling, singing, etc.