Mise-En-Scene evaluation Billy Elliot

Production Design

In Billy Elliot, the production design was made to fit the current time so that a viewer can further understand the current era in which Billy Elliot is set in. For example, nowadays, it would be rare to see in 21st century Britain, boys fighting using boxing gear as football would be the most dominant sport. Therefore, this production design can give a viewer a more detailed insight into when Billy Elliot is set and so add more realism.

Lighting
In some scenes of Billy Elliot, the lighting changes quite drastically to show how Billy is feeling at the time. For example, in the image of Billy at the graveyard, the lighting around the set becomes lighter to show possibly how his mother is in heaven and thus a brighter light is being sent towards Billy which can show the affection that he had with his mother.

Actors
In Billy Elliot, the actors such as Billy's dad seem to have a quite strong accent from the North, which adds more realism as there were a lot of miners strikes happening at the time and so, giving them an accent can make a viewer be even more sure on where the movie is set. Moreover, the dominant race in the movie was clearly white which once again shows where the movie could be set as there was very little different groups of people around.

Color
Much like lighting, color varies in different scenes to show the different moods of Billy. For example, when his ballet teacher was reading him her mother's note, the colors were fairly bright and dark at the same time. This is to show that there is a difference in feelings towards Billy - happiness and sadness.

 

 Era

The era can be very easily figured out due to the riots that occur during the movie. As there were plenty of riots occuring during the 1980s, a viewer can easily guess that this was the time in which the film was set in. Moreover, the use of a gym for a boxing ring and ballet practice shows that there wasn't much money which was a problem back in the 1980s due to the inflation that was occurring because of the current strikes.