How Does Katniss Use Mise En Scene In Mockingjay Part 2

The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 2 created by Francis Lawrence is the final film in the Hunger Games trilogy and wraps it all up nicely. The film continues the story from its predecessor, The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1, and picks up right from where we left off after our main character Katniss was choked by the capital-corrupted Peeta. The director consistently shows that only the creator of the war benefits with the creator of the war in the film being the main antagonist Coriolanus Snow. One scene where this is especially prominent is the “Turn your weapons to Snow” scene where Katniss is being held at gunpoint by refugee, Pugnax. This scene uses a mixture of dialogue, facial expressions, camerawork, and mise en scene to help portray

Its use helps the viewer connect more with the characters in this scene and makes them feel as though they are there. For example, the mix of a shaky camera and the prolonged shots of Katniss emphasise the nerves Katniss is feeling while being held at gunpoint. They not only make us feel empathy for Katniss, but also push us to consider the emotions that Katniss must be feeling in the moment, but how she manages to stay so calm and collected and not do wild, random things because of the natural flight or fight instinct. The shaking camera makes us feel as if we are physically standing behind Pugnax looking down at Katniss. The shaking camera also emphasises the trembling in her breathing and voice as we the viewer are shaking too. Katniss being calm also slows the scene down from its frantic beginning where Katniss is first held at gunpoint. Katniss talks slower than how a regular person being held at gunpoint would talk. The reason that is this the case is because a regular person would be trying their hardest in the quickest way possible to reason with the gunman why they shouldn’t shoot them. The low angle that is used throughout the scene helps give a sense of the power that Pugnax has gained over Katniss. Katniss being held down and having to do what Pugnax says is telling us that Pugnax is the leader in this situation and Katniss will have to follow his lead if she wants to survive. The prolonged camera shots of Katniss also give the viewer an uneasy, uncomfortable feeling as it’s an abnormal thing to do in films to have which makes the viewer feel uneasy about the situation. This technique is only strengthened by the mise en scene at this moment as Pugnax has visible injuries with there being blood on his face and the fact that he is holding a pistol means that something unknown must of happened down further in the