Mise En Scene Analysis

In the mise-en-scene of films, “…there are at least two different levels of story telling, the actual narrative which is the upfront story and the visual story which is the undercurrent (Sanchez 22). Although Drumline (2002) and Straight Outta Compton (2015) were released over a decade apart, there were similar conflicts in black communities that were highlighted and represented through music and the mise- en-scene in both films. Of the black community issues, the main ones that were similar were drugs, community/society, coping with loss, and the aspect of talent.

In Drumline, one of the introductory scenes depicted a dimly lit subway station, in which the main character, Devon, told his father that he became successful on his own, and did

In Drumline, girls were representing themselves and stepping, a form of percussive dance, fully clothed in matching fits, whereas the women in Straight Outta Compton were portrayed either in a provocative way, degraded, or as fangirls who fell in love with the main characters in the film, dressed in skimpy (if any) clothing. “Understanding Black American Aspects in Hip Hop Cinema” elaborated on the new stereotypes of African American women, through scripts such as “The Gold Digger, Gangster Bitches, The Sister Savior, The Earth Mother, and the Baby Mamas” (Sanchez

In Drumline, Devon had to compete for his place on the drumline, despite being accepted via scholarship. His frustration and inequality as a new band member was shown through his drum battles, in which the beats of the drums would be more sonorous, aggressive, and singled out in comparison to the band as a chorus. He would be seen wearing navy blue or black, dark colors, and as his progression grew, his hair changed from corn rows to fresh buzz cuts.

Both of these films were significant in representing music. As quoted from Straight Outta Compton, “Even great talent can crash and burn.” The impact that music had on the characters and effects of the films were shown through genres such as percussion, instrumental, hip-hop, rap, and jazz funk beats/lyrics. The stories told on the forefront were those of hard work and successes, while the undercurrent demonstrated certain consequences and realities that came with such things as well; in the case of these two films, talent was the narration, and issues such as drugs, race, and