Wondering about Wonder Woman 

By: Jules Moody 

Introduction

Mise-en-scene, which means placement within a frame (Considine & Haley, 1999), helps analyze a scene from a production such as plays, movies, and music videos. This analysis considers the setting and other visuals, such as props and lighting. Mise-en-scene helps with understanding the reason behind the elements of a message. The 4P Framework (Considine & Haley, 1999) fosters deeper analysis of media messages by providing specific aspects of a set to observe. These include props, position, point of view, and posture. Each one of these categories can be observed in different media messages and helps determine the motivation and the meaning. In Wonder Woman, analyzing specific scenes with this 4P Framework can uncover how the directors made Diana such a powerful and impactful Wonder Woman.  

 

Wonder Woman 

The film Wonder Woman was recreated and released in 2017 featuring Gal Gadot. It was directed by Patty Jenkins and had numerous nominations and awards. Before Wonder Woman was Wonder Woman, she was Princess Diana of the Amazons. They were protected on an island, but a pilot in the current war in the real world crashes on the island and eventually informs her of what is going on. She leaves with him to help but truly believes that Aries, the God of War, is behind the madness. Although no one believes her she finds Aries and defeats him with the power that was given to her by the Greek Gods. Diana discovers that Love is the most powerful force of all in the end, and spends her current days in the real world helping others with her gifted powers. 

 

No Man’s Land

The scene includes Princess Diana truly becoming her character of Wonder Woman for the first time. She crosses no man's land in the battle to save innocent lives, even though her male companions told her it was impossible. 

 (Link to Full Scene)

​

Point of View 

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

The point of view within a frame helps conduct meaning. There are specific angles and perspectives that help do this. In the images above, Diana reaches her breaking point. She is traumatized by the suffering she is seeing and demands they do something about it. In the first image, the high-angle tilt-down camera point of view is used on Diana. Steve is telling Diana there is nothing more than can do to help, that it's not possible. This angle tilted down on Diana while Steve is telling her this implies that there is a loss of power for her character (Considine & Haley, 1999). However, the point of view then follows Diana with a look of determination. Instead of following her face, the camera stops and the point of view shows the back of Diana, her companions watching her intently with shock. A build of suspense is created as it lingers on the back of Diana as she takes down her hair and puts on her Wonder Woman headband. After her reveal, she starts to go up the latter into no man's land. In the last image, the point of view demonstrates another high-angle tilt-down as her companions watch her and start yelling after her. The loss of power shifts to the men in the trenches, which make Diana's unstoppable act of bravery so powerful. 

 

 

​

​

Position

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

​

 

 

Similar to other concepts such as point of view, the position the characters and setting within the frame develope a meaning for the scene (Considine & Haley, 1999). In the first image above, Diana is interacting with an innocent bystander of the battle with her little child. Diana is positioned lower than the woman to showcase her vulnerability and care for others in need. Even though Diana is clearly the character in power in this scene, the positioning makes it clear that she doesn't crave power and views the woman more important than herself.

 

In the second image, the position of the camera helps us encapsulate the power of Wonder Woman as she ascends up the latter into no man's land. She is centered in the screen as she comes out of the trench and all of these explosions start to surround her as she walks in slow motion towards the enemy. As she crosses and takes fire, it shows the battlefield behind her and the rest of the battelfield in front of her. This symbolizes her mission, protecting her friends behind her and defeating the enemy to help those suffering at their expense. 

​

In the third image, Diana is taking fire and in a tracking shots, followed by a pan shot of the battlefield. . In an article about the scene, "Gadot isn't centered, she's to the right of the frame, drawing attention to the stretch of bombed-out wasteland she's already crossed while also highlighting the barrage she'd have to endure to keep going. It's a classic superhero image that's striking for the way it emphasizes a very human struggle" (cite). This becomes a symbolic shot, and helps in further understanding the meaning of the scene. 

​

Props

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

In this scene as Diana ascends the latter and enters no man's land, there are multiple close-ups of her outfit underneath her plain black cloak. It first focuses in on her shield, her wrist armor, boots, then rope, then finally her headband. Although it is only a spilt second on each of these frames, the close-up signifies the completion of her "Wonder Woman" outfit finally representing it's purpose. It demonstrates that this character is completing their transition into their powerful impact on the audience. Without the use of these props the scene would not have been able to symbolize what Wonder Woman means, which is bravery, selflessness, and love. The props become a vision of symbolism for Wonder Woman's character (Considine & Haley, 1999). 

​

The slow-mo explosions and use of her shield to divert the bombs also add to the dramatic empowerment in this scene that Diana encompasses. Additionally, the destruction of the opposing sides weapons as Diana reaches their base symbolizes the motivation Diana had to fight. She doesn't want to be violent, she wants to end violence. 

​

​

Posture 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

Princess Diana's posture changes through out this scene, as well as the other characters in this scene. In the beginning of the scene in the trenches, her body language conveys concern as she frantically looks around at the tragic chaos that surrounds her. However, as Diana transforms into Wonder Woman entering the battlefield it can be observed that her posture drastically changes. She holds her shoulders back and head up high as she couragesouly takes fire from the opposing soldiers. She also watches herself divert the bullets, which demonstrates her own realization that she has the power to help those in need. Examining her change of posture throughout this scene can guide understanding of her feelings (Considine & Haley, 1999). 

​

Her companions posture changes drastically through this scene as well. Their posture is taken taken out of it's comfort as she climbs out of the trench. They are completely shocked to what they are seeing. Once they realize she is doing the impossible, their posture promotes more confidence as they decide to charge the battlefield behind her. Finally, the opposing soldiers posture slowly changes as it shows their distress as they witness Diana and her companions dial in and destroy their base. 

​

​

Conclusion

 

Following Considine and Haley's 4P Framework, this scene from Wonder Woman can be analyzed througholgy by considering the point of view, position, props, and posture. These perspectives help the audience convey meaning through the scene. In the no man's land scene, meaning is conveyed through analyzing the shift in power change within angles of the camera. Meaning is also conveyed through the position of the set and characters with social ideology and cultural codes such as gender and power in this specific scene. Props can also help convey meaning through close-ups to symbolize something deeper than the aesthetics. Finally, posture also helps the audience read emotions through the characters such as Diana's march on the battlefield or her companions shocked reactions. All of these aspects and more such as the dramatic music and specular shots of Diana crossing no man's land create an iconic scene in Wonder Woman. 

​

Resources

​

Considine, D., & Haley, G. (1999). Visual messages: Integrating imagery into instruction (2nd ed.). Englewood, Colorado: Teacher Ideas Press.

​

Mancuso, V. (2020, December 22). “wonder woman”: Why diana crossing ‘No man’s land’ remains the peak of the DCEU. Collider. https://collider.com/wonder-woman-no-mans-land-explained/

 

Images from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJCgeOAKXyg