Juno Mise-En-Scene Essay

The first scene I studied was the “Doodle which can’t be un-did” scene, at the beginning of the film where Juno first finds out that she is pregnant, in her hometown’s drugstore. When Juno first enters the shop, she walks the centre of the shop, where the pregnancy tests are located. The location of the tests can be interpreted as Juno’s pregnancy becoming the focal point in her life as it is front and centre in her mind, much like the tests are in the drugstore. As the camera pans around the shop the audience realises it is small but contains a variety of different items. This relates to the rest of the film, as it takes place in Juno’s hometown, making the world that we see Juno in extremely small, but still full of life, much like the small but extremely full drugstore which she starts out her journey in. When Juno goes up to the counter in the store the audience can also see condoms displayed along with lottery. This indicates the naivety of Juno and Bleeker, as contraceptives are easily avalible to them, but they were still irresponsible with their actions. The lottery tickets displayed can also be interpreted as their actions entering them into a natural lottery, which they won and the gamble which Juno took by having unprotected sex. The costume which the characters in this scene wear is also significant. Juno’s outfit is purposefully non-descript, yet slightly different to the norm. Juno does not wear branded garments, as even her shoes do not have any logos on them. This shows her status as an individual, and a self-inflicted outsider to society, something which is solidified throughout the film. However, the actual items of clothing are not outlandish, showing that she prefers to fly beneath the radar instead of standing out. This is again shown in her hair and makeup, as although she has most of her hair up in a low ponytail, she still has the front areas framing her face, indicating how although she would like to think of herself as above dressing for others and taking care of her appearance, she still tries to make herself look good, and still cares what others think about her. This is also reflected in her makeup, as Juno only wears tinted lip balm, showing the same story as her hairstyle. The props in this scene also create a large amount of meaning. The pregnancy test which Juno uses is branded as Teenwave brand pregnancy test. The name is important, as it implies that teen pregnancy is almost a trend for young women, as that is who they are marketing to. It is also a sepia colour palette, a palette which is mirrored throughout the rest of Juno’s world, indicating how this test is a part of her world now. When Juno is paying for the pregnancy test she also purchases a liquorice rope. This gives the liquorice and the test the same amount of meaning, as after the test comes out positive she treats it in the same way as the rope, showing how quickly normalcy returned to Juno as she quickly adjusts to being pregnant. This is mirrored in her expressions and movement in this scene, as even when her pregnancy is confirmed she shakes the test in annoyance more than disbelief and seems more annoyed than worried throughout the entire scene. The other characters in this scene also are not surprised by the news, and instead treat it more like a common ailment instead of a lifechanging event.

                The lighting in this scene is natural, as the building is lit through the windows of the store. When Juno goes into the bathroom to take the test the lighting changes, as the room is much darker, as the only light is from a small window. This makes the bathroom feel claustrophobic and like Juno is trapped in her situation. The cinematography in this scene is also important, as the angles change to give different meaning to the scene. When Juno is talking to the clerk, the camera angle is from behind her, making Juno seem incredibly small compared to the clerk. This shows how young Juno is, as she is still a child, and how small she is in the world. When Juno picks up the pregnancy test the camera focuses solely on that, making it the most important thing in the shot, and the most important thing in Juno’s world at that moment. This changes when Juno then uses the test, as the camera then focuses on Juno’s face, showing how Juno’s emotions are as important in this part as the test earlier on in the scene.

                The second scene which I looked at was the “Leah” scene, where Juno tells her best friend Leah that she is pregnant. This scene takes place in Leah and Juno’s respective bedrooms, while they are on the phone to each other. This is the first time we as an audience are introduced to Leah, and her room gives an insight into her character. Leah’s room is covered in photos of celebrities, the majority of which are boys. This is in contrast with Juno’s room, which is covered in art and film posters, the majority of which depict women, which has a dual meaning, as it shows both how Leah is more open with her sexuality than Juno even though Juno is the pregnant one, showing how although Juno may act mature for her age she is still young and not ready for a child. Juno is again shown as an individual and a kind of outsider to normal society again in the contrast between her and Leah’s room colour schemes. Leah’s room is pink and white, with a more feminine feel to it than Juno’s, which is brown and yellow, setting her apart from the norm. Leah is again used as an example of an archetype of a teenage girl in her costume. Leah is a cheerleader for the pair’s high school, and so in this scene she’s wearing what appears to be her practice outfit. This allows the audience to infer that Leah is popular in their high school, and is not an outsider like Juno, or plays within their societies rules enough to take part in activities and clubs such as cheerleading. She also appears to buy into the school more than Juno does, due to her still wearing the school colours after school. Her hair and makeup also allude to her being more in normal society than Juno, who’s costume, and makeup doesn’t change from the beginning of the film. Leah wears “natural” makeup and pink lip-gloss, giving her a youthful teen look, which Juno does not share, again adding to the image of Juno as a mature outsider, as she does not wear makeup and has a completely different look to Leah, who the film’s archetype of teenage youth. The props used in this scene are minimal, consisting only of the two phones. Leah’s phone is a pink and white landline, while Juno’s is a burger phone. Juno’s ironic phone demonstrates a large part of her personality, as the phone does not work as well as a normal one, yet she still uses it, showing how attached she is to the artistic side of things, which is demonstrated later in the film with her connection to music and other art forms, and the way she treats her pregnancy. The character’s expressions and movements in this scene, show how the two connect, as they mirror each other’s actions and facial expressions. When Juno first calls Leah she is lying on her bed. When Juno calls her, she moves back onto her front, but has a relaxed facial expression, as she believes she is just talking to her friend. As Juno says she is pregnant Leah sits up on the bed and her facial expression changes to one of disbelief and worry. This shows how surprised Leah is with the news, as she changes position to one where she could stand up and go to Juno if she was so needed. However, her expression and position change back to their original place’s seconds later. This indicates that Leah also views teenage pregnancy as a normal part of the high school experience and has a cavalier attitude towards it. This matches Juno’s attitude towards it in these scenes, as she doesn’t believe it is a big deal, and treats it like a common ailment.

                The lighting in this scene comes from lights around the girl’s respective rooms, as it is night-time. The light is yellow and artificial due to the lack of natural lighting. The cinematography in this scene is set up to film both characters in their two different sets. The shot jumps from Leah to Juno as each character talks, spending more time on Juno, as she is the main protagonist of the film. The shot also follows each character as they move, using a moving shot to keep them in the centre of the frame. The shot also jumps from a wide shot in the beginning to a close up while they’re in the middle of their conversation. The wide rotating shot shows off the character’s rooms, which allows the audience to learn more about them without having to waste time explaining different characteristics which could be shown in the setting.

                The final scene which I studied was the “Your baby has fingernails” scene, where Juno meets her classmate Su-Chin outside the abortion clinic. This scene takes place outside the women’s health clinic in the car park. The clinic is clearly not in a nice part of Juno’s area, as there is a lot of graffiti on walls outside, and there is a highway ramp above the clinic, making the area appear seedy, indicating that this is a darker part of Juno’s story, as she later in this scene becomes overwhelmed with the weight of her decision. The carpark is also empty, making it seem like Juno is alone in this situation. The waiting room of the clinic is sepia toned, and has seventies dated décor, making it very jarring for a film released in 2007, and again making the clinic look grimy and uncomfortable for the patients and Juno to be in. Juno’s outfit and hairstyle has stayed consistent throughout the film, and is the same in this scene, and her no makeup and tinted lip balm look is shared by Su-Chin, who also wears glasses. Su-Chin’s combination of no makeup and glasses make her look like the archetype of a teenage nerd, which is supported by her pro-life view, as this archetype can be heavily religious. Su-Chin is also wearing a heavy coat and a wool hat, indicating the cold weather of the later months of the year. Su-Chin holds a sign throughout this scene which reads as “No babies like murdering”, showing her pro-life stance. This slogan is also a mockery of the pro-life movement, as the slogan itself is badly-worded and not intellectually stimulating. She is also alone in her protest, showing how it is not a popular opinion in Juno’s hometown. Su-Chin looks worried throughout her entire exchange with Juno, and seems unsure of her message, almost apologetic of her stance, though she does believe in it even though it seems Juno makes her nervous. Juno, when talking to Su-Chin had a jokey attitude and was relaxed, showing how she was not apprehensive about her upcoming abortion. However, this changes once she enters the clinic, and her situation becomes more real to her, her expression changes to one of overwhelmed nervousness. As she sits in the waiting room she focuses more and more on the hands and nails of the other patients in the waiting room with her and their noises, overwhelming her and causing her to become increasingly uncomfortable. This can be linked back to Su-Chin’s statement that Juno’s baby has fingernails, which is what Juno focuses on, due to all the women in the waiting room doing something with their nails while they wait, showing how something so insignificant can have a large impact.

                The lighting in this scene is extremely grey, as the beginning of the scene takes place in the car park outside, indicating that it is the later months as winter is a grey season, due to the overcast nature of these months. The lighting does not change when Juno enters the waiting room, as the artificial lighting causes a grey and yellow glow in the dim waiting room, again showing how this is a dark part in Juno’s life. The cinematography in this scene has a large amount of moving shots, starting with an over Juno’s shoulder shot of Su-Chin and then moving to show both Juno’s face walking away and Su-Chin over Juno’s shoulder with a wide angle shot. It then changes to quick cuts between Juno and Su-Chin while they finish their conversation. Once Juno enters the waiting room the camera zooms in on her face slowly to show her increasing nerves, then changes to quick cuts of the other women in the waiting room and Juno’s up-close face, increasing the anxiety and overwhelming nature of the scene, by increasing the business of the shot. This is how meaning is created through mise-en-scene and cinematography in the film, Juno.