Moonrise Kingdom
1. The opening scene of this film is a great example of mise-en-scene. What do you notice about the rooms and bedrooms in the house? Describe how the director, Wes Anderson, has positioned the characters, furniture, etc. in each of the rooms.
2. What do we learn about the characters in this family from the mise-en-scene? We don’t even know their names and have barely heard them speak!!
3. The director uses a tracking shot during the opening scene, at Camp Ivanhoe, and while the narrator gives the audience a tour of New Penzance. What affect does this have on the audience? What do you learn about the island, Camp Ivanhoe, and Scout Master Ward through the use of this film shot?
4. This film breaks ‘the fourth wall” with the narrator. How does this change a film? What do we learn about the setting of the film?
5. The first time we see Suzy and Sam on camera together it’s in a long shot. Then we see a close up of their serious expressions. Why use a long shot here? What do you make of their facial expressions?
6. The film cuts to a flashback to a year prior. Sam sees Suzy perform in Noye’s Fludde (Noah’s Ark). Why did the writer, Roman Coppola, choose this play? (Consider the nature of their relationship and what happens later in the film)
7. Identify 2 places where a handheld or shaky camera technique is used. Why? How does it add to the film?
8. Why do you suppose Sam was such a committed Khaki Scout?
9. Why are there so many scenes with a binocular point of view? How does it develop Suzy’s character?
10. When Suzy’s mom learns that she’s run away she communicates this to her father with a megaphone. Later, in the bedroom they discuss legal cases and their marriage. Why are high angle and low angle shots used in these scenes? What’s the state of their marriage like?
11. Identify 2 places where a zoom shot is used and explain why it is effective.
12. What other film technique is being used in the letter montage? How does it emphasize both Suzy and Sam’s connection and their isolation from others?
13. What issues do the adults have? How do we know?
14. Find one scene that is perfectly framed, almost as if it were a professional photograph or painting. Describe it. Explain what it reveals about characters, setting, and theme.
15. The film ends almost exactly like it begins. Why? What’s different?
16. Both transportation and communication are motifs in the film. What different modes of communication and transportation are used? How do they relate to characters and theme?