The Lighting Matters

Not only is The Lord of the Rings my favorite movie but I think it is one of the best movies to look at for mise-en-scène. The lighting is so amazing that by itself it gives the scene an entirely different feel than the rest of the movie. There is a more ethereal look to this scene created by the hazy starlight looking lights all over. I'm not sure how they do that kind of lighting, I'm guessing it's done later in post but I'm not sure. There seems to be a lot of back lighting creating large shadows only on the fellowship. When on the Lady of Lórien (Cate Blanchett) there isn't a shadow to be seen. She seems to be the lightest part of the scene, even though the entire space is light up like the night sky. 

That is also helped by her costuming, along with everyone else's as well. Her long light blonde hair is so long it seems to flow right into her white dress. The similar look of Celeborn creates a greater link between the two characters than their walking together suggests. There is also a purity to the color white that I almost feel is a mask here, for these characters. (But that would make more sense if the whole background of the characters was known here). 

Looking at everything in the mise-en-scène for this little clip would take a long time and much more space, but with the things I have mentioned it is clearly shown how much a difference it makes in a film. The entire feel would be different if they were wearing different colors or if the lighting was harsher. Content can be greatly effected by form.