Scene 1- the Pan over the neighbourhood and the family's typical morning.

Lester Burnhams narrative is set in a very negative light. The most poignant phrase in the narrative is that he will be 'dead in a year' because it makes the viewer wonder why he will be dead in a year. When Lester is in his room, the mise en scene is very dull, with beige colours both on the walls and the furniture. This is a reflection of his life, dull and boring. The room is very empty as well which shows that he is a lonely sad man. The main camera angle in here is a birds eye view, which shows his inferiority as a human being. He was sleeping face down, which shows that he doesn't want to get out of bed in the morning as he doesnt feel it's worth it. As the camera pans in on him, you see that his face is half shadowed. This shows that he wants to fade away and he is a shadow of his former self. The fact that he's 'Jerking off' in the shower shows that he has lost the romance in his marriage and you wouldn't expect a 42 year old man to do that. He lets out a sigh as he turns around in bed and his facial expression is lost and depressed, like he has lost something but cant work out what it is. The second part of the scene is him watching his wife interact with other people, whilst he is standing inside, trapped. The over the shoulder camera angle makes the viewer feel trapped in the house with Lester, and make him seem further away. The roses in the scene are a repetitive symbol of the love the family used to have which is lost, as symbolised by his wife, Carolyn, cutting the roses that she has in her garden. The colours of red, white and blue in the front garden symbolise the patriotism of America. His daughter, Jane whom he describes in his voiceover as 'angry, insecure and confused' is a reflection of himself and he thinks that this won't pass over for them both. Carolyn is the head of the family and bullies her husband and daughter using extremely negative sarcastic language. She asks her daughter 'are you trying to look unattractive' to which Jane replies 'yes' and then her mother says 'congratulations you did a good job' which shows that they both know she has no self-esteem and her mother likes to have the last word. Lester then walks out and she says 'Could you make me a little later please?' which shows that he works to his own schedule and she gets frustrated with him. He then drops his things which shows that he is childish and clumsy. Both his wife and daughter look down on him and have no respect for him at all as a husband or father. He is slumped in the back of the car with his wife driving and daughter in the front, which is against the usual family stereotype of the man driving, the wife next to him and the daughter in the back. This shows that he has no control in the family as he is being driven to work by his wife. The scene ends at work, where the reflection of his face in the computer seems to be behind bars, again reflecting the fact that he is trapped in his life. The final line of the narrative shows that it is not too late to change and ends on a positive note. Scene 2 - at work and around the dinner table. This scene starts with a typical office scene where everyone is on the phone and in smart clothing. His desk is again decorated in red, white and blue. When he is on the phone to a client, you see a change in his personality. He is happy and content and laughing. This shows that he would rather be at work than at home, as he is being paid. Towards the end of the call however, his voice becomes very sarcastic and appears to give out a fake phone number and the slams the phone down. That's when the camera pans up, showing that the boss, a figure of authority comes along to call Lester to his office. The camera then pans down at Lester, showing that he is not as important as the boss, making him look smaller. The same camera angles are used in the office, with the boss looking high up with a name badge, making him look professional, and he is wearing colour against a white background to make him stand out more. Lester is shown lower down, and he is sitting on a low chair like a child, showing that he is small and being quizzed. When the boss says that someone may get fired and he has to write a statement of his job description to see who was the most efficient, Lesters voice goes

low - pitched and defensive, jumping to conclusions as he has heard it all before. This rant continues in the car with his wife, to which she says that he is being over dramatic and to just write the statement anyway to save his job. This argument continues as they get out the car, showing that this couple can't communicate, just argue and shout at each other. The camera the pans at a number of photos of the family in happier times, including one of Lester with his hand on his wifes shoulder and her hand on his, and he has his other arm round his daughter, showing that the family was united at one point, and he was in control of the family, and it has fallen apart. The family are sat at the table, and Lester and his wife are sitting on opposite ends of the table, with Jane being sat in the middle of them between the candles, therefore the light is shining on her showing that she is the family priority. The music here is very posh, depressing and mournful, showing that the family mourns the closeness they once had. This is elevator music, as Jane points out when she asks her mother if they have to have it playing at the table every day. Carolyn then replies very sarcastically with the fact that if she made the meal then she could choose the music. This shows that Carolyn is very much in control and she holds the dysfunctional family together. The family rarely talk, but when Lester talks to his daughter, she replies very sarcastically as he keeps questioning her. When Lester has yet another rant about his job, Jane replies with 'you can't all of a sudden be my best friend just because you've had a bad day... I mean hello? You've barely spoken to me for months' and walks out. This just shows the heavy strain on their relationship. He then mutters under his breath at the table to which his wife responds 'WHAT?!' like he is a child. The music then turns mournful as he asks what happened to their relationship, and their voices become muted as the cameras pan out, and Jane walks off like she's given up on their relationship. What they don't know is that a creepy, dishonest looking man is seen recording them with a camcorder. The final shot shows a picture of the family in black and white in happier times. There are a few splashes of colour in this final scene, which are probably added by Carolyn to make the house look presentable and bright against the dull colours which represent the family mood and atmosphere.