Mise-en-scene is used in many different ways in the film but I will be focusing on the introduction of Irontown as well as Lady Eboshi’s costumes.

Irontown is first introduced with the smoke it produces billowing up the mountainside, immediately showing the audience its constant battle with the natural world around it, as well as foreshadowing the clouded morality of its residents. The spikes protecting it makes the audience feel uneasy, showing that there is something that even the powerful humans who built it are afraid of.

The majority of Irontown’s citizens are workers, shown by their plain clothes. Some of the only characters that go against this are those in command, like guards, and Lady Eboshi- their leader.

Like the others in command, she wears mostly darker clothes, however hers have a lot more colour as she is the one in control. Her clothes are much more expensive looking with patterns, which she uses to show her status. She wears trousers to show how she is unafraid to get involved and help her people as well as to symbolise her independence. She is also one of the only female characters in the film to wear makeup (simple red lipstick), the only other being San who wears red warpaint- this creates a subtle connection between the two, making the audience more invested in their conflict.

Lady Eboshi is often seen in red, used to symbolise her desire for power as well as her anger towards the nature spirits. In the film, warm colours are often associated with fire, war, and mankind, while cooler colours are used more for the natural order- Eboshi is first introduced wearing a dark blue coat, allowing the main character Ashitaka to trust her, when she removes her coat- to reveal her true intentions- it shows her red and yellow shirt, reflecting the fires that burn in Irontown’s heart.

Eboshi’s other notable outfit is the one she wears when she goes to kill the god of the forest. In it she covers most of her body, almost to hide herself from the sin she is about to commit. She has her dark coat back, as well as a bright red hat, to further show her passion for power and contrast the natural world around her.

The spectrum of the arts places the different forms of art into one of three categories based on how tangible they are to an audience.

The Performance Arts are showing ideas to an audience in real time, examples of this include live theatre, music, or dance.

The Representational Arts share information to an audience through tangible objects, examples include paintings, graphic novels and drawings.

The Recording Arts communicate to an audience after a delay due to production or editing, examples include films, produced music, and most television shows.

Mise-en-scene: The arrangement of actors and props in a scene. It can be used to give subtle information about story and characters.

The majority of the films on this list were made by Disney and are either sequels or remakes. Disney has been investing a lot of time and money into Marvel which has been delivering in the box office. Most Marvel films tend to have a similar structure and are marketed towards men and families, leading to them having a massive audience. They tend to have similar concepts and messages but are enjoyed by their massive number of fans. A lot of these films also have incredibly high special effects and animation budgets to make it look as good as possible and one without would probably perform a lot worse with the public. They also have a lot of overlapping cast members who are known to be enjoyed by audiences which is a safe bet to make a lot of people watch the movie.

Communicators- A film maker’s goal is to communicate ideas to the audience as well as the people they are working with.

Reflective- A film maker should be able to reflect and improve on ideas.

Caring- A film maker should care about the people that they are working with as well as their audience.

Risk-takers- Film makers should be willing to take a risk and try new ideas.

Balanced- A film maker should be well rounded with many different skills.

Thinkers- They should be able to come up with ideas as well as consider many options.

Principled- They should be able to know when something being created is morally right or wrong and attempt to correct it if needed.

Open-minded- A film maker should willing to try new things and listening to others’ opinions.

Inquirers- A film maker should be willing to ask questions and try to learn new things.

Knowledgeable- A film maker should know what they are doing and be willing to learn things they don’t.

There are many elements that can make up a good film, from the cinematography to the narrative and even the editing. All these factors make affect the quality and entertainment of a movie. 

A good film is one that uses these factors to make an interesting story using a range of artistic and technical ideas to both look good and be able to uplift the intended narrative. For example, if a film is beautifully written but has incredibly lackluster editing choices the film may be boring or even unwatchable from strange disruptions to the pacing and tone. A great concept is easily ruined by a few poor decisions, even simple things like timing or a small handful of awkward performances.  

A bad film is arguably one that fails in many critical areas, like an incompetent director, poor studio management or budgeting difficulties. These all impact how a film is treated behind the scenes. A film could also be considered bad if it has bad intentions going into it, like making the film specifically to make money or making it to spread a harmful message.  

Some films might be disliked by most audience members when it first comes out but then become relevant a few years later, after finding its perfect audience or the social issues discussed in it are more relevant to a contemporary audience. A film may not exactly be bad but just ahead of its time. Some other films might also not find a lot of box office success but may still have a higher artistic value than what is doing better financially. Whether or not a film having a higher artistic value makes them “better” is up to the individual film and if they use these aspects to enhance the story or if they just do it to be unique. 

There is also the concept of how rewatchable a film is and if it gets better if one rewatches several times over. A movie whose main concept revolves around a plot twist, like a murder mystery, may have less rewatch value as so much time is spent setting up something the audience already knows. There are also older films which, when rewatched, can give the viewer nostalgia, especially if the film was a part of their childhood. Some newer movies even set themselves around an older time to cater to nostalgia and get more people to watch it. Some older films may be seen as worse by modern audiences because of a change in societal attitudes around certain subjects and issues and seeing them being seen in that way may be offensive or upsetting. 

In conclusion, what makes a good film is incredibly subjective however I personally prefer films that use their artistic and technical abilities to elevate an interesting and engaging story.