http://mhshallways.com/reviews/2014/5/7/life-aquatic-with-steve-zissou-review CC

The meticulous and fantastical frame design spills over with detail in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou directed by Wes Anderson. The film reveals many examples of mis-en-scene and how we frequently see the lighting, costume, setting and composition within the frame work together to create meanings. Anderson uses a lot of parallel or perpendicular to the wall or ceiling shots that are lit with very subdued lighting. The low or high angled shots were very rare to see, but when you did see them the blue and red costume, soft lighting and staging of the character made them look either hierarchical or vulnerable, depending on if it was a high or low angle.  A lot of the films lighting seemed to coincide with how Steve Zissou felt, since Murrays’ character is going through a dim time in his life, the frames low key lighting evoked a sense of sadness or despair. The scene were I felt mis-en-scene really took hold was when Zissou is showing the audience the Belafonte. The (mobile framing) camera pans all around the boat, showing the yellow basic colour, wooden interior, and the cross section of the boat that looks like a doll house. Every character in the shot had the same costume on with the lightings quality, direction and source all very similar – I felt this maybe trying to evoke a sense that everyone on the ship are of the same childish nature and they all live in a younger adolescent mind. We see Team Zissou’s equipment in many different frames and angles, but what we find it that its all antique and analogue and the names of the destinations such as Port au Patois, the Ping Islands are a testament to how this childish meaning is expressed through all elements in the film.