Is Max a typical teenager?

Is Max a typical teenager? Explain your answer using only the montage scene. Use Mise on scene.

The Mise en scene of the montage from the film Rushmore would suggest that no, Max is not a normal teenager. It might not be that Max is not normal, just slightly strange. It can be scene from the montage that he is ambitious. He clearly likes being the “president” or “founder” of groups and conventions. Again however the aspect of this that would suggest that Max is not a “normal teenager” is that the things he is keen on and president or founder of are strange topics and choices for hobbies. It  is this aspect that would suggest to audiences that are not from Max’s social standing that he is not normal. Being the president of the French club or the calligraphy club president is not what people would say is a normal hobby in the modern world’s social standing. People who do these hobbies are labelled as being “posh” or “well to do.” I know for certain I’d label them this and I like to think I am not one to stereotype. The Mise en scene shows that Wes Anderson, the director, wanted to clearly focus in on Max. Each shot is identical to the last in some way. This is mainly shown by Max being centre stage and having himself flanked by two people or there being a space for this. Every shot is parallel. The montage takes many different settings emphasizing the fact that Max is busy and that he likes to be busy. Again this differs from what teenagers would think is normal. In the media are teenagers not casted as being youths who merely want to “lounge?”

However you might like to say that Max is normal and that every teenager feels ambition on some level. Yes it may not be as prominent in everyone as it is in max but you can’t deny that the youth like to do well. Also as can be seen in the montage he acts as Russia in the United Nations talks. This is a subtle hint at a wish to be powerful or at least admired or possibly looked up to in some way. This again is not strange in teenagers. Humans are social animals and the wish to be part of a group is obvious in everyone. In some ways this is poignant because this makes Max a very “typical” teenager. Longing for friends is not unusual but the montage just happens to make Max look like the type of guy who is a loner, poor Max.

Frankly it’s either he is an ambitious chap or he’s a teenager with too much spare time. He does however strike me as a little bit odd.

Re-Presentation

Re-presentation (My definition)
Re-presentation is presenting yourself/someone differently to how they'd act or be in society. E.g by posing differently to how they would in real life.

Re-presentation (proper definition)
Re presentation is the way the media present "something" as though it were real, it is not real, merely a copy of something.

Signs and signifiers
A sign is something that communicates a piece of information.
A signifier is multiple ideas or feelings behind a sign.
All signs belong to cultures.

Gatekeepers
These are the people in charge of what we see.

Ideology
This is a belief system, E.g Communism.

Rushmore-Film
Mise en scene:

• camera angle
• props
• setting
• lighting
• acting

Questions on the film:
Where is the film set?
The film starts in a school called Rushmore.It is a all boys, christian school. After the scene in the class room they move to a chapel.

Describe the main characters personality.
From the beginning you we can see that max, the main character is different to everyone else. He seems posher, or more upper class than his peers. Even if they are in private school. He seems this because he is wearing a blazer formally when everyone else is more relaxed and casual.

What is he excellent at?
The opening scene we watched would suggest that he is excellent at Maths because this is what he dreams about and this subject seems to be the focus of the scene. However we do not have enough information on Max and it could just be that he is a superb day dreamer.

How do others view him?
Again like the last question, in his head and his mind the others view him as a maths hero. In reality however, if he dreams that then it is more likely that he is viewed as a bit of a "loner"

How was he dressed?
Like the question "describe the main characters personality" it would seem that he dresses himself to be more upper class than his class mates. I can tell this by his use of a blazer and a tie.