Mise-en-Scene Creates Comedy Amid the Heat in Do the Right Thing

In Spike Lee’s famous “Do the Right Thing,” editing is effectively utilized to increase the comedic value of some scenes. One scene in particular uses several editing techniques to add comedic qualities. The scene is posted below.  As the scene begins, Spike Lee utilizes mise-en-scene.  This allows the local DJ (Samuel L. Jackson), to make comedic gestures in the upper right corner of the background. This choice of mise-en-scene creates comedy because the audience sees the increasingly desperate calls for food from the DJ in real time while the delivery men appear to remain oblivious. His next choice of editing is an odd one, he utilizes a quick cut to an inside view of the station while maintaining the audio from the outside shot.  The film then cuts back to the same shot on the street less than a second later.  I am not sure why Spike Lee chose this quick cut. Mise-en-scene is continued with more antics from the DJ before Mookie raises the bag to signal that the food is coming. If Lee chose another editing style here by cutting from the street to inside the station, the scene would lose some of its comedic value because it wouldn’t feel natural. These sudden cuts would jar the audience from the previous long take of Mookie and Veto walking down the street. This is further proven when Lee does quickly cut to inside the station; the choice feels very out of place in this scene and confuses the viewer’s attention. With the continued use of mise-en-scene, the entire scene feels very natural, allowing for better comedy.  – Tim K.