Mise En Scene

Mise-en-Scene

Objective: To be able to show an understanding of how mise-en-scene is used to create meaning

Outcome:

All: will be able to explain one element of mise-en-scene

Most: will be able to identify the 5 elements of mise-en-scene with some examples

Some: Will be able to identify the 5 elements of mise-en-scene and will also be able to use media language effectively to explain examples

Mise-en-Scene (MeS) is a French term meaning ‘what is put into the scene or frame’. What is put into or left out of a frame can make a big difference to how we receive the film and how we are supposed to feel.

Starter:

Look at the following pictures. What assumptions can you make about the pictures and also the genre of the films? 

 In the forest image the forest is green, with a simple path and brightly lit up this sends an image to the audience that this place is a nice place to be, which tell the audience the genre of film could be a Fantasy or maybe a Rom-Com, the second image on the other hand has low key lighting, fog, its located in a Graveyard and the lighting is low key, also this graveyard appears to be abandoned this tells the audience the film is a Horror/Thriller genre of film.

A simple shot of a tree can be made to look threatening by stripping it of leaves, adding a vulture and some lightening and shooting it in the darkness. The same tree can be given a very different feel if it is green and leafy, has children playing around it and is shot on a bright sunny day.

As an experienced audience we are able to read these signals and make assumptions about the films narrative.

The elements of Mise-en-scene are an indicator of the genre of the film and as an audience we have expectations of the Mise-en-scene depending on the genre.

The elements within MES include;

1. setting and props
2. costume, hair and make-up
3. facial expressions and body language
4. lighting and colour
5. positioning of characters & objects within a frame

  SETTINGS & PROPS

Settings used in a film are rarely just backgrounds to the characters and sometimes we see settings with no action taking place. Filmmakers can choose to build a set from scratch in a studio. Alternatively a lot of time and effort is put in by a location manager to find a setting that already exists.

Props is the term given to objects in a scene and are usually used to help the narrative or to follow the generic conventions of a film.

  COSTUME, HAIR & MAKE-UP

Costume plays a large part because it can indicate a character’s personality, social status and job. It tells us when the film is set and in what culture.

MAKE-UP

Make-up in the early days of cinema was used to highlight facial features, as black and white film stock could not register detail very well. 

 

Facial Expressions & Body Language

Facial expressions are a clear indicator of how a person feels. The filmmaker may use a character’s eyes to draw our attention to something or a slight change in a character’s face can tell us something has happened.

Body Language also indicates how we are thinking and feeling. Everyone is different but we recognise common features such as shaking a fist means anger, or curling into a ball to protect ourselves.

·    Lighting

Lighting can help to give a scene a realistic look (high key) or a dramatic look (low key). It can also be used to highlight particular objects, characters or to change a character’s appearance.

·   POSITIONING OF CHARACTERS & OBJECTS WITHIN A FRAME

Positioning can indicate the importance of a person or object. If a character is positioned in the foreground we know to assume they have some importance in the scene. Also the positioning of objects can direct our attention to a particular area.

TASK 1:

Look at the following still images and analyse how mise-en-scene is used:

Positioning of Characters & Objects within a frame, in this image we can see one guy standing over the other guy. This shows that maybe the guy standing has a higher status or that he could be the leader or the boss so in other words he is the more powerful of the two guys, Setting and Props in this scene are Lock-up/Garage, old chairs, bins, pipes and guns these helps set the mood of the scene and show us the place is abandoned and something is about to happen. The lighting used in this image is called Choroscuro lighting or Top lighting  this type of lighting creates deep shadows over the man on the floor and the Man standing. these emphases the gangster image, High Key and Low key lighting combined makes Light and Dark areas in the scene. Facial Expressions in this image suggest the two men do not get along as they both have a facial expression suggesting anger or hatred, Costume, Hair & Make-up, both characters are in black suit and white shirts The costume emphasises a gangster theme. Also the use of blood on both the characters faces suggests they have been fighting each other.

Facial Expressions in this scene/image suggest she is angry, she looks as though she is ready to fight or she is analysing her opponents, Costume, Hair & Make-up, in this image shows the main character is in a yellow costume, Everyone else is in Black and white because of this the female character stands out to which she looks to be more dominate and higher than the others which also suggests she in more powerful and has the upper hand, this also suggests as everyone looks scared she could probably kill everyone there.
Lighting and colour used in this scene is Low Key lighting this creates the mood for the fight scene, Film Noir- shadows on one side of the woman's face this leaves the audience wondering if she is good or bad and if she has completely lost the old version of herself and become one of the bad guys in the search for vengeance.Positioning of Characters and Objects within a frame, the female character in this scene is positioned in the middle and is closer to the camera shot this enables the character to stand out and look bigger than everyone else in the frame, it also tells us that she could be the main character, Setting and Props in this scene suggests it is set in japan with sliding old wooden doors also tells us ins a gangsters hide away because of the amount of guys also that they have swords and are all fighting one person, another thing it shows is that the gangster is wealthy because the hide out if decorated nicely with  swords and armor on the wall.