MISE-EN-SCENE

WHAT IS MISE-EN-SCENE?

Mise-en-scene is a French word meaning placing on the stage. It refers to everything within the frame of the shot including:

• Setting

• Props

• Lighting/Colour

• Costume/Make-up

• Facial expressions/Body language

• Positioning/Space

• Visual effects.

SETTINGS/PROPS

Time – When does it take place?

• The past?

• The present?

• The future?

• Morning?

• Afternoon?

• Evening?

• Night?

Location – Where is it set?

• Exterior or interior?

• Natural or stylized?

• Location or backdrop?

• Period – When is it set?

Settings and props indicate to the audience the location and time period

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)The scenery is highly stylized. It is not realistic but it helps convey the mood of the film.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) The character has to choose between numerous grails to find the true one or risk death. The real grail is simple compared to the gaudy false ones.

Back to the Future TrilogyWe see the same town square in four different time periods - the wild west, 1950s, 1985 & 2015.

LIGHTING/COLOUR

Lighting can be split into two broad types, high key lighting and low key lighting

High key lighting is often used in romances and musicals -

• Lighting is even

• Few dark areas or shadows

• Everything appears bright

Low Key often seen in horror movies and thrillers –

• Areas of light and shade

• Strong contrast

COMPARING LOW KEY AND HIGH KEY LIGHTING

Murder My Sweet (1944) Strong contrast between light and dark.

My Fair Lady (1958)All over even lighting and

bright colours.

COLOUR

Colour can suggest the mood of a scene.

• Warm colours are associated with happiness and positivity and cool colours the opposite.

• Colour can also indicate importance. A woman in a red dress will stand out in a crowd. A cowboy dressed in white might be the hero.

• A Change in colour can be used to indicate a different time period or device such as a flash back or dream sequence.

Hero (2002)Colour is used in Hero to indicate different versions of the same story.

Each version uses a different colour palette red, blue, green and white.

A matter of Life and Death (1946)The two different worlds in the film are indicated by the use of black and white photography contrasted with colour photography.

COSTUME/HAIR & MAKE-UP

Costume and make-up are often used to establish character.

It can be used to indicate

• Status

• Age

• Personality

• The location the character is from

• The time period.

Gladiator (2000)The costumes of the two characters clearly conveys the difference in their statuses, (emperor and gladiator) the period and location (Ancient Rome).

Facial expressions and body language indicate the mood of the character and their relationship to others.

FACIAL EXPRESSIONS/BODY LANGUAGE

Scream (1996)We see the character of Casey Becker go from relaxed and happy to confused and then distressed.

POSITIONING/SPACE

Positioning within the frame can be used to

• Draw the audience’s attention to a particular object or character

• Indicate relationships between characters

• Convey emotions

The Graduate (1967)The woman’s leg in the foreground dominates the shot. The size and position of Dustin Hoffman shows the audience who holds the power in this relationship.

VISUAL EFFECTS

Visual effects or VFX encompasses everything from models to matte painting and computer generated imagery (CGI). VFX includes

• Animation

• Lighting

• Rigging

• Matte painting

• Compositing

• Texture

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)The film was one of the first to be shot on an entirely digital back lot. All the settings are computer generated.

Black Narcissus (1947)The film is famous for its

extensive use of matte paintings depicting the

Himalayas.