Mise En Scene

Mise En Scene

Mise en scene-A French term meaning 'what is in the scene'. Essentially it is information in front of the camera for the audience to help them to work out what is going on. Each aspect of Mise en Scene has hidden meanings within a film and sends signals to the audience about how we are supposed to feel at a certain point.

It is made up of 5 elements:

- Settings and props:

Settings an locations play an important part in film making and are not just 'backgrounds'. Sets are either built from scratch or a great deal of time spent to find settings which already exists. Settings.Settings can manipulate an audience by building certain expectations and then taking a different turn.

- Costume, hair and make-up:

Costume, hair and make-up act as an instant indicator to us of the characters personality, status and job. It tells us immediately whether the films set in the present and what society/ or culture it will centre around. Certain costumes can signify certain individuals(e.g black cloak from a vampire, a cowboys Stetson or James Bond tuxedo)

- Facial expressions and body language:

Facial expressions provide a clear indicator of how someone is feeling. If someone is smiling broadly, we assume they are happy but we may get a different feeling if this is a accompanied by scary music. Body language may also indicate how a character feels towards another character or reflect the state of their relationship.

- Lighting and colour;
Lighting and colour can be used to achieve a variety of effects:
-to highlight important characters or objects within the frame
-to make characters look mysterious by shading sections of the face and body
-to reflect a characters mental state/hidden emotions
types of lighting:
-low key lighting (created by using only the key and back lights, produces sharp contrast of light and dark areas, deep distinct shadows)
-High key lighting (more filter lights are used, lighting is natural and realistic to eyes)

- Positioning of characters and objects within the frame:
Positioning within the frame can draw our attention to an important character/object. A film maker can use positioning to indicate relationships between people.

In this picture of Batman, you can see him facing the camera, you can probably say he's standing on a roof because you can see the buildings below him quite small so that you just focus on him. Batman is wearing his famous super hero costume and you instantly know who he is and that the film he represents is science fiction. His black outfit and serious pose, makes him look mysterious but dangerous. The photo has been taken from a low angle to make his body look bigger and stronger, which makes him have a greater status. This positioning of the frame draws your attention to him and indicates the film is obviously based around this character. The low key lighting surrounding the sides sets a terrifying mood to the scene and doesn't make the film look at all happy. The bright white light that highlights Batman has been used to make him look even more important and stand out, however the low key lighting around him could hide hidden danger or reflect the characters emotions. to summarise, the serious expression on his face gives a clear indicator of hidden hate and seeks revenge.