Mise En Scene

Mise en scene 

Mise en scene is the arrangement of scene and stage properties in a play this includes props, costume, lighting and the position of characters and objects in frame. 

The five types of mise en scene

Setting

The set refers to the decor of the set and mainly its furniture and props. This creates a sense of mood and may reflect a characters emotional state of mind. Settings can either be created from scratch or can be located, the right set can help to manipulate the audiences views and creates meaning.

The setting used in this photo shows an eerie atmosphere which helps to show the audience what kind of genre the film is. 

Costume hair and makeup

Costume and hair and makeup act as an instant indicator to help the viewers see the characters personality and who they are. Costumes also help us to see what period of time the film or programme is set in and some costumes help to signify the character and as a way of symbolising them. For example Dorothy from Wizard Of Oz wears a blue and white checked dress which is what signifies her from other characters. Stage makeup is used as well to help signify who the character is for example a villainous character like the Joker in Batman has a distinguished make up style that helps the viewer understand who he is and gives the viewer an idea of what the character is like.



The difference between the two characters costumes convey to the audience the different backgrounds they are from. One character having bright colours and extravagant clothes meaning they are from a richer background, the other having plainer clothes and dull colours.

 

Facia expressions and body language

Facial expressions help to clearly show the viewer exactly how the character is feeling, for example if they are smiling we assume they are happy and if their eyebrows are low and close together the character may be seen as angry or annoyed. Body language gives the viewer an indicator into how a character is feeling towards another character. 


This facial expression shows the character to be in pain and is obviously distressed.




Positioning of characters and objects in a frame


Certain positions of certain characters/objects in frames can draw the viewers attention to an important character or object. When this is used affectively certain positions of characters can help distinguish what the relationship is like between people. 

The positioning of the characters being sat apart from each other in the scene shows how they have a negative relationship with each other and are unhappy.

lighting and colour

Using certain colours in scenes give a scene a particular look feel or mood. Red gives connotations of love, danger and passion so a scenes involving them could mostly be used in films with genres of drama whereas yellow gives the connotations of joy, energy and it is seen as quite a warming colour so a scene involving this colour would be one of happiness. Various types of lighting can be used to highlight important characters and objects and also be used to portray what the character is like, for example if you wanted to add mystery to a character the lighting would be in shades to cover up their face. There are two key types of lighting used the first one is low key lighting which is created by using the back and key lights and produces sharp contrasts of light and dark areas and creates distinct shadows and silhouettes. The second one is high key lighting which uses more filler lights are used and it is more natural and realistic to the viewers eyes. 

The lighting in this scene gives off a scary and creepy feel to the character portraying them as a villain because the shadow is cast upon them. It also gives a dark vibe to the scene. 

I think that mise-en-scene is important when we start to film our opening as the lighting will reflect the genre of our opening for example we will want natural lighting to portray a realistic look to our film. Props will also play a huge part in our opening as will costumes so we can see who each character is portraying. We are using what we have learnt to portray a realistic mood to our opening.