Mise en scene notes

1. Mise-en-scene
What does mise-en-scene mean? ‘placed in the scene’
Everything that can be seen in the shot
What are the 6 key areas of mise-en-scene?
 colour
 costume
 props
 set/location,
 blocking & performance,
 lighting
Colour:
How is colour used in the 3 below pictures?
Symbolic use of colour can appear in several pictures – the set, lighting, costumes,
makeup, etc.
Image 1: Red could represent evilness, the blood of dead puppies in her coat.
White represents innocents and purity, trying to portray that she is a nice person.
Half black and White hair, Black hair represents evilness and death.
Choice of hairstyle shows she is strange.
Image 2: Black means darkness, evilness and death.
Green with envy skin.
Purple is a royal colour, she is the queen, royalty of something.
Image 3: White dress, shows she’s pure
Blue elements, seen as cold
Dark black background, only has them nice things until midnight
Costume:
What can we interpret from these costumes?
Clothes, hair and makeup. Creates and identity and personality for
The character. Photo from EastEnders, look poor from the clothes
They Are wearing and how they are wearing them. The other photo
They look well off, wearing nice suits.

2. Mise-en-scene
Props:
Option 1 - You have to provide props for a tense police interview between two
officers and one suspected murderer. Decide what props you would incorporate
and how the actors should be directed to use them.
Option 2 – You have to provide props for a romantic meal between two characters
on their first date. Decide what props you would incorporate and how the actors
should be directed to use them.
Props needed:
How would actors be directed to use them:
Location:
Can be a purpose built set or a real location
Location shooting involves leaving the studio environment and filming in existing
locations that have been ‘scouted’ as suitable.
Blocking/Performance:
 Blocking refers to the positioning and movement of actors within the frame,
both in relation to each other and in relation to the camera (which
represents us, the audience)
 Performance covers all aspects of the actual acting – gesture, expression,
accent etc
Lighting:
How is lighting being used to create mood in the following examples?
High key lighting ensures even light across the frame with little or no shadow or
dark areas (little dramatic affect)
Low-key lighting allows for high contrast between light and dark within the frame,
with shadow often being used for dramatic effects (horror films)
Ambient lighting, a scene that has been lit using available light or to look like
natural light
Image 1: Low key lighting. The light is shining on them to say they are the good
guys in a dark scene.
Image 2: High key lighting, however some shadows. E.g. woman’s face is lighter
than man’s face. Woman may be more innocent because lit face, the man may be
a baddie due to use of lighting.

3. Mise-en-scene
Mise-en-scene creates Verisimilitude
Useful term which refers to the authenticity of the environment created on screen