Mise-En-Scene notes

1. Mise-en-scene
What does mise-en-scene mean?
 Everything that we see in the scene and shot
What are the 6 key areas of mise-en-scene?
 Costume
 Props
 Lighting
 Colour
 Setand location
 Blockingandperformance
Colour:
How is colour used in the 3 below pictures?
 Red- linked to danger or love, with this character it represents danger as the
character wants to kill the dogs, the outside of the coat is white which
contrasts the danger with purity
 Black- linked to death, evil and sadness, also contrasts with the other side
of the hair being white
 Green- linked to jealousy and envy
 Purple- is a royal colour, shows that this character is royalty
 White- shows purity, contrasts with the black background
 Blue- coldness and calmness
Costume:
What can we interpret from these costumes?
Includes clothes, hair and makeup
Costumes create an identity for the character
Tracksuits create the impression that they are lower class
Suits make the characters seem upper class and intelligent
Long coats are generally more expensive

2. Mise-en-scene
Props:
 Props are the main component of the scence and have to be placed
 Props can be linked to characters
Location and sets:
Can be a purpose built set or a real location
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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?
 Two types of lighting- high key and low key
 High key- even light across the frame with little or no shadow
 Low key- high contrast between light and dark within the frame often used
for dramatic effect
 Ambient lighting means that a scene gas been lit using available light or
 natural light
 First picture shows low key lighting, light focuses on both of the people to
show their importance in the scene
 Second picture shows high key lighting but there is more light on the
women which shows her innocence compared to the man whose face is
half covered by shadows
Mise-en-scene createsverisimilitude
Thisrefersto the authenticityof the environmentcreatedonscene

3. Mise-en-scene