1. The weird
(and sometimes
wonderful)
World of
Mise-en-Scene
2. Mise-en-Scene
Stemming from the theatre, the French term mise
en scène literally means "putting on stage."
In film terms, it can be read as “putting into a
scene.”
The phrase was first used by the influential French
film journal ‘Les Cahiers du Cinéma’.
3. So that’s what it means.
But what does it mean?
Mise en scène focuses on what can be seen in the
picture.
Recently, the term has come to represent a style
of conveying the information of a scene primarily
through a single shot.
Overall, mise en scène is used when the director
wishes to give an impression of the characters
or situation without vocally articulating it through
the framework of spoken dialogue.
4. Eh?
Basically, the director looks to manipulate the
following elements to create a meaning:
• Production Design: sets, props and costumes
• Colour
• Lighting
• Actors’ performance, movement and make-up
• Framing including position; depth of field;
aspect ratio; height and angle (but not
movement)
5. Can I have an example?
Have a close look at the following
two stills and try to get a meaning
from their mise-en-scene.
Also, think about connotations and
denotations of colours etc.
6.
7.
8. The first example is that of a
cluttered, disorganized apartment
being used to reflect the
disorganization in a character's life in
general.
The second, an empty apartment, can
be interpreted as conveying a
character with an "empty soul“.
