2. Generally the costumes, lighting, settings,
sound, acting and figure movement are all the
main function elements of Mise-en-scene.
However, making Mise-en-scene really work is
how the visual elements are arranged or
composed.
3. The Rule of Thirds
The rule of thirds breaks the screen into three
vertical sections and three horizontal sections.
This creates a grid in which artists will use to
balance the visual elements in the frame.
4. The idea is that composition is built in units of
three.
Top, Middle and bottom.
Left, Centre and right.
Foreground, Middle ground
and background.
5. The top horizontal line also is used to establish a
practical and aesthetically pleasing placement of
the face by framing a characters eyes along the
top line. Leaving just the right amount of head
room above the line.
6. Some stories call for composition that pushes the
balance of a shot to the next level, resulting in near
mirror images within a shot. This symmetry can
convey a rigid order, strict control or formal
elegance.
7. Compositional Stress
This can mean a number of different things,
depending on the context of the shot. It can
make the character look different, or a moment
which is infused with tension.
8. Negative Space
We are used to the rule of thirds, and when
something provides a lopsided composition we
are expecting something to restore the balance.
9. Deep Space Composition
This emphasises depth by placing any significant
narrative and visual information in more than one
field of depth. This can emphasise the depth, but
can also provide information on mood and
meaning; this meaning or mood can take different
form, depending on the way each level of depth is
presented.
