15 elements of mise-en-scene

1. 15 Elements of Mise-en-Scene
By: Garrett Westling and Sam Prigg

2. The Dominant
Where is our eye attracted first? Why?
The dominant in this shot is the character of Bats (Jamie Foxx)
Note that he is at the front of the group of people. Also, all characters are looking at
Bats and is the center of attention. He is also wearing a brightly colored jacket,
contrasting with the background colors as well as the other characters.

3. Lighting Key
High key? Low key? High contrast? Some combination of these?
This scene contains low key lighting. Even though there is illumination up
front, the image mostly consists of shadows and has a few pools of light in
the background.

4. Shot and Camera Proxemics
What type of shot? How far away is the camera from the action?
This scene consists of a medium shot. The figures are shown from the knees up with some background and
foreground in play.

5. Camera Angle
Are we (and the camera) looking up or down on the subject? Or is the
camera neutral (eye level)?
The scene is an Eye-level shot. It has the clearest view of the characters and is able to display some drama
from all of them.

6. Color Values
What is the dominant color? Are there contrasting foils? Is there color
symbolism?
The dominant color in this image is red, worn by the character Bats. Bats foils with the
colors of the other characters (darkish tone) and the environment as well.

7. Lens/Filter/Stock
How do these distort or comment on the photographed materials?
The scene was most likely shot on something like a telephoto lens over the shoulder of
the character Doc (bottom right). The lense draws the characters closer together and
gives a depth of field. The stock is slow because of the high quality of the image.

8. Subsidiary Contrasts
After taking in the dominant, where does the eye go next?
The subsidiary contrast in this still is Darling (Eiza Gonzalez) because the
color of her clothes has a high contrast to the background, like Bats, and the
way she’s standing makes her stand out more. There is also a bright light
shining over her shoulder, which draws the audience's eyes.

9. Density
How much digital information is packed into the image? Is the texture stark, moderate,
or highly detailed?
This scene is not very dense and packed with objects, just the characters and some boxes. The texture is
moderate.

10. Composition
How is the two-dimensional space segmented and organized?
This shot has a vertical composition because the characters are all standing reasonably equally spaced from
each other and it gives a sense of strength.

11. Form
Is the form open or closed?
The form of this shot is open. It isn’t highly packed or composed and it seems as if
someone just took a candid picture of the four people while they were standing and
talking. It isn’t giving us all the necessary information though as you can see a
person’s shoulder in the bottom right corner, whom Bats seems to be talking to.

12. Framing
Does the character have no room to move around, or can they move freely without
impediments?
The framing is moderately loose; the two characters on either end (Baby and
Buddy) are very close to the edge of the frame but there’s quite a bit of space
between the characters towards the center of the frame.

13. Depth of Field
On how many planes is the image composed (how many are in
focus)?
This shot is shallow because only one plane is in focus and behind it is blurry. This isolates the four actors in
the shot from the background.

14. Character Placement
What part of the framed space do the characters occupy?
Bats and Darling are both located around the center, while Buddy and Baby are located more to the edges. This
is because Bats and Darling seem to be the focus of the shot.

15. Staging Positions
Which way do the characters look vis-a-vis the camera?
The characters are shown in profile and full-front. All four characters’ bodies are facing the camera, but Baby
and Buddy are both looking towards Bats (the center).

16. Character Proxemics
How much space is there between the characters?
The distance between Buddy and Darling is intimate as they are dating, but
the distance between Bats and the three other characters are personal
distances, as they are only acquaintances at this point.