2. WHAT IS THE MISE EN SCENE OF A MOVIE?
Mise en scene is a French term which literally mean “put on
stage”. It refers to everything we see on the screen, the
composition and back ground of each scene. It will also include
the characters„ appearance – their costumes, makeup,
hairstyles, acting skills and props.
The main elements to consider in mise en scene are setting and
props; costumes and makeup; the expression and movement of
the actors; the lighting and colour: the way people and objects
are positioned.
3. “LOL” WITH MILEY CYRUS AND DEMI MOORE
We can see from the still on the left
that this is one of those typical teen
movies, shown through the mise en
scene.
We see the costumes of the actors,
which are very modern and ordinary –
short skirts, leather jackets, dresses,
jeans and t-shirts - suggesting that
this is how normal teens dress. The
use of this type of costume makes the
scenes of this movie much more real
and believable.
The setting is very real as well. It‟s the
sort of place where teenagers hang
out, somewhere secluded, behind a
building, near a wood. All these add
up to the fact that this movie is trying
to portray a real life situation.
The makeup of the actors is, again,
very realist and natural, the sort of
makeup girls would wear to school,
something not too heavy.
The lighting is simple but clear, showing that it is an autumn
school day. We are able to see all the actors in the same way,
letting us as the audience decide where and who to focus on.
The position of the actors shows that in every teenager‟s life,
there are different groups of friendships. We can see from this
still that there are the two girls at the front, a group of friends at
the back, and Lola on her own.
The props used are simple but effective. We can see a lot of
school bags, showing that although they are in their own
clothes, they are still in education. Some parts of their costumes
are also used as props, for example, bracelets, which the actors
often play and fiddle with to again, show the realness of the
movie.
4. FOOTLOOSE WITH JULIANNE HOUGH
In this still of a part of the movie, we can get a feel of all the action going on. The actors‟ costumes are
very cowboy like, showing that they are at a country line dance. Although this costume could look a little
tacky, they still have some costume elements which show that they are young, cool and enjoying life. A
key part of the costumes is the red cowboy boots worn by Julianne Hough.
The lighting in this scene is very dark, but with many bright coloured spotlights, showing that it‟s night
time and that they are in a sort of night club, to a dance.
As before, to keep the movie realist, the actors have a very soft make up, like the make up people would
wear on a daily basis. There is no extreme make up such as blood as it is not that kind of movie.
The actors are all positioned in lines and rows, which emphasises on the fact that they are at a country
line dance. The way they are standing in this still also shows that they are in the middle of dancing, and
the fact that they are all in the same positions also shows that this is the king of dance that everyone does
the same.
5. THE VAMPIRE DIARIES SERIES
This series is all about vampires and the dark, frightening side of them. From this still, we can absolutely
tell that it is about something dark and deep.
This still shows Ian Somerhalder, sitting in a dark, secluded room. We can see a brick wall in the
background, suggesting that this scene may take place in a seller.
The lighting is very dark, showing a sense of mystery and fright. This dark lighting is very efficient in
making the setting of the scene quite eerie.
The actor‟s costume is also dark, a simple dark jumper. From this costume, we can tell that this character
is mysterious, and we cannot be sure what he is actually thinking. The costume being a jumper also
shows that this series is set in the modern day and has modern day issues.
