1. Mise-en-scene
What does mise-en-scene mean?
Everything in the scene, used to describe everything in the scene.
What are the 6 key areas of mise-en-scene?
Colour
Costume
Props
Set/Location
Blocking and Performance
Lighting
Colour:
How is colour used in the 3 below pictures?
Red clothing suggests Green skin suggests Wearing white suggest an
Danger, Anger and evil and green of envy angelic like dress
Symbolises blood crow suggests ugly suggests purity.
Hair half white and a disgusting
Suggests half evil figure
Background
Costume:
What can we interpret from these costumes?
Costume is all about creating character identity and
Personality to the character aswell. Allowing the audience
To react and interact with the characters themselves as
They can usually tell the character just by their costumes.
On the left the characters costume are considered to be lower class and suggest that
2. Mise-en-scene
they may live in a council house. Their clothing reflects low in come and lower class.
On the right showing Sherlock and Watson their clothing suggests high class, high
income because of their well-made clothes. Also they are both clean shaven which
can suggest their profession as a high standing profession.
Props:
Option 1 - You have to provide props for a tense police interview between two
officers and one suspected murderer. Decide what props you would
incorporate and how the actors should be directed to use them.
Option 2 – You have to provide props for a romantic meal between two characters
on their first date. Decide what props you would incorporate and how the actors
should be directed to use them.
Props needed: Option 1 the props would be needed are a table, handcuffs, pen and
notepad, phone, recording device, hanging light, chairs, coffee mug, paper work
guns in holsters.
How would actors be directed to use them:
Location:
Can be a purpose built set or a real location
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?
3. Mise-en-scene
Low key lighting is usually used to create a dramatic effect during a scene; High key
lighting adds little dramatic effect on the scene.
Ambient lighting is normal lighting.
The Photo on the left is a still frame from the wire, the low key lighting gives an eerie
feel to the scene and it adds a dramtic effect on whats happeneing in the same
scene.
The still on the right uses high key lighting which adds little drama to the scene, this
scene has high key lighting .
