Mise en scene

Technical Code

MISE-EN-SCENE Includes:

i. ii. iii.

Props Iconography Costume

iv. v. vi. vii. ix.

Colour design Lighting Actors Make-up Setting

Mise-en-Scene French for ‘put in the scene’.

All that an audience can see on TV/film is bound by the edges of the screen. By controlling what actions and objects are in the frame, a film director creates the miseen-scene. All elements within the frame have been deliberately placed there. They all help to create meaning.

It is your job to describe everything within the frame (denotation) and to try to explain why the director put them there (connotations.)

Props

Props (properties) are used to dress the set/location so that it is appropriate to the subject matter and style.

Iconography Iconography is an aspect of genre. We expect to see certain objects within the mise-en-scene of a particular genre, for example, in a Western, we expect to see dusty, lonely roads, saloon bars, cowboy hats and horses. Such ‘genre indicators’ are called the ICONOGRAPHY of the genre.

Costume

Costumes add to a character’s persona.

Colour design In most films/TV dramas there is an overall colour design. Colour conveys different moods or ideas.

For example, blue/silver connotes seriousness and ‘hi-tech’ neon or acid colours connote fun, pastels might connote romance. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=cLJ1vuUWprA&feature=related Marie Antoinette – I Want Candy

Lighting AMBIENT – natural lighting (e.g. outdoors) emphasises realism.

ARTIFICIAL – artificial lighting can suggest an atmosphere or mood (the lighting in a horror movie is entirely different to the lighting for the news.

Lighting HIGH KEY LIGHTING Bright, high visibility

LOW KEY LIGHTING Used to light night shots, moody shots, etc

Lighting MOTIVATED – uses lighting sources from within the scene (e.g. headlights, fires, street lights, etc)

Actors STARS are an important part of the drama. They create expectations in the audience and they help to identify a genre. They also create issues of representation of culture, masculinity and femininity.

With what genres do you associate these ‘stars’?

Ricky Gervais

Timothy Spall

Billy Piper

Make-up Make-up and prosthetics are used in most films to create the characters.

Setting Some sets are made in studios, sometimes they are made ‘on location’.

Analyse this frame (PICCLAMS)

From: Merlin (BBC)

Analyse this frame (PICCLAMS)

From: Dr Who (BBC)

Analyse this frame (PICCLAMS)

From: Gladiator