Mise en scene

Mise en scene

Literally means everything put in the scene

Refers to the composition, lighting, characters, settings, make-up, costume and how it all comes together to create meaning and supports the narrative.

Costume- Including hair and make up

Costume is another important aspect of a film and the rang of possibilities its huge it can:

Denote the time or place that the film is set in

Call attention to graphic qualities through stylization

Show narrative progression

Determine characters

Verisimilitude.

Notions of realism vary across cultures, over time, and even among individuals. To insist rigidly on realism for all films can blind us to the vast range of mise-en-scene possibilities.

Setting, décor and props

The place in which a film, or scene is set can be indicative of:

The historical time of the film

The state of mind of the film’s protagonist

The point in the films narrative that has been reached.

Lighting

Lighting shapes objects by creating highlights and shadows

A highlight is a patch of relative brightness on a surface

Shadows can either be shading or cast

Quality, Direction, Source, Colour.

Quality: Refers to the relative intensity of the illumination. Hard lighting creates clearly defined shadows; soft lighting creates a diffused illumination.

Direction: Refers to the path of light from it’s sources to the object lit.

Source: Directors and cinematographers manipulate the lighting of the scene typically decide on the two primary sources: a key light and a fill light.

Colour: Can be used in a variety of ways and is integral to the mise-en-scene of a film.