Mise-en-Scène

Mise-en-scène is a French term and originates in the theater. It means, literally, "put in the scene." For film, it has a broader meaning, and refers to almost everything that goes into the composition of the shot, including the composition itself: framing, movement of the camera and characters, lighting, set design and gen eral visual environment, even sound as it helps elaborate the composition.


The 5 key aspects of mise en scène...

 Set design ---> The setting of a scene and the props there in. Set design can be used to amplify character emotion or the dominant mood of a film, or to establish aspects of the character. The picture below automatically portrays sadness, due to the thought of the loneliness of a character in a country between droughts and floods. This mood continues when you see the crucifixs' behind, where we'd imagine bodies would be buired. The dull colours of browns help represent this.

Lighting ---> The intensity, direction, and quality of lighting have an effect on the way an image is perceived. Light can emphasise many things such as; texture, shape, distance, mood, time of day or night, season, glamour; it affects the way colors are rendered, and can focus attention on particular elements.  the use of light can influence the meaning of a shot. For example, film makers often portray villains that are heavily shadowed or veiled, using silhouettes and dark lighting. A photo of Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare On Elm Street shows this particulaly well.

Space ---> Space affects the reading of a film. Depth, proximity, size and proportions of the places and objects in a film can be manipulated through camera placement and lenses, lighting, set design, effectively determining mood or relationships between elements.

Costume---> Costume simply refers to the clothes that characters wear. Using certain colors or designs, costumes in narrative cinema are used to signify characters. Costume also includes hair and make-up, for example in The Grinch (2000) played by Jim Cary, is depicted as a hermit with green fur, red eyes. This shade of green  can reflect uncertainty and being miserable. The muddier shades often reflect jealousy and possessiveness as well. It can indicate self-doubt and mistrust. The red eyes sybolize evil.

The devious, anti-holiday spirit of the character has led to the name "Grinch" becoming a term used to describe a person opposed to Christmas time celebrations or to someone with a coarse, greedy attitude.

Acting ---> These movements convey the emotional state of the individual to observers. Facial expressions are a form of nonverbal communication. They are a primary means of conveying social information. The 2005 trailer for King Kong tells a story of the characters emotions, thoughts and feelings through facial expressions with out words. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5j_2sRUTbU