Mise En Scene

The elements of Mise En Scene are an indicator to the genre of the film that we are watching. When watching a film we have expectations of the Mise En Scene in the different genres of the films. The five main elements to consider when looking at the Mise En Scene are:

• Settings & Props
• Costume, Hair & Make up
• Facial expressions & Body language
• Lighting & Colour
• Positioning of the characters & objects within the frame.

Setting & Props

The settings within a frame are much more than just the background to the characters dialogue. In fact we often see shots of setting where there is no action taking place. The setting of a film is always far more greater than the setting of a theatre and is much much more detailed. The setting is often made in one of the two ways. The first way is to build a setting entirely from scratch using bare walls and a floor of a studio. The other way is to hire a locations manager to go out and find locations and setting that already exist, which bests suite the film. Then the already existing location will be edited further in order to achieve what the director wants to convey. 

The setting of a film can often be used to manipulate the audience. This means that the setting could build expectations and then the action of characters takes a different turn. Props are what we call the objects that play apart of the action. This means that they are not just part of the background but are in the foreground with the characters them selves. An example of a prop would be a weapon which one of the characters in a film maybe holding.

Costume, Hair &Make up

The costume of the characters within a film carry a large part in the Mise En Scene because it can be an instant indicator to a characters personality, social status or job. The costumes tell us immediately whether its set in the past, present or future, it can also tell us if the film is based around a certain culture. Another one of the roles of the costume out of the many roles i have already gone through is that it may provide a clue to what part of the action the character is going to play. Certain types of costume can be associated with different types of genres for examples a military uniform can be associated with a war film.

In the early days of film making, make up was generally used to highlight the facial features of a character because the black and white film stock could not register detail very easily. Certain genres such as the horror genre used much more make up than others genres.

Facial Expressions & Body Language

On film the camera can be at a range of distances from portraying a character as a small dot in a long shot or very close in an extreme close up. All of this means that there will be different emphasis placed on the facial expressions and body language of the characters according to the type of shot. Facial expressions are a very clear indicator to how one is feeling. However the smallest changes to ones facial expression can send out a completely different message to the first facial expression given. For example a person could go from a smile where we assume their happy to a frown where they may be upset or angry. Eyes are key to us when we are trying to read someones facial expression as we usually follow the direction that they are looking, or their direction of sight. A film maker could use this to draw the audience to something or someone in the frame.

Another way in which the characters in a film indicated there thoughts and feelings is through their body language. 

Once again like with facial expressions everyone is different when it comes down to the body language they use. However there are some things that allot of people signify to represent the same emotions. For example when people fold their arms or curl up in to a ball its because they are feeling frightened or intimidated. Some films need a very realistic type of body language used but others such as musical don't. For example musicals have people randomly burst into song, this is not normal type of behaviour.

Lighting & Colour

Lighting can be used in many ways to give off many different effects. Lighting can be aimed to give a particular scene a realistic look or bring out the dramatic nature of it. We can associate these different lighting styles with different genres. They can be used to deliver a variety of effects to our audience. To highlight a particular person or prop we could use a bright light shone onto them which draws the audiences attention. We can make a character look mysterious if we use allot of back lighting to create a silhouette.  

Colours in the scene can often be used to symbolise emotions as well, we call this a connotation. These connotations are very important in the mise en scene. Certain colours are usually associated with certain genres for example red with horror and romance, symbolising love and blood. This technique is greatly used on poster or on other public materials so the public can easily and quickly identify the film that is being advertised.

Positioning or characters & Objects within a frame.

There are many ways that a director can position their characters in the scene. If the director positions a character or object in the foreground of the scene we know that, that object or person has importance to it. This way we are using the mise en scene once again to direct the audiences attention to what we want them to be looking at. If their is an object or person in the background at this point we assume that the object or person is less important. If we were to put a moving object on a stationary background our attention would be drawn to that object just like in real life. If characters or objects are positioned evenly on each side of the scene we get a balanced feel to the shot. This makes the audience feel settled and at ease. 

However if we were to have all the objects or people at one side of the room the shot is imbalanced and the audience obtains a unsettled mind. If we position the characters or objects diagonally it is balanced but the audience will feel uncomfortable about the action that is taking place. The director could also use positioning to indicate relationships between different characters, for example of two characters are arguing placing them at the outside edges of the frame would indicate the physical distance between the two characters. The distance symbolises the emotional distance that they now have in their relationship.