mise en scene

The weird (and sometimes

wonderful)World of

Mise-en-Scene

Mise-en-Scene

Stemming from the theatre, the French term mise en scène literally means "putting on stage."

In film terms, it can be read as “putting into a scene.”

The phrase was first used by the influential French film journal ‘Les Cahiers du Cinéma’.

So that’s what it means. But what does it mean?

Mise en scène focuses on what can be seen in the picture.

Recently, the term has come to represent a style of conveying the information of a scene primarily through a single shot.

Overall, mise en scène is used when the director wishes to give an impression of the characters or situation without vocally articulating it through the framework of spoken dialogue.

Eh?Basically, the director looks to manipulate the

following elements to create a meaning:

• Production Design: sets, props and costumes• Colour • Lighting• Actors’ performance, movement and make-up

• Framing including position; depth of field; aspect ratio; height and angle (but not movement)

Can I have an example?

Have a close look at the following two stills and try to get a meaning from their mise-en-scene.

Also, think about connotations and denotations of colours etc.

The first example is that of a cluttered, disorganized apartment being used to reflect the disorganization in a character's life in general.

The second, an empty apartment, can be interpreted as conveying a character with an "empty soul“.