Mise En Scene

Mise En Scene is a french term meaning what is put into a scene or frame. It is the visual information in front of the camera, it communicates essential information to the audience. It is made up of 5 elements: 

- Setting & Props: 

Settings & Locations play an important part in film-making and are not just 'backgrounds', sets are either built from scratch or a great deal of time is spent to find a setting which already exists. Settings can manipulate an audience by building certain expectations and then taking a different turn. Space affects the reading of a film. Depth, proximity, size and proportions of the places and objects and a film can be manipulated through camera placement and lenses, lighting, set design, effectively determining mood or relationship between elements in the story of the world.

A rap video could be shot in a club or in a studio, props could be alcohol, drugs or expensive jewellery and cars. Whereas in a folk song it could be shot outside in the woods or on the beach somewhere earthy and props could be guitars and other instruments.

- Costume, Hair & Makeup:

Costume, Hair & Makeup act as an instant indicator of someone's personality and status. It tells what time period the film is set in and what society or culture it will centre around. 

- Facial Expressions & Body Language:

Facial Expressions provide an indication of how someone is feeling, if someone is smiling broadly, we assume they are happy but accompanied with scary music we would get a very different feeling. Body Language can also show the relationship between two people.

All these three images having three very different meanings and convey different emotions but collectively they all are trying to connect to the audience. The image of Marilyn Manson is very cold, he is looking directly at the audience which is very intimidating an he is has a rose in his mouth which I assume would also be covered in thorns, I think this is to make the audience feel very uncomfortable. The image of Madonna is very seductive, she has her mouth open which could be seen as sexual, her body is very enclosed and the way she is posing could be seen as flirty. Finally the image of Justin Timberlake is very positive, it very open and relaxed, it shows the Timberlake is comfortable and it makes him seem down to earth.

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- Composition - Positioning of characters/ objects within the frame:

Positioning within a frame can draw our attention to an important character/ object. A film-maker can use positioning to indicate relationships between people.

This is a still from Take Thats 'Patience'. In the frame one of the band members is shown in focus with another in a background, he is holding is own microphone and stand and they're making there way up a hill, this represents how they are all individuals and all persuade there own thing and its took time but in the end they all come back together as a group.

This is a still from Lady Gagas 'Bad Romance'. This image shows Lady Gaga in the centre, she shows power in the pose she is standing in, all the people around her look like they're worshipping her but I also think they represent her fans and how she wants them to be included in everything she does and how she would of got up so high without them.

- Lighting & Colour:

Lighting & Colour can be used to achieve a variety of effects such as to highlight important characters or objects within the frame, to make characters look mysterious by shading sections of the face & body and to reflect a characters mental state/ hidden emotions (i.e. bright = happy, dark = disturbed, strobe effect = confused)

This is our discussion and analysis in class.

               

This is the Mise En Scene for our music video