Mise-en-scene

It's when a deal of time goes into setting up each scene in a film. Cameras have to be positioned in particular ways to have a particular effect on the audience.

A great deal of time goes into setting up each scene in a film.

Elements:

• Setting and props.
• Costume, hair and makeup.
• Facial expressions and body language.
• Lightning and color.
• Positioning of characters/objects within the frame.

Setting(location) and props     

The settings used in a film are very rarely just backgrounds to the characters dialogue and indeed we will often see shots of places,without any action taking place.they can be used to influence an audience by building certain expectations and then the action takes a different turn.e.g. in a horror set in a normal city setting.

A prop is the term we give to objects in the setting which play a part in the action and also can signify information about the character, rather than just being part of the background,for example, a glass containing some poisoned wine.

     


Costume,hair and make up  

Costume plays a large part in the mise en scene because it can be an instant to us all of a character's personality,social status and job. it tells is immediately whether the film is set in the present and what society and/or culture it will centre around.it may also provide a clue to the part the character will play in the action.certain types of costume are identified closely with individual genres.

In the early days of cinema,make-up was used to highlight facial features as black and white films stock could not register detail very well.certain genres traditionally use make-up more than others.

     

Facial expressions and body language

Facial expressions provide a clear indicator of how someone is feeling.
If someone is smiling broadly, we assume they are happy but we may get a different feeling if this is accompanied by scary music.

Body language may also indicate how a character feels towards another character or may reflect the state of their relationship.


Lighting and color

Lightning is used to enhance mood, atmosphere and drama.

There are different types of lights:

• Ambient light: The general illumination surrounding the shooting or protection area.

• Back light: It separates subject from the background

• Realistic lightning: It is used so that actors and sets are lit so naturally that the audience do not notice the technology that has been used to simulate reality. It is often used in romantic comedies and soap operas.

• Expressive lightning: It's when the director uses light to set a mood or tone for a scene, or even a look to a whole film. Films like Sin City and The Dark Night have expressive lightning designs.

• High key picture: It makes the shot look very bright overall with small areas of shadow. A bright sunlit outdoors scene is high key.

• Low key picture: It makes the shot look dark overall with few areas of highlight. It makes the shot look dark overall with few areas of highlight. There may be one section of the shot which is brightly lit while the rest is in deep shadow. Nights shots or interiors are often low-key.

The color is used to create distortion or to colorate the light. Gels not only correct the color of light sources relative to one another or the film, they can also be used to distort light for dramatic or artistic purposes.




Positioning of characters / objects within the frame 

Positions within a frame can draw out attention to an important character/object.
A film-maker can use positioning to indicate relaltionships between people.