Mise-en-Scène

• Settings, Acting,
Figure Position and
Movement
• Costume, Makeup
and Props
• Lightning, Frame
Composition, Color
 Mise-en-Scène: To put into the scene
• Theatrical term: Staging (blocking the action, stage and lighting
design)

• An umbrella term: It includes setting, acting, figure position and

movement, costume, makeup, props, lightning, framing and
composition, movement and color.

• Different definitions:
1. Bordwell & Thompson: What is put in front of the camera
2. John Gibbs: Not only what is put in front of the camera,
but also how this is done: Cinematography (angles, movement, etc.)
 Setting: Time and place of the story

• Film Sets: Specially constructed settings

in studios, both interior and exterior

• Locations: Actual places chosen to film to

create realism or specific ambiance
Film Sets: Interior
 Film Sets: Exterior
The Spahn Movie Ranch, setting of Western
Movies (Duel in the Sun) and TV Shows (Bonanza)
 Location

The Lord of the Rings: New Zealand

 Location

Star Wars: Death Valley, California

 Acting: Standard Casting Choices
Leading Actors and Actresses: Antagonist and Character Actors:
Physically attractive Homely and Eccentric Looks
 Typecasting: Casting by Physical Appearance
On the Waterfront: Former On the Waterfront:
Boxers (Tony Galento) and Thomas Hanley, a real-life
Tough-looking Actors (Fred Gwynne) longshoreman’s son
 Different Acting Styles for
Different Storylines and Genres
• Realism: When actors seem as we expect them to
react or behave, they are “good”.
• Stylized acting: When a performance seems affected
or “unreal”, we need to judge the film’s style.
• Overacting: When a performance looks exaggerated,
it is judged as “bad”.
• Underacting: When the performance is very
subdued, it may appear as “not acting”.
 Figure Position and Movement
• Character Psychology, Character
Relationships presented in the actors’
positioning within the frame

• Distant or Near Positions as Signs of

Strained or Close Relationships
Costume: A Visual Way of Revealing Character’s
Social and Inner Traits
On the Waterfront: On the Waterfront:
Elegant mobsters, scruffy Terry Clean Edie and Terry, dirty panhandler
 Makeup: A Character Reveals His Traits by How He
Looks
The Oompa-Loompas and Violet Edward (Johnny Depp) as an
turned into a Blueberry: Willy artificial being with human
Wonka and the Chocolate feelings: Edward Scissorhands
Factory (1971) (1990)
 Props: Key Elements with Dramatic Meaning
The Everlasting Gobstopper as a
“Wilson” the volleyball as Chuck’s
symbol of trust: Willy Wonka and
only friend: Cast Away (1995)
the Chocolate Factory (1971)
 Costume and Makeup “Makeover”:
A Visual Character Dynamic
Grease:
Sandy (Olivia Newton-John), Sandy, After
Before
Three-Point Lightning
 Lighting Patterns:
High-Key Lighting
Forrest Gump (1994)
All three sources
are equally
bright, the
image is fully lit
with no shadows
 Lighting Patterns:
Low-Key Lighting
Rear Window (1956)
Fill and back
lightning are less
intense, creating
high contratst,
deep shadows,
chiaroscuro effect
 Framing and Composition
• Objects and persons are arranged in creating a
particular visual style

• Balanced composition: all figures are arranged

in an orderly visual manner

• Unbalanced composition: Visual attention is

pulled to a particular area of the image; to the
left, to the bottom, etc.
Balanced and Unbalanced Composition

The Shining (1980) Raging Bull (1986)

 Visual Composition Dimensions
• Height: From top to bottom/Vertical
Dramatic importance: The top

• Width: From left to right/Horizontal

• Dramatic importance: Center

• Depth: From foreground to background/

Depth of Field
Dramatic importance: Foreground
Movement Toward the Camera:
Expressing dramatic tensions

Menacing movement: Taxi Driver

Alluring movement: Rear Window

 Color as a Mise-en-Scène-Tool:
Color Coding Costumes and Props
Bright, Highly Stylized Clothes: Matching Colors in Costume and
Edward Scissorhands Props: Natural Born Killers (1994)
Color as a Mise-en-Scène Tool:
Color Filters
2001: A Space Oddyssey (1968)
 Color as a Mise-en-Scène Tool:
Colored Lights
Wonderwall (1968) One from the Heart (1982)