A French word pronounced 'miza sen.' It literally means "putting into the scene". This is one of the more difficult terms to define because it has many different definitions. Remember, filmmaking is an artform that has only been around for a little over one hundred years so quite often terms might have different meanings for different filmmakers and critics. Mise en scene is a theatrical terms that predates cinema and it basically means how everything on the stage is positioned and styled. In encompasses what the director does. Mise en Scene is what you see in the frame and how it appears aesthetically and stylistically.
"Mise-en-scéne is used in film studies in the discussion of visual style. The word is from the French, although it has been employed in English since 1833, and has its origins in the theater. Literally translated it means to 'put on stage'...For the student of film, a useful definition might be: the contents of the frame and their organization." Mise-En-Scéne, Film Style and Interpretation, John Gibbs, 2002
If you can use the term "mise en scéne" and pronounce it correctly there is a very small chance that you might impress somebody with your superior knowledge of film and you might even get a date, provided you want to date a person that would be impressed by your vocabulary. You might say, "I was so awed by Kubrick's distinctivly dark mise en scéne in his film, Dr Strangelove". Make sure you pronounce all your t's though.
To keep it simple, mise-en-scéne is under the control of the director, while montage is controlled by the editor.
Lighting can and should be controlled and directed. During any quality stage performance, lighting is used to call your attention to the center of interest throught spot lighting. Because film has many more options, such as the closeup, to isolate the center of attention, lighting can be used in many different ways. There is much more mobility and flexibility in film lighting. Often, filmmakers want the look of existing light. They may want an institutional lighting look, they may want to drop all the shadows with fill light, they may want the look of candle light or fire, or they may try to imitate the look of moonlight.
Below from the film Taxi Driver, Martin Scorcese uses a flat, institutional lighting against the harder street lights of the night exterior, suggesting that there is no escape from the environment. The lighting, like the main character, is fragmented. The lighting of the interior is also reflected off the window deepening the otherwise flat space and accenting the feeling of urban emptiness.
Costume transforms the actor into the character and brings you into the new reality of the film. It can provide a sense of period in history. Costume includes makeup. Below a frame from the German film, Metropolis showing elaborate use of costume.
Color can be emotionally suggestive and symbolic. Below, the yellow of the sunflowers and the blue sky suggest "illumination" in the film, "Everything Is Illuminated." Filmmakers may want to mute color, or enhance color. Many have a pallette of color that they attempt to use consistently throughout their film. "The Godfather" uses warm browns and blacks for a "Rembrant" look.
The "Big Kahuna Burger" plays a big part in "Pulp Fiction" turning what in most films is a cliché hitman scene into layered, dark humor. Hitman Jules Winnfield places the cup of Sprite on the table in exactly the same position he picked it up. His line, "that hits the spot".
We are usually focused on action and performance. Intent on the story and the faces of the characters, we often miss all the subtlties of props, space, angle, color and compostion. If you can, watch classic films a few times and try turning off the sound. It will help to be able to separate and view the elements separately. How many viewers notice the Big Kahuna placement on the first or even second viewing.
Space is created by the relationships of the shapes within the composition. The space between characters and props creates a second, connecting shape. Space includes depth, which can be shallow or deep. Look at the frame below from "Everything is Illuminated." How would you describe the space? Shallow or deep? Expansive or constrictive? Open or closed?
The camera can be placed in different angles from the action. It can also be moved. Angles can give the audience a different perspective and call their attention to what you want to shot them. Below Jules and Vincent are seen from inside the trunk. Why is the audience placed there? Do we become the tools of the trade that Jules and Vincent are retrieving? Or, do the strong diagonal vectors or this low angle shot lead us into the new scene? Overall, the remaining positions in the sequence are normal angles.
Notice how the negative space is clear and well defined helping unify the two characters.
Similar but not to be confused with framing within the composition, mise-en-scéne framing is how the entire image is positioned within the frame which is almost always a rectangle. Older films, such as "This Island Earth" below, used a narrower aspect ratio of 4:3. That means that the width is four units and the height is 3 units. The aspect ratios are standard because the films and cameras are standard. Some films have a square format with an aspect ration of 1:1. Modern films almost always use an aspect ratio of 2.39:1 called anamorphic.
Notice below that the actors are centered in the frame. The film has few closeup shots and the individual shots are longer. It is more like watching a stage production than a film. This style is similar to many of the early silent films. You could say that the film relies more on mise-en-scéne to tell the story rather than using montage.
The framing results in a very static look. The camera does not try to create a deep space or z axis. You would call it a shallow space or a flat space. Although the pilot has just experienced an encounter with visitors from outer space, there is no indication of any tension in the static look of the shot. The horizontal line emphasizes stability when we need to feel tension.
Notice the similarity in framing below in "A Girl and Her Trust," 1915. The flatness of the space is created by the strong horizontal and vertical relationships. The tension in the scene is created by the pantomine of "the girl" and the voyuerism of the "tramps" in the window. Mise-en-scéne might carry the story but other than the acting it does not tell the story.
Combine costume and set and you have decor. Notice below how red is used as the dominate color in the overall decor of the setting, a campaign office during the 1970's.
Exactly one minute film. One shot. Static camera.
We will be doing the tracking shot on the next assignment. For this first assignment we will limit ourselves to the tools of the early film makers - basically, a camera fixed rigidly to a tripod. The camera does not pan or tilt nor does it zoom. You have the advantage of being able to see through the lens while your predeseccors could only approximate with a view finder. They used black and white photographic film, about three minutes worth, and you use color video tape. We can only approximate their limitations.
Early filmmakers were content with setting up their cameras on a location and filming any action at all. The audiences were thrilled and amazed at seeing any moving picture - for about two or three years. When ticket sales began to drop, film makers had to tell stories to keep audiences returning.
You will be working with a group of other students during class time. Don't film this at home and come in the next day. Your participation in class is important and counts on your grade. You have a take home project that you can work on. Work on that instead. Manage your time. You can make better take home projects by spending your class time on class projects and your home time on take-home projects.
Review the standards page before beginning work on this project.
Spend some time developing an idea. Sketch out how your scene might look and try to duplicate it. Remember you limited to the campus area. The parking lot is not campus but there are plenty of areas where you can use it for background. Some good areas are close to the room, such as the theater steps, the grassy hill near the theater or in the walkway near the room. Interesting lighting effects can be gained using the hallway window light. Leaving campus can result in a one day suspension (one student received a two day.) Off campus is Off limits. You will receive a zero score if you film off campus.
Each student should shoot one film with the group. That means that each student will have a chance to be the filmmaker and or director. You can set it up where you only have two actors while the director is actually directing and the videographer is filming. When you finish shooting return to class and load your film into IMovies. You can trim it here but you will not be assembling. Your film is ONE SHOT. Give your film a title and SHORT end credit. Music must fit the film. If you use music you will need to trim it. You will receive a lower score if your music continues to run long after your film is over.
Blocking the Scene
Directors are very careful to choreorgraph and arrange the actors and major props within the frame. Very little is left to chance. With money they can higher stand-ins for their actors so they can better plan the shot. A shot has a beginning, an end and everything in between that needs to be planned for overall composition and for continuity, that is, it must smoothly join the next shot without a jump cut. Ed Wood didn't concern himself with such details and you can tell by watching his films. "This Island Earth" relies heavily on centered, full shots - shots that show most of the actors body rather than a closeup which shows the face. The actors walk into the scene and play out the action.