Mise-en-Scène Research

What is the Purpose of Mise-en-Scène?

Mise-en-Scène is a common concept in stage and film, literally translating from French as 'putting on scene'. Regarding cinema, mise-en-scène refers to everything that appears in front of the camera, cinematography and editing.  It is the use of visual aids to aid storytelling through representation. The physical aspects of mise-en-scène (the properties appearing in front of the camera) may include composition, set design, lighting, props, actors, costume, location etc. It essentially works as visual information for the audience and can establish key information including era, time, region (culture) and perhaps even a character's state of mind. The composition consists of the positioning and movement of actors and object in the camera's frame. 

Depending on the director's vision, the components of mise-en-scène can confer a sense of realism, or even fantasy, onto the film, but it helps make the entirety of the film seem believable. 

Components of Mise-en-Scène

• Set Design - this refers to the setting of the scene and placement of the props visible. This can clarify to the audience what era it is based in, based on the style of the props and set. For example, a period piece would contain antique appearing props. Contemporary, electric based items would not fit well in a period piece as they wouldn't have existed, this would make the film seem amateur and unrealistic, and it may even confuse the audience. A film where it takes the audience a very long time to assume what time it is set in (where this effect isn't intended) has poor mise-en-scène because it doesn't supply enough visual information for the audience. Another thing the set design may suggest is the whereabouts of the film. For example, if the set was clearly domestic appearing, it can be assumed to be in a house as opposed to a professional environment. The set design may also suggest what a character is like before they've even been introduced, for example, if the set is blatantly a room with a single bed and posters on the wall and dirty clothes all over the floor, it can be assumed that it belongs to a teenager, based on what's typically associated with this age group. Moreover, because it is messy, the audience can guess what the character who lives in the room is like, as a tidy room would insinuate that the person is organised etc. It can also suggest their interests, for example the posters may depict a band, and suggest not only that the character likes music, but what kind of music they're into. Even if the band isn't recognisable to the audience, the composition of the poster (including colour, costumes of people etc) can suggest what sort of genre they are. This proves that even minor details regarding set design can bestow so much visual information onto the audience. Some people can choose whether to film on location or set, location would require a lot less setting up as it already looks how its supposed to. The director and set designer coordinate this aspect.

From this set design, it can be assumed that this is based in a
domestic suite, as it's quite homely. You can tell that the house
in which this room inside belongs to wealthy occupants as
the objects inside are very expensive and luxurious appearing.
It is well kept and coordinated, this suggests that the owners of
the house have taste as well as are quite organised and care about
what their house looks like. Although the room is very stripped
back and simple, it features small artistic qualities (the painting
for example) and therefore suggests that the owners are quite
cultured. It has both traditional and contemporary objects, but the 
inclusion of contemporary props suggests that its set in the present.

• Lighting - the intensity and direction of lighting can change the mood of the film, as well as how the audience interprets the characters, actions and themes. It can be used to emphasise certain properties, including texture, shape, distance, mood, time of day, season, glamour etc. Furthermore, it affects the way colours appear, slightly changing the hue or depth. This can be seen in everyday life, for example under artificial light, objects generally look either orange or blue (depending on the colour of the bulb), whereas in natural daytime light, objects are generally quite neutral coloured. Lighting can also draw attention to a particular aspect of the scene by creating a spot light or having contrasting shadows and highlights. Highlights draw attention because the focal interest becomes more visible in contrast to the shadows. Shadows can make things look smaller, but they can also make it seem dark, gloomy or frightening. In a horror film, dim, contrasting and artificial lighting would be more effective because it conceals and therefore creates an eerie or mysterious effect, whereas a more lighthearted family film would use brighter natural lighting because it appears more innocent and lively. Lighting is a huge part because it can dramatically alter how the audience perceives things in the film. It can signify a dominant role, for example something that is supposed to stand out would be bright against a shadowy background by casting light over the focal object. It can also be used as a beauty enhancer, because lighting can accentuate certain features on a face and therefore make 'beautiful' features appear more prominent and conceal 'unattractive' aspects of the face. Lighting also has many connotations, for example, exposed lighting connotes truthfulness, happiness and innocence, whereas dark lighting connotes deceitfulness, evil, depression or even anger. Backlighting is where it is heavily lit behind a figure of interest, causing them to become a silhouette or very dark and not very detailed. Cinematographers coordinate the camera and lighting.

These two images depict the same woman, however in different lighting. This
signifies how much lighting can change the appearance of things. The left-hand
image is more exposed to the light, and therefore almost all of her face is lit with
no conspicuous shadows. This makes the woman seem friendly and open.
In the picture on the right, the woman is pulling the exact same face, except she
looks so different. This is because she is in high contrast lighting so there are
harsh shadows cast across her face and dramatic streaks of lighting. There is barely
an in-between. Adding shadows across her face makes her seem evil, and therefore
has a more horror/thriller fitting. Her eye is almost entirely concealed, which adds
an air of mystery to the photograph.

• Space and Framing - The portrayal of space can alter the audience's interpretation of the film.  Changing the camera positioning, angles, lenses and the lighting or set design can warp the depth, size, proximity etc. of objects and places in the film, and allow the audience to understand relationships between certain elements. Space is defined by what the frame of the image includes. Deep space is used when significant objects are both near and far from the camera, having lots of depth allows the audience to see both significant elements. It can be used to help the audience understand where characters stand in terms of their environment - how far away they are from a point of interest etc. This could also be used to create the illusion of isolation, as a singular element of interest is against a huge background etc. Shallow depth has a more artistic appeal, as it can add an air of ambiguity because some of the visible space may be cut off etc. Moreover, space can be used to change the mood, for example, filming in areas to make it look small and confined can make it seem chaotic and trigger the feeling of suffocation in the audience whereas filming in large open areas gives a more relaxed feeling to the film. There are ways to manipulate space by changing certain aspects, for example, smaller objects will look further away, overlapping will add depth etc. 

In this photograph I took, the viewer is given an indication into the space
by the background and the two figures (the ducks) in the image. For example,
the duck in the foreground is a lot larger than the duck in the background,
this suggests that the duck in the foreground is in front of the other duck, even
though they aren't overlapping, because the size of the other duck suggests how
far away it is from the duck in the foreground. The spatial relationship between the
two ducks in this photograph may also (if it were part of a film) give an indication
as to the actual, abstract relationship between the two characters, as they are not
intimate. Furthermore, the background clearly depicts a vast body of water, as the
end of it is not included in the frame. This suggests how much space there is in
the entire location, as there is no visible end. Having taken the picture, I know
that there was an end, it was in fact taken on a small loch, however, the
viewers of the photograph cannot guess this because there is no visible end.
This shows how what is included in the frame can change how the viewer interprets
 the size of the space. There is quite a relaxing aura to this image, as
it is such an open space and isn't compact or chaotic with objects and characters.

• Composition - Composition refers to the organisation of the actors, objects and space within the frame. It is often seen as important to keep the composition consistently symmetrical in order for it to seem professional. This means having an equal distribution of light, colour, objects and/or characters in a shot, however, an unbalanced composition may be used in order to draw attention to a particular element as it looks odd to the audience and they'll pick up on it much easier. The placement of characters can help indicate the significance of each character, for example, a character in the foreground suggests that this is the most significant character whereas the character being in the background suggests that they are not significant. This, however, might not apply to over the shoulder shots, this is because the person behind the other character is fully in the shot and therefore the main focus.

In this photograph, the puppy sleeping at the front is the one assumed to be the
focal figure in this image - ignoring the fact the other puppies are out of focus -
this is because he is positioned at the front, slightly overlapping his sister. If one
of the other puppies had been positioned at the front, it would be assumed that
they were the one the audience were supposed to be focused on. Moreover, the
pup at the front is almost entirely in shot whereas the other puppies are slightly
cut out of frame. However, the puppy is slight to the right, keeping the other
puppies in the shot, which is perhaps a method to get across information (that he's
among his litter) to the audience. 

• Costume, Hair and Makeup - This simply refers to what clothes the character is wearing and how their hair and makeup is styled. Not only can this indicate to the audience what the character is like but also what time, era, culture and region it is set in. It suggests what a character's personality is like, for example, if a character is dressed in quirky, extravagant clothing it can be assumed that they're quite eccentric themselves, whereas if a persons dressed in a suit, it can be assumed that they're quite organised and have their life together. It also suggests their occupation, for example if they're wearing uniform with a specific brand or indication of job on - i.e. a police officer or a company salesman. Not only does it suggest these things about the character, it can help the audience understand where its set or in what culture. If the character's are wearing something that is culture specific i.e. a sari, then it can be assumed that the film is set in India or elsewhere places associated with these cultural clothing, or even just among a community that practice the culture (even if they don't live an area where it is custom). Moreover, it can suggest what era, for example, if it was a period piece they would be wearing old-fashioned clothing that is easily distinguishable as antique. It might even suggest time of day, if they are wearing pyjamas it probably indicates that its set at nighttime or early morning, as it wouldn't be appropriate to wear pyjamas at other points in the day. If it was during daytime, then this suggests that the character is quite slobbish and lazy, as they haven't been bothered to change.

From this costume, you can infer that its set in the early to mid 20th century,
if I were to take a precise guess as to what decade I would say the 1940s. They
look quite expensive and refined, which would suggest that the woman is wealthy
and posh. The outfit is fully accessorised which suggests that she has a taste for
fashion, moreover her hair and makeup has been done quite carefully so she
looks like she is quite high maintenance and definitely not unkempt. This shows
that she's probably quite organised and dedicated because she takes the time
to make herself look 'presentable'.

• Filmstock, Editing and Colour - Filmstock is whether it is filmed in black and white or if it is grainy or not. Feature films generally aren't black and white or grainy as they are often desired to look pristine in order to appear professional. If it was grainy or in black and white, it would look similar to an old movie or it would look quite grungy and gritty. This effect may be used, however, if the director is trying to produce something that isn't professional looking - this style is often unnerving. This may be applied to make it artistic. The use of colour is quite important because colour has many different connotations, darker colours often connote mystery or fear whereas lighter colours may connote happiness. Colour may also be used to draw attention to something, for example, if the majority of the picture is one colour however one singular element is a completely contrasting colour, this would draw the audience's attention to that element because there is a contrast and it stands out more because it's different. 

I edited an old photograph I had taken of my dog to illustrate the differences colour correction can make on the way the audience interprets the mood of the film:

 This photo is very saturated in colour and has very bright colours. It has blue and green undertones which are slightly reminiscent of nature. Nature is associated with purity and therefore adds a feel of innocence to the image. Because the colours are so bright, it connotes happiness as colour and light are strongly associated with summer and happiness. This look would suit a lighthearted film, as it helps the audience interpret the film as happy. If this filter was used over a horror movie, it would look out of place as it doesn't have a very scary effect.

This photo is far less saturated in colour, so it's not as lively as the other image. It has more red undertones, which can connote more adult themes. The image is a lot darker, which is often associated with fear or other negative emotions. This is far more grungy than the other edit so it would suit a more grown up theme - it would work particularly well in a horror film. This moody filter wouldn't suit a happy film because it takes away any happiness or humour because it connotes sorrow or fear instead of happiness. There is less contrast so it's not as striking either.

Mise-en-Scène Applied to a Photograph 
In this image, it depicts a scary house. This is made scary because of the inclusion of certain mise-en-scene elements. For example, there is not much natural lightening. This is because natural lighting eg. sunlight, is associated with pureness and happiness. In this image, the only form of light is from the moon (assumed to be based on the bluesh tinge) and the shard of lightening pictured in the background. Lightening is associated with fear, making that incorperation fitting, and the moon is associated with night, which connotes darkness and fear. The house has shattered windows, distressed wood and boarded up entrances, which conforms to the typical appearance of a scary house. The image has blue tones which is associated with misery.

In this photograph, it also contains a house. This house is covered in pink hearts and looks very bright. The sun is shining and the overall colours are very bright and neutral. This picture radiates happiness. This goes to show that elements of mise-en-scene can change so much, in this case, a house.