Mise -en -scene factsheet

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Number 098www.curriculum-press.co.uk
Understanding and Using Mise-en-Scene
M tudiesSedia
The aims of this Factsheet are to:
• identify the key components of mise-en-scene
• explore different ways that film and TV producers use mise-en-
scene
• offer advice on how to use mise-en-scene effectively in your
own practical work
Consider these stills from two Batman texts. The first is from the
1960s TV version of Batman and the second is from Christopher
Nolan’s more recent interpretation of the Batman character, The
Dark Knight Rises (dir. Nolan, 2012)
Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin are captured by
Ma Parker and her gang.
(http://www.ropermike.com/trouble/images/Batman-Ma-Parker/Batman-Ma-Parker-
0678.jpg)
Christian Bale as Batman/Bruce Wayne is imprisoned by villain
Bane. (http://www.empireonline.com/images/uploaded/tdkr8-wayne-prison.jpg)
Both stills show the Batman/Bruce Wayne having been imprisoned
by a villain but what do these images tell us about the texts from
which they are taken? The first is from a zany, light hearted and
comic version of Batman. The viewer can tell because the colours in
the image are garish and cartoonish. The costumes worn by Batman
and Robin are also brightly coloured and look cheaply produced.
The tights in particular are undignified and suggest that the
characters should not be taken too seriously. The electric chairs in
which they have been imprisoned are also cheaply constructed and
the wires coiling out from them are over the top and clearly for show
rather than realism. The arrangement of scenery is cramped and the
shot is very flat as it has clearly been set up in a small TV studio.
The elements of the scene have been arranged in a linear fashion as
if on the stage in a theatre and the lighting is high key and functional
rather than being used to express something about the characters.
Overall, the impression is of a TV show that has low production
values and is meant to be viewed as a bit of lighthearted fun.
The second still, although from a similar point in a typical Batman
narrative, (again, Batman has been captured by a villain and must
escape to save Gotham City from the villains) the audience are
clearly meant to relate to the second scene differently. The location
used is huge and looks like it may have been shot on location in a
real prison, suggesting that this text aspires to be more realistic
than the first. The arrangement of the actors makes use of the size
of the set, with the background character being out of focus and
standing some way behind Bruce Wayne, instead of to the side.
The use of colour is much more restrained with only blacks, greys
and a hint of green/blue in the set and costumes. There is much
greater use of shadow and light here, adding to the serious and
realistic tone.
Just by looking at these stills, the viewer can tell a lot about the
nature of the texts they are taken from. This is how media students
analyse the use of mise-en-scene. Film makers and TV producers
use mise-en-scene to convey ideas to the audience about character,
theme, narrative and more so it is an essential element of all film and
video production.
Keyword Glossary
Mise-en-Scene is a French term that means ‘to put in the scene’.
Everything that the audience can see on screen is part of the
mise-en-scene.
Mise-en-scene can be broken down into the following
components:
Costume: What a character wears can have a huge influence
over how the audience interprets that character. Clothes and
accessories must be carefully chosen.
Location: The location is where in the world the action is to take
place. For example, in a city or on a desert island. Directors can
choose to shoot a scene on location or a purpose built studio
set. Studios are more controllable, easier to film in and likely to
be cheaper. Using real locations can add realism but may make
for a complicated shoot and can be more expensive.
Setting: The settings are the specific places within the location
where scenes are set, such as a nightclub or a school. Chosing
where to set a scene can have a major impact on how the audience
views the characters.
Scenery: Set dressing, or making a particular setting look a
certain way, is an important part of the production process.
Props: Props are objects used in the set dressing and giving a
character a prop to hold or use can be a way of adding character
as well as developing the narrative.
Lighting: How scenery, characters and props are lit can affect
how the audience sees them. With careful placement of lights,
the audience’s attention can be directed to a specific part of the
mise-en-scene.
Actors: Casting the right actor for the part is crucial, not just for
their acting ability, but also for the ‘look’ they bring to the
character. This is also very important for extras, who are
essentially human scenery. How the actors are arranged within
the frame is also important.
Framing: The positioning of actors and props within the setting
is important so that the camera picks up exactly what is needed
to get meaning across to the audience.

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098. Understanding and Using Mise-en-Scene Media Studies
www.curriculum-press.co.uk
Activity
Find 3 stills from films, TV programmes, commercials or music
videos and print them in colour. Stick each one to a large
piece of paper and annotate the image, indicating how the
elements of mise-en-scene listed above have been used to
create meaning for the audience in each.
Case Study: Submarine
Submarine (dir. Ayoade, 2010) is the tale of Oliver Tate, a misfit
schoolboy living in Wales in the 1980s. From the film’s first frame,
mise-en-scene is used to flesh out Oliver’s character and help the
viewer understand who he is.
The Fowler’s house in Eastenders was a superb piece of set
design, right down to the tea cosy visible through the kitchen
door. (http://www.80sactual.com/2010/03/e-mails-eastenders-1980s-and-2010.html)
At the very start of the film, scenery and props are used to tell the
audience about Oliver’s character. The opening shot shows a
bedroom with a single bed in the centre of the frame and assorted
clutter around it. Amongst other items, a puppet, a toy boat and a
wind-up robot are shown, making it clear that this is a child’s
bedroom. However, the scene is are more complex than it at first
appears. A small painting hangs over the bed which seems to show
two people in bed which does not feel like a picture that a young
child would have. There are shelves but they seem to have been
put up rather haphazardly and, whilst the the names of the books
that sit on them are unclear, they appear to be thick and substantial,
suggesting they are quite intellectual choices for a young boy.
The duvet is neatly folded over at a diagonal, suggesting the person
that the room belongs to is neat and fastidious. As the camera pans
through the room a wall covered in various postcards, bits of art,
drawings is shown. There is also a typewriter, suggesting that the
room’s occupant is a writer. A telescope, a mobile of the solar system
Oliver Tate on his bed from a scene later in the film.
(http://www.odt.co.nz/files/story/2011/11/film_review_submarine_4ecf67b354.JPG)
and a full size human skeleton, suggest that Oliver is also interested
in science. In just a few seconds, the film has told us a huge amount
about the central character: he is young enough not to have thrown
out his toys, but he is also a teenager who is becoming increasingly
interested in books and art. He clearly a stereotypical ‘nerd’ but
perhaps likes to think that he is more intelligent than he really is.
Costume is also used effectively in the film to convey a sense of
character. Throughout the film, Oliver wears the same duffle coat,
often when indoors and relaxing in his room. Duffle coats have
associations with ‘nerds’ and ‘swots’, which helps the audience
grasp his character. He wears the coat constantly, to such an extent
that it becomes a major part of his character. Even when relaxing in
his room listening to music, Oliver still wears the coat. In this way,
the film seems to suggest that Oliver is wearing the coat as a self-
conscious and deliberate attempt to present himself as ‘different’,
rather than just not having a clue about what a fashionable coat
might be: he’s doing it on purpose.
Oliver and Jordanna’s coats are a key element of their costume.
( h t t p : / / w w w. t h e m a r s h a l l t o w n . c o m / z i n e / w p - c o n t e n t / u p l o a d s / 2 0 11 / 1 2 /
submarine_movie_stills_11.jpg)
Jordanna, the girl that Oliver becomes involved with, wears a bright
red coat which also seems to hint at her character. The colour is a
stark contrast to the drab, drizzly tone where they both live and
seems to suggest that she is a source of excitement and glamour in
Oliver’s life. The red also suggests sexuality, a source of both desire
and fear for the virgin Oliver. However, her coat is also a thick,
duffle type coat, similar to Oliver’s, which suggests that she and
Oliver may be more similar than it at first seems and could potentially
make a good couple.
Even when relaxing in his room, Oliver keeps his coat on.
(http://genkinahito.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/submarine-life-is-unbearable.jpg)
Oliver’s parent’s drab clothes are a key indicator of how he sees
them. (http://filmgeist.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/submarine-2.jpg)

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098. Understanding and Using Mise-en-Scene Media Studies
www.curriculum-press.co.uk
Colour is a key componant of mise-en-scene, as this shot of Oliver’s
parents demonstrates. Oliver views his parents as living dull lives
in a boring town. The beige and light brown colour of the kitchen
units, tiles and wallpaper all suggest a particular dreariness. The
costumes also reflect this with Mr Tate’s beige jumper and Mrs
Tate’s light yellow dress and cardigan. Oliver’s parents almost seem
to blend in with their boring kitchen.
Coursework Hint:- Film and Media Studies coursework will
often require you to provide an analysis of scenes you have
looked at for research, and looking at the use of mise-en-
scene is an excellent approach for such an analysis. Make
sure you offer the kind of detail that is given in the example
above to demonstrate your knowledge and it is essential that
you use the key terms appropriately.
Using mise-en-scene in practical production work
Mise-en-scene is a vital componant of any film and you should
give it serious thought in any coursework production. Costume
and location will communicate far more about your characters than
what they say or do so it is vital to make an effort to get it right.
When you are planning practical production work you should
consider the following:
Location
Even the smallest Hollywood movie has a budget of many thousands
of dollars. However, for your coursework production, you are likey
to have no money at all. You cannot hire expensive studio space or
rent locations for you to shoot in so you are limited to locations
that you can access for free. With that in mind, make a list of all the
interesting spaces you have access to that might liven up a scene.
Does your school or college have any interesting buildings tucked
out of the way? Do you have a relative who lives or works somewhere
interesting? Are there any unusual buildings nearby? Consider what
locations you have access to before you start writing your script
and build them into your plot. Every other student’s coursework
film consists of a teenager lost in the woods, can you be more
original?
Scenery
When shooting your film, give some consideration to set dressing.
If you have written a scene that takes place in a restaurant, your
best bet is to try and shoot it in a real restaurant; it will be worth the
effort. If that is not possible, use scenery carefully to make your set
look like a restaurant (table clothes, candles, proper cutlery). Perhaps
more importantly, do not be afraid to take down pictures or move
bits of scenery out of shot if it is undermining your mise-en-scene.
Examine your mise-en-scene carefully through the camera lens before
you shoot and remove anything that does not belong in your story.
You could of course re-write the scene to take place in a location
that you have access to.
Costume
Again, what can you pull together for next to no money? Charity
shops can be a good source of cheap clothes. Can you ask the
drama department to lend you some costumes for your shoot?
Making even a small effort to dress your characters in appropriate
costumes can make a world of difference to your film. A lot of student
productions feature actors who are just wearing the clothes they
happened to be in at the time and that tells the audience next to
nothing about the characters. Also, make sure your actors are
wearing exactly the same clothes every time you shoot to avoid
issues of continuity.
Props
Giving a character a prop to hold or use can develop their character
or just provide some visual interest in the film. Make an effort to
find objects for your actors to use that help us make sense of their
character.
Framing
Just as important as what you put into your mise-en-scene is how
you present it to your audience. A lot of student films are shot in
college and you may want to pretend that your classroom is another
location entirely. You can bring in as many props and bits of scenery
as you can to dress up your set but if you film it in a wide shot,
classroom elements will creep into the frame and it will not be
convincing. Make sure you frame your mise-en-scene tightly so
only the bits you want to been seen are in the frame.
Activity
(http://alternativechronicle.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/ran.jpg)
In his book Making Movies, the director Sidney Lumet describes
the following conversation: “I once asked [Japanese film
director] Akira Kurosawa why he’d chosen to frame a shot in
Ran in a particular way. His answer was that if he’d panned
the camera one inch to the left, the Sony factory would be
sitting there exposed, and if he’s panned an inch to the right,
we would see the airport – neither of which belonged in a
period movie.” By carefully framing your mise-en-scene, you
can tell a variety of stories in the same location. Using a digital
camera, take a series of shots around your school or college
that could be part of the narrative of a TV show or film in the
following genres: Western, gangster, romantic comedy, horror,
sitcom, social realist drama or soap opera.
Acknowledgements: This Media Studies Factsheet was researched and written by Rob Hind
Curriculum Press. Bank House, 105 King Street, Wellington, TF1 1NU. Media Factsheets may be copied free of charge by teaching staff or students, provided that their school is a registered
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