theory notes on mise en scene

1. Mise-en-scene
Colour:
How is colour used in the 3 below pictures?
Colour is symbolic and so easy to understand it is used in children’s films.
Red symbolises here danger outside white to portray innocence but shows inside red
to mean she’s evil inside.
Black signifies death and her skin is green to suggest envy while the purple is a royal
colour so shows she is royalty of some kind.
Cinderella is pure and innocent due to the white.
Costume:
What can we interpret from these costumes?
Costume creates identity for the character. Clothes give first
What does mise-en-scene mean?
Everything that we see in the scene and shot
What are the 6 key areas of mise-en-scene?
 Costume
 Props
 Lighting
 Colour
 Set and location
 Blocking and performance

2. Mise-en-scene
Props:
Props are everything in the scene and can have symbolic significance
Location:
Can be a purpose built set or a real location
Blocking/Performance:
 Blocking refers to the positioning and movement of actors within the frame,
both in relation to each other and in relation to the camera (which represents
us, the audience)
 Performance covers all aspects of the actual acting – gesture, expression,
accent etc
Lighting:
How is lighting being used to create mood in the following examples?
Highkey lighting ensures even light across the frame with little or no shadow or dark
areas – little dramatic effect
Low key lighting is high contrast between light and dark allowing for shadows – used
for dramatic effect
Ambient lighting is where a scene has been lit using available sunlight (natural light)
Low key lighting, light on main characters to show focus
Brightly lit but shadows the
man’s face in comparison to the woman
Verisimilitude –referstothe authenticityof environmentcreatedonscreen