Chapter 4: Mise-en-Scene Flashcards
Mise-en-scene
all of the elements placed in front of the camera to be photographed: the settings and props, lighting, costumes and makeup, and figure behavior
Prop
an object in the setting that has a function within the ongoing action
What are the functions of a prop?
- can convey character psychology
- may become a motif- color may help props become motifs
Setting in mise-en-scene
- can dynamically enter the narrative action
- natural vs constructed settings
- the overall design of a setting can shape how we understand story action
- color can create parallels among settings
Costume and makeup in mise-en-scene
- can become motifs, enhancing characterization and tracing changes in attitude
- can be used for their purely graphic qualities
- can help pick out characters
- color coordinating or contrasting with or against the setting
- costumes may reinforce narrative and thematic patterns when combined with the setting
Lighting in mise-en-scene
- lighter and darker areas within the frame help to create the overall composition of each shot and guide our attention to certain objects and actions
- articulates textures
- creates overall shape
- joins with the setting in controlling our sense of a scene’s space
- shapes a shot’s overall composition
Highlight
a patch of relative brightness on a surface
provides important cues to the texture of a surface
Shadows
allow objects to have portions of darkness (shading) or to cast their shadows onto something else
Lighting Quality
refers to the relative intensity of illumination
Hard Lighting
creates clearly defined shadows, crisp textures, and sharp edges
Soft Lighting
creates a diffused illumination
Lighting Direction
refers to the path of light from its source to the object lit
Front Lighting (effect)
tendency to eliminate shadows
Sidelight (effect)
sculpts the character’s features
Backlighting
comes from behind the subject
creates silhouettes and edge or rim lighting
Underlighting
comes from below the subject
distorts features or acts as a realistic light source