Mise-en-Scene Flashcards
What is mise-en-scene
- literally, ‘placement in a scene’ or ‘onstage
- what is visible in the frame: actors, make up, costume, lighting, sets,
- what is in the frame —-NOT camera/filming/editing
- origin in theatre
- elements and principles of art/composition important
How do physical settings and surfaces affect us
-Humans are tactile, they like to touch and feel
- mise en scene creates sensation in the viewers and causes us to ENGAGE
—-think of imagery symbolism from English litetc
—-how a character is dressed may determine whether viewer likes him or not
—-setting open might be freedom or loneliness, a small rom entrapment….
Origins in theatre
- early Greek theatre 500 BCE ( before common era, has replaced BC in non-religious areas)thru to 19th century
—-occurred throughout world, often religious/moral/truths based
—-function often to teach the masses
When did early mise en scene appear
European Renaissance late 16th early 17th century
—-added sets, costume, and other physical elements to reflect a secular ( non-religious) world of politics and personal relationships
—-also in Japanese kabuki of 17th century- costume, props make up
—-through mise en scene people/communities fashioned their values and beliefs
Technology
—beginning of 19th century
—-lighting ( which can manipulate viewer emotion)
—-set the stage AWAY from the audience
—-as well as lighting, sets became more spectacular sometimes with massive panoramic scenery and machinery
——star actors also became a thing
1900-1912
- first films depended on natural light
- by 1900 theatrical influences revealed, 1901’s ‘the Downward Path’ used 5 tableaux
- 1906 studio shooting with mercury-vapor lamps and indoor lighting systems
Who was the first famous stage actress to act n cinema
Sarah Bernhardt
Other real early influences on mise en scene
- Melies ‘trick’ films with painted sets and props adapted from magicians shows
1915-1928 Silent Cinema and the Star System
-1914 audiences liked spectacles; feature length film
-elaborate sets and carefully designed costumes
- 1915 art directors/set designers called ‘technical directors’
-rise of studio systems in Hollywood Europe Asia—-studios had buildings and lots to build huge sets, their own personnel to design and construct them
—1927 ‘Metropolis’ futuristic designs constructed on soundstage
1930s - 1960s Studio Era Production
-rapid introduction of sound in the 1920s was helped by studio systems, in which the company producing and distributing the film had the money to invest in it
What is a studio era soundstage
-large soundproofed buildings designed to house construction and moving of sets, to capture sound and dialogue
What was a art director during studio era
-created the signature style of each studio, like MGM’s Cedric Gibbons, art director of 1500 films: he supervised large number of people who created the mise en scene within the studio
Studio era term production designer
- 1939 Gone With the Wind production designer William Cameron Menzies created epic look thru sets, designs, costumes
—also played role in colour palette highlighted by films Technicolor cinematography
Studio backlots
Created construction of places from around the world
1940-1970 new Cinematic realism
- photographic realism + use of actual locations
- location shooting didn’t hit mainstream filmmaking unti WW2
- since then location scouting is important for suitable mise en scene
- realistic mise en scene central to new cinema movements of the 70’s which often critiqued the studio style
- also also central to Cuba as well as sub-Saharan Africa
1975-present Mise en Scene and the blockbuster
- since Jaws the money tied into internationally marketed blockbusters has demanded ever more spectacular mise en scene
- shift to computerized models and computer graphics technicians who design models to be digitally transferred to film
- computers can make any era films more real than real ( motto of Tyrrell corporation in Blade arnner, 1982
Settings vs sets
Setting: fictional or real place where action/events occur
Set: a constructed setting often on a soundstage
—-both setting and set can combine natural as well as constructed sets eg citizen Kane
Set/setting/production designer
-production designer has the vision which the art department constructs and arranges props in the setting to draw out important details and/or create connections or contrasts across different places in a film
Eg Birdman 2014 shifts between stage sets, rooms inside a NY theatre, streets outside theatre showing - maybe - fantasy vs reality
Might even be broadened further by CGI
Scenic Realism and Atmosphere
Definition of realismp
-settings and sets contribute to a films mise en scene by establishing scenic realism and atmosphere
REALISM: an artwork’s quality of conveying a truthful picture of a society,person, or some other dimension of everyday life
—-is tricky
—-can refer to psychological or emotional accuracy in characters, recognizable or logical developments in a story, or convincing views and perspectives of those characters or events (in the composition of the image)
Cinematic realism
-is the degree to which mise en scene allows us to recognize sets/settings as accurate re-creations of real places
SCENIC REALISM is the physical cultural and historical accuracy of the backgrounds objects and other figures in a film
- May be accurate to some audiences but fantasy to others (who know the location well)
Mise en scene creates atmosphere and connotations, those feelings or meanings associated with particular sets/settings
- a kitchen table may connote (signify) warmth and family
- these connotations are developed thru actions of characters and the development of the larger story
— the meaning the audience associates with ‘kitchen’ can be played with n different films
Props
- is short form for property
-an object that functions as part of set or tool for actor - May have significance: express a characters thoughts and feelings, their powers and abilities in the world or the primary themes in the film
—-eg the flower in ET withering but reviving in presence of an alien; signifies also his connection with the children
Props appear in movies in 2 principal forms,
INSTRUMENTAL: displayed and used according to their common function
METAPHORICAL: the same objects used for unexpected/magical (umbrella in singin in the rain juxtaposition to rain, symbol of happy love) or having metaphorical meaning
Metaphorical - the knife in Psycho is not only the murder weapon but also savage sexual metaphor (penis shaped)
2 more ways props are used
1, cultural - the skateboard, underwear etc from 80’s time-travelling to the 50s
2. Contextualized props acquire meaning depending on where they are placed in the narrative(story).
—-eg Red Violin 1998 the path of one violin istravels through centuries and continents and end up in a shop in Quebec.
—-sometimes the contextualized props move the plot forward but don’t have much to do with the story ( money in Psycho)
Costumes
-how actors are costumed can be important
—-Bond’s tuxedo
—-legally blonde - what she wears to Harvard law school creates humour
—-transforming from rags to riches revealed by language diction and clothing- My Fair Lady
4 different ways costumes and makeup function in film
- Support scenic realism by making characters historically and culturally correct
——-increasingly good prosthetics like fake noses enhance realism (DiCaprio as J. Edgar Hoover) - Draw out important bits of a characters personality
—-red dress for scandalous, Marvels superheroes - When they mark development in the narrative
—-to indicate a character has aged
—-changes in physical appearance of Gollum indicate his developing corruption
4.show cultural connotations in realism, eg parent dressing trans child in pink
Lighting
The interaction of lights sets and actors creates its own drama in mise en scene
—-eg how a character moves thru the lighting eg. Citizen Kane the movement of characters particularly Kane from shadow to light and back to shadow suggests moral instability
The Mise en scene can useNatural Lighting and Directional Lighting
- Natural lighting derives from a natural source in the setting and likely has an incidental role on the scene
- Set Lighting spreads across set before more specific lighting is added - the ‘base’ layer
- Directional lighting comes from a single direction
—-May appear natural but is not, function to define and shape an object space character
Three Point Lighting
- common
- uses 3 sources:
1. Key lighting - to illuminate object
2. Backlighting - to pick out object from the background
3. Fill lighting- to minimize shadows
Key Lighting
- common
- uses 3 sources:
1. Key lighting - to illuminate object
2. Backlighting - to pick out object from the background
3. Fill lighting- to minimize shadows
Fill Lighting
Uses secondary fill lights to balance key lighting by removing shadows or emphasizing other spaces/objects in the scene
Highlighting
The use of different lighting sources to emphasize certain characters or objects
Backlighting
Highlighting technique that illuminates person/object from behind causing silhouette
Frontal lighting
Sidelighting
Underlighting
Top lighting
Used to illuminate subject from different directions to draw out features or creat specific atmospheres around the subject
Mise en scene can use both hard and soft lighting
Hard lighting: high contrast, creates hard edges, distinctive shadow, and harsh effects, especially with people
Soft lighting: diffused, low contrast reduces/eliminates hard edges and shadow , more flattering for people
—-
Shading
Lighting techniques along with narrative and other aspects of mise en scene brings out certain responses from the audience.
SHADING: the use of shadows to shape or draw attention to certain features can comment on an object or person in a way the narrative cannot
Chiaroscuro
Dramatic high contrast lighting emphasizes shadow and contrast between light and dark
Eg in Don Corleone’s office at the beginning of the Godfather- in contrast to brightly lit wedding party outdoors
Elements of mise en scene
Have standard meaning as they reflect the context of each film, it’s meaning/theme, historical and connotations
Performance: Actors and Stars
Performance describes the actors use of language, physical expression, and gesture to bring a character to life and to communicate important dimensions of characters to the audience
—-May be the success or failure of a film
2 primary elements of performance
- Voice: sound of actors voice, plus intonations/accents brought to the role
- Body movement, physical gestures and facial expressions including eye movements and eye contact
Stylized acting
Actor uses strong and highly self-conscious gestures or speaks in pronounced tone with elevated diction
—the actor seems fully aware of his own acting and knows he is addressing an audience
—-early cinema,or for effect like in Cabaret
Naturalistic Acting
Actor becomes the character to communicate the characters ‘essential self’
Types of Actors
LEADING ACTORS : 2 or 3, central characters in the narrative
CHARACTER ACTORS: recognizable actors associated with particular character type often humorous or sinister
SUPPORTING ACTORS : secondary actors in the film, often serving as foils or companions to the central characters. These actors often balances our perspective on the central characters and sometimes make us rethink main characters decisions and motivations
EXTRAS: no speaking parts, often crowd scenes
Selection of actors for CHARACTER TYPES
—because of the way the look, or the way they act, or what characters they have previously portrayed
Eg, Tom Hanks as ‘everyman’
Stars
People who because of their celebrity bring powerful aura to their performance and thereby making them a focal point in the mise en scene
—often dominate action and space of mise en scene
—-bring accumulated history and significance of their past performances
—-acquire a status that transforms their physical presence to mythical qualities
—-therefore combine ordinary with extraordinary (the character is ordinary the actor is not)
—-in early cinema associated with genre
Star performances
Focuses the action f the mise en scene and draws attention to important events and themes in the film
Eg Johnny depp as jack sparrow
—works because we associate depp with eccentric characters and have a cultural recognition of the mannerisms of the Stones’ Keith Richards
Blocking
The arrangement and movement of actors in relation to one another within the physical space
—social blocking highlights relationships
—graphic blocking arranges characters or groups according to visual patterns to portray spatial harmony tension or some other visual atmosphere
——-eg Metropolis oppression of individuality shown by mechanical movements of rectangles of marching workers
Scenic Lighting
Technology of lighting determines possibilities in mise en scene
Early scenic realism lighting
- relied on sunlight indoors and outdoors, windows, retractable glass, glass roofs
- mercury vapour lamps and huge Cooper-Hewitt lights
By 1911 artificial light encourages experimenting with light as a source of meaning
- glamorized stars
- expressionistic for psychological and social worlds, shadow and conflict
1930s artificial light classic use of highlighting
Delineates and complicates characters within 3 Point Lighting system provided by arc lights and incandescent lights
- even in colour stock 3 Point Lighting allows for both soft and sharp illuminations and is therefore very important for creating complex characters
After WW2 naturalistic Lighting
- Postwar Italy natural light and natural setting became centrepiece of story
- NewWaves also foreground the exterior world rather than the primary characters to describe a new social order in which characters struggle to find their place
2000s plus digital lighting
Provided open palette for filmmakers
-less dependent on equipment or physical conditions
-is some loss of lighting texture but offers fantastic opportunity for colour
—-comic books and contemporary documentary film
Space and Design
-design team coordinates overall look of film
- they use space and composition to create a scene for the films action
Eg Fantastic Mr Fox (2009) has crowded warrens that fill the frame but give little sense of depth, with stop-Motion figures and props jumbled together
—actors who move thru space are picked out by lighting in integrated costumes and makeup
Thinking about mise en scene
Mise en scene is every thing visible within the frame that cinematography (next chapter) will render, but the first visual impression is mise on scene.
Mise en scene as an external condition or measure of character
Mise en scene is the site from which viewers construct meaning and gives context
Mise en scene as an external condition
-surfaces, objects, exteriors define the material properties in a place or space
—from the magical to the barren
—defines limits of films physical world
Mise en scene as a measure of character
Mise en scene - dramatizes how an individual/group establishes an identity thru interaction with, or control of, surrounding setting and sets
—Robin Hood and his forest
—might convey even more meaning to audience than interaction between characters
—-viewers need to be aware of when film was made and how their reaction(laugh) might be different than audiences decades ago
Two prominent contexts for reading Mise en scene
Naturalistic: appears realistic and recognizable
Theatrical: makes look unnatural location and other elements of mise en scene so its features look unfamiliar exaggerated or artificial
- German Expressionist films use twisted nightmarish sets
The naturalistic tradition
- is effective but misleading
- elements of mise en scene follow assumed laws of nature and society and they have a logical relation with each other and mutually define each other
- is consistent with scientific laws and cultural customs so you shouldn’t be able to hear whispers from across a field
- has logical connections among sets props and characters
Two traditions have emerged from naturalistic mise en scene
- Historical - recognizable and accurate
2. Everyday Mise en scene - calls attention to the ordinary, has commonplace backdrops for characters and action
The Theatrical Tradition
-creates fantastical environments that display/exult in artificial and constructed nature Harry Potter
-elements of mise en scene bend/violate laws of nature
—dramatic inconsistencies with a films mise en scene show instability of scenes thru scene costumes props and therefore the world they define. Eg Night of the Living Dead 1968
— props, sets, and even bodies assume an independent and sometimes contradictory life that provokes confrontation/negotiation between mise en scene and characters
Theatrical Tradition: Expressive Mise en Scene
-elements (setting, props etc) work independently of the characters and describe an emotional or spiritual life filling the material world
—German Expressionist, + horror films including The Birds
Theatrical Tradition: Constructive Mise en scene
The theatrical world can be shaped and even altered thru the work of the characters
Eg Willy Wonka
Naturalistic and Theatrical Mise en scene
-sometimes alternate within the same film which can be fun,
—shows complexities of mise en scene, of how place and its physical contours condition and shape our experiences
- can be playful, O Brother Where Art Thou?
Movie Spectaculars
Mise en scene might outshine narrative or compliment it
—tend to be high budget
Film in Focus 1948’s Bicycle Thieves
- post WW2 Rome
- Italian neoRealism
- naturalistic
- mise on scene of setting -stark impoverished post war city becomes the biggest obstacle in the protagonists search for a normal life
- his bike is stolen so he can’t work or support his family by putting up movie posters, so he searches for it all over the huge city
- maze of streets reflect path of life, streets crumbling not only from war but from Roman times
- laws of nature and society depicted thru mise en scene don’t care for human hope and dreams
- accentuate common and everyday within naturalistic traditions
