The Mise en Scène

This term is mainly used in films to describe how scenes are set up in a film or play. So basically, this includes anything that is on stage or shown in front of the camera. This term can be translated from French, it means “placing on stage”, since the mise en scène is a summary of everything that contributed to the overall look and feel of the film/play.

There are various factors that characterise this Mise en Scène. The below are only some of them, which I see as very important and also where to start from.

1. Actors make up the most basic element of this term. Their performance style is crucial to the mise en scène since the focal point of the play/film is on them. In fact, their presence on stage/in front of the camera carries most of the weight for the action to occur.

2. The location sets the mood for the viewer, depending on what the scene is about, and the action that will happen. For instance, it is common in the romantic films to use places such as the Eiffel Tower, whereas horror films use an old haunted house or an alley, where beating happens.

3. Lighting is also crucial in setting the mood. Also, the changes in lighting during a scene can serve as a warning of what is about to happen soon. High key lighting, which is often used in romantic comedies aims to minimise shadows, whereas low key lighting, often used in horror films, creates this high contrast lighting pattern to both lighten and darken parts of the same frame.

4. Composition is the selection of camera angles and frames which together combine into a shot. Shooting the same scene with different compositions can give out different emotions to the viewer. The composition by itself also has the potential to communicate a sense of meaning to the audience.

5. Costumes that actors wear have also their share of the mise en scène. A good costume designer must know the combinations of colour that blend well with that particular character, as well as setting up the fit according to the message that should be portrayed. For example, If you have brown, or dirty white clothes (maybe even torn) with a baggy fit, that may portray that character as poor, or even homeless. A good example of a good costuming style is in 1967’s film The Graduate (Fig1). There is this popular scene where we see Mrs Robinson at the hotel lobby wearing a cheetah coat. This may emphasize her role in the film as being a predator.

6. Hairstyles and makeup can change radically someone’s look. For example, makeup can make a 20-year-old look like a 60-year-old, or even vice versa. Playing with the hairstyle and trying different makeup styles may result in almost changing completely that person’s look. For example, make-up may be also used to simulate blood in a crime scene. Same as costumes, these two-mentioned factors should be picked up with lots of care since they are fundamental to setting up a good mise en scène in a film or play.

Fig 1. The scene of Mrs Robinson in the lobby of the hotel with the cheetah coat.

References:

MasterClass Staff, 2021. What Is Mise en Scène in Film? - 2021 [WWW Document]. MasterClass. URL https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-mise-en-scene-in-film (accessed 11.13.21).

Moomey, P., 2017. Hollywood’s Most Iconic Jackets & Where To Buy Them. OMGFacts. URL https://medium.com/omgfacts/hollywoods-most-iconic-jackets-where-to-buy-them-31c133de00d1 (accessed 11.13.21).

NFI, 2021. Mise-en-scène - Everything You Need to Know. NFI. URL https://www.nfi.edu/mise-en-scene/ (accessed 11.13.21).

Pavis, P 2012, Contemporary Mise en Scène : Staging Theatre Today, Taylor & Francis Group, London. Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central. [12 November 2021].