Boğaziçi University SPRING 2023

Department of Western Languages and Literatures

Certificate Programme in Film Studies

FA348
Introduction to
Film Analysis
Instructor: Asst. Prof. Cihat Arınç
Session 3
Mise-en-Scène and Acting: Spatial, Iconographic, and Performative
Elements in Film

01 Introduction 05 Lighting
02 Set Design and Décor 06 Colour
03 Props 07 Blocking and Stage Movements
04 Costumes, Make-up, and Hairstyle 08 Acting
 The Favourite Masham: “This wig is ridiculous.”
Harley: “A man must look pretty.”
Yorgos Lanthimos, 2018
01
Introduction
Introduction
What is mise-en-scène?

Mise-en-scène (pronounced meez-on-sen) is a French term meaning 'placement in a scene' or 'putting on stage'
that refers to everything visible on the screen in a film. Mise-en-scène includes every object, person, setting,
and lighting, which is arranged, illuminated, and placed by the filmmakers. It encompasses the spatial,
iconographic, and performative elements of a film such as set design, decor, the number of layers in the scene
(foreground, middle ground and background), props, costumes, make-up, hairstyle, lighting, blocking, and stage
movements, all of which must be carefully planned before filming. While genre formulas can influence mise-en-
scène, it is primarily driven by a film's story and is created deliberately by the director and his or her team.
Introduction
Why is it important?

Mise-en-scène is important because it helps elevate filmmaking to an art form. It is the artistic and creative
ways of expressing a story beyond dialogue. Without it, film and television would be two-dimensional, lacking
the colour, texture, and culture that make scenes come alive. Mise-en-scène is the life force of any narrative,
bringing the audience into the story, the mind of the characters, and their emotional states, and leading viewers
and characters alike on an emotional journey. It is the unspoken language of a film, providing context that
guides the story beyond the plot's machinations. To successfully craft it takes time and care, and good mise-en-
scène is essential to telling a good story in a visual medium. In essence, it is the emotional puppeteer of not only
the characters in a film but also the audience.
Introduction
How can it be analysed?

A thorough analysis of a film's mise-en-scène can be performed by examining important visual elements like the
set design, props, costumes, make-up, uses of lighting and colours, blocking, and stage movements, among
others. This type of analysis should take into account the particular context and intent of the film, as well as
how its mise-en-scène is employed to communicate emotions and ideas to the audience. The ultimate objective
of such an analysis is to obtain a more profound comprehension of the visual storytelling techniques and tools
employed, the underlying themes and context explored, and how the film connects with its viewers.
02
Set Design and Décor
Set Design
Creating the visual world of a film

Settings and sets are the most fundamental features of mise-en-scène. A film's setting refers to the
realistic or imaginary environment where the action and events of the film occur, and it holds crucial
significance in terms of time and space. The setting not only plays a physical role but also shapes the mood
of the film, influencing social, psychological, emotional, economic, and cultural aspects. By observing the
space that a character inhabits, including its size, design, and features, we can gain valuable insights into
their background, situation, personality, and even their emotional state. The set is, strictly speaking, refers
to a constructed setting, often on a studio soundstage; but both the setting and the set can combine
natural and constructed elements. Location, on the other hand, is the setting that exists independently of
the film world.
Décor
The stylistic arrangement of the film space

Décor is an essential element of filmmaking that refers to the stylistic arrangement of the environment in
which the story is set. It encompasses everything from the furniture and props to the colour schemes and
lighting used in a scene. The décor is a crucial aspect of creating the film's atmosphere, setting the tone,
and evoking emotions in the audience. It is not only about making a space look good but also about
enhancing the film's narrative and adding depth to the characters. The décor can also be used to convey
cultural, historical, or social context and provide a sense of time and place to the audience. Thus, the décor
is an essential tool in the filmmaker's arsenal to create a cohesive and immersive visual experience for the
viewers.
 Downton Abbey
Brian Percival et al, 2010–2015
03
Props
Props
Instrumental and metaphorical properties

Props, or properties, are items that serve as either part of the set or as tools utilised by the actors. There are
two primary forms of props that appear in movies. Instrumental props are objects that are displayed and used in
their usual function. Metaphorical props, on the other hand, are the same items that are reimagined or used for
an unexpected, perhaps magical purpose or imbued with symbolic meaning. This differentiation is significant
because the kind of prop can define the type of environment surrounding the characters and their capacity to
interact with that world.
 Gun Crazy
Joseph H. Lewis, 1950
04
Costumes, Make-up, and Hairstyle
Costumes, Make-up, and Hairstyle
The appearance of characters

Costumes are the clothing and related accessories worn by a character that define the character and contribute
to the visual impression and design of the film overall. These can range from common fashions, like a dark suit
or dress, to historical or more fantastic costumes. Cosmetics, or make-up, applied to the actor’s face or body,
highlight or even disguise or distort certain aspects of the face or body. How actors are costumed and made up
can play a central part in a film, describing tensions and changes in the character and the story.
Costumes, Make-up, and Hairstyle
The appearance of characters

Costumes and make-up function in films in four different ways:

• First, when costumes and make-up support scenic realism, they reproduce, as accurately as possible, the
clothing and facial features of people living in a specific time and place.
• Second, when costumes and make-up function as character highlights, they draw out or point to
important parts of a character’s personality.
• Third, when costumes and make-up act as narrative markers, their change or lack of change becomes a
crucial way to understand and follow a character and the development of the story (e.g. aging, etc.).
• Finally, make-up, prosthetics, and costuming can be used as a part of overall production design to signify
genre.
Barry Lyndon
Stanley Kubrick, 1975
Ex Machina
Alex Garland, 2014
 Maleficent
Robert Stromberg, 2014
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Wes Craven, 1984
05
Lighting
Lighting
Definition

Lighting is the deliberate control of light and shadows to fulfill specific aesthetic objectives relating to outer and
inner orientation. One of the most subtle and important dimensions of mise-en-scène is lighting, which not only
allows an audience to observe a film's action and understand the setting in which the action takes place but also
draws attention to the props, costumes, and actors in the mise-en-scène. The interaction of lighting, sets, and
actors can create its own drama within a specific mise-en-scène. How a character moves through light or how
the lighting on the character changes can signal important information about the character and story. Among its
properties are its source, quality, direction, and style.
Lighting
Source

There are two sources of light: natural and artificial. Daylight is the most convenient and economical source,
and in fact the film industry made Hollywood the centre of American film production in part because of its
almost constant sunshine. Artificial lights are called instruments to distinguish them from the light they
produce. Among the many kinds of these instruments, the two most basic are fo­cusable spotlights and
floodlights, which produce, respectively, hard (mirrorlike) and soft (diffuse) light.
Lighting
Quality

The quality of light on a character or situation is an important element in helping a film tell its story. Quality
refers to whether the light is hard (shining directly on the subject, creating crisp details and a defined border
and high contrast between illumination and shadow) or soft (diffused so that light hits the subject from many
slightly varying directions, softening details, blurring the line between illumination and shadow, and thus
decreasing contrast). We can generally (but not always) associate hard, high-contrast lighting featuring deep
shadows (known as low-key lighting) with serious or tragic stories and soft, even lighting (high-key lighting) with
romantic or comic stories.
Lighting
Direction

Light can be thrown onto a film actor or setting (exterior or interior) from virtually any direction: front, side,
back, below, or above. By direction, we also mean the angle of that throw, for the angle helps produce the
contrasts and shadows that suggest the location of the scene, its mood, and the time of day. As with the other
properties of lighting, the direction of the lighting must be planned ahead of time by the cinematographer in
cooperation with the art director so that the lighting setup achieves effects that complement the director’s
overall vision.
Lighting
Techniques

Lighting is an essential element of filmmaking that can have a profound impact on how a scene is perceived by
the audience. The style of lighting used in a film can help set the mood, highlight certain aspects of the scene,
and convey certain emotions to the viewers. There are different techniques of lighting used in the art of film.
Key Lighting The main—strongest or brightest—light in the frame;
illuminates the subject or actor.
Lighting Techniques
High-key Lighting A lighting aesthetic with no shadows and intense
brightness, bordering on overexposure; creates an
Lighting Techniques optimistic or hopeful tone; commonly seen in
television sitcoms.
Low-key Lighting A lighting aesthetic with a lot of shadows; creates a
sense of mystery or suspense; commonly seen in
Lighting Techniques horror, thriller, and mystery films.
Fill Lighting Adds dimension and softens harsh shadows created
by the key light.
Lighting Techniques
Back Lighting Used to separate an actor or object from the
background; helps the frame feel more three
Lighting Techniques dimensional.
Chiaroscuro/Side Lighting The Adoration of the Child by Gerard van Honthorst
Lights the actor from the side and focuses on the
Lighting Techniques contours of their face; creates a high-contrast dramatic
effect; commonly seen in film noirs.
Practical Lighting A light source that is visible within the scene like lamps, light
fixtures, candles, and television sets; not usually strong enough to
Lighting Techniques light a subject but adds to the cinematic ambiance of the scene;
good for wide shots and long takes; helps give depth of field to a
scene.
Hard Lighting A lighting aesthetic with harsh shadows and
silhouettes; draws attention to a specific actor or
Lighting Techniques certain parts of the frame; creates a dramatic effect.
Soft Lighting A lighting aesthetic with little to no harsh shadows
that’s bright yet balanced; portrays characters
Lighting Techniques favourably; can give characters a youthful look;
creates tender and emotional scenes.
Natural Lighting Uses and modifies the available light at the location
of the shoot; replicates real life.
Lighting Techniques
Motivated Lighting A controlled lighting technique meant to imitate
natural light sources in the scene like the sun or the
Lighting Techniques moon; enhances practical lights.
Bounce Lighting A technique where light is bounced from a strong
source toward the actor with a reflector, which
Lighting Techniques soften and spread the light.
Ambient Light Light that’s already present at the location; helps
provide overall light but can also alter controlled light
Lighting Techniques if not handled correctly.
06
Colour
Colour
Main functions of colours in film

The main functions of colours in film:

• to elicit psychological reactions with the

audience
• to draw focus to significant details
• to set the tone of the film
• to represent character traits and more
• to show changes or arcs in the story
Colour
Main components of colours in film

The 3 main components of colours in film:

• Hue (the colour itself)

• Saturation (the intensity of the colour)
• Brightness (the darkness or lightness of a
colour)
Colour
Types of colour schemes in film

The 4 types of colour schemes in film:

• Balanced Colour Schemes: (1) the

monochromatic colour scheme, (2) the
complementary colour scheme, (3) the analogous
colour scheme, and (4) the triadic colour scheme
• Discordant Colour Scheme
• Associative Colour Scheme
• Transitional Colour Scheme
Colour
Monochromatic colour scheme

Balanced Colour Schemes:

(1) the monochromatic colour scheme,

(2) the complementary colour scheme,
(3) the analogous colour scheme, and
(4) the triadic colour scheme
Colour
Complementary colour scheme

Balanced Colour Schemes:

(1) the monochromatic colour scheme,

(2) the complementary colour scheme,
(3) the analogous colour scheme, and
(4) the triadic colour scheme
Colour
Analogous colour scheme

Balanced Colour Schemes:

(1) the monochromatic colour scheme,

(2) the complementary colour scheme,
(3) the analogous colour scheme, and
(4) the triadic colour scheme
Colour
Triadic colour scheme

Balanced Colour Schemes:

(1) the monochromatic colour scheme,

(2) the complementary colour scheme,
(3) the analogous colour scheme, and
(4) the triadic colour scheme
Colour
Discordant colour scheme

The other 3 types of colour schemes in film:

• Discordant Colour Scheme

• Associative Colour Scheme
• Transitional Colour Scheme
Colour
Associative colour scheme

The other 3 types of colour schemes in film:

• Discordant Colour Scheme

• Associative Colour Scheme
• Transitional Colour Scheme
Colour
Transitional colour scheme

The other 3 types of colour schemes in film:

• Discordant Colour Scheme

• Associative Colour Scheme
• Transitional Colour Scheme
Colour
The psychology of colour in film

The colour Red.

Colour
The psychology of colour in film

The colour Pink.

Colour
The psychology of colour in film

The colour Purple.

Colour
The psychology of colour in film

The colour Yellow.

Colour
The psychology of colour in film

The colour Orange.

Colour
The psychology of colour in film

The colour Green.

Colour
The psychology of colour in film

The colour Blue.

07
Blocking and Stage Movements
Blocking and Stage Movements
The actors' body positions and movements in a scene

The term blocking is thought to come from a practice of 19th-century Victorian-era drama, when theatre
directors such as Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (1836–1911) and Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900) would plan their
productions by first creating a miniature stage model. Then, the two of them would use thin blocks of wood to
represent the actors and the resulting stage pictures.
 Figure 1 The use of miniature stage models in the
Blocking and Stage Movements 19th-century Victorian-era theatre
Blocking and Stage Movements
The actors' body positions and movements in a scene

Today, the term has evolved to mean working with performers to figure out the actors’ movements, body
positions, and body language in a scene. In cinema, the blocking process also involves working out the camera
position and camera movement, and can impact the lighting design, set design, and more. It is thus an essential
part of the planning process during pre-production.
Blocking and Stage Movements
The actors' body positions and movements in a scene

Blocking in filmmaking refers to where actors stand on a set and how they move around over the course of
filming, or as some would say choreography. However, blocking is not only about where actors stand, but it is
also about directing the audience's eyes to where the film director wants them to look, and what he or she
wants them to feel. The position of an actor on a set can greatly affect how their performance turns out so
getting this right is crucial for film directors.
08
Acting
Acting
Criteria for analysing an actor's performance

Acting in film presents a different challenge to other aspects of filmmaking, as there is no one way to do it, and
every actor has their own technique for creating characters. The goal of any actor should be to make the
audience believe completely in the reality of the character, and actors must possess several talents to achieve
this. They must be able to project sincerity, truthfulness, and naturalness and possess intelligence, imagination,
sensitivity, and insight into human nature necessary to fully understand their character. Additionally, they must
be able to express these qualities convincingly through voice, body movements, gestures, or facial expressions,
maintaining the illusion of reality consistently from beginning to end.
Acting
Criteria for analysing an actor's performance

Analysing acting is challenging due to its intangible and subtle nature, but it is essential to understanding the
film's narrative and other cinematic elements. The analysis of acting requires a more substantial set of criteria
than subjective feelings and reactions, and critics should consider each actor's specific performance in a specific
film to establish a standard that applies to that film. To analyse an actor's performance in a specific film, the
following criteria should be considered:

• Appropriateness aka transparency: Does the actor look and act naturally like the character he or she portrays,
as expressed in physical appearance, facial expression, speech, movement, and gesture? If the performance is
nonnaturalistic, does the actor look, walk, and talk the way that character might or should?
Acting
Criteria for analysing an actor's performance

• Inherent thoughtfulness or emotionality: Does the actor convey the character’s thought process or feelings
behind the character’s actions or reactions? In addition to a credible appearance, does the character have a
credible inner life?

• Expressive coherence: Has the actor used these first two qualities (appropriateness and inherent
thoughtfulness/emotionality) to create a characterization that holds together?

• Wholeness and unity: Despite the challenges inherent in most film productions, has the actor maintained the
illusion of a seamless character, even if that character is purposely riddled with contradictions?
Thank you.