Mise-en-Scène

What is mise-en-scène?
• Mise-en-scène is French term and means ‘to put in scene’, and
encompasses everything that appears in the framing
• It’s used to convey certain messages to the audience, and also to evoke
particular emotions and feelings – either in certain scenes or
throughout the entire film
• There are five elements: settings and props; costume, hair and makeup;
facial expressions and body language; lighting and colour; and
positioning of characters/props within the frame
• The director oversees all of these elements, and works with the set
designers, props team, costume designers, artists and location
supervisors to determine the right atmosphere
Settings and Props
• Locations aren’t just ‘backgrounds’ for a film: set designers have to
think about what a certain location or prop could mean at a deeper
level
• Settings can be used to heighten character emotions, or to make a
social, cultural or political point
• Sets are either built from scratch, or filmed on-location, and different
genres use different locations and props
Examples

Medical dramas like Grey’s Anatomy and House are set in typical
hospital environments: these two scenes both feature medical
equipment used in hospitals, and are set in a ward and an operating
theatre respectively, so convey a sense of unease and intense pressure,
feelings we associate with doctors and hospital settings in general.
Costume, Hair & Makeup
• Costume refers to the clothing characters wear; by using different
colours and styles, costume is used to signify certain characters and
make distinctions between multiple people
• All of these aspects establish the time period in which something is set,
reveal traits about the characters, and signal changes; they act as
instant indicators of what a character is like, what their status is, etc.
• Certain costumes represent certain types of people, for example the
medical coat of a doctor
Examples

Sansa Stark from Game of Thrones goes through a number of pivotal costume,
hair and makeup changes – her costumes reflect the setting, as well as who she
is trying to imitate and where her affiliations lie. In season 1, Sansa’s hair is
loose and flowing; she is fresh-faced, and her wardrobe is predominantly blue
and grey (her family colours), representing her ties to her family. As the
seasons go on and her story shifts locations, she begins to change, and dresses
like the wealthy ladies from the capital, imitating the Queen; and finally, in
season 3, she dresses like Margaery Tyrell.
Facial Expressions & Body Language
• The facial expressions of a character provide a clear insight into exactly
how a character is feeling, e.g. smiling suggests they are happy, tears
implies they are sad
• However, other factors such as soundtrack may influence how we
perceive facial expressions, for example if cheerful music is playing as
somebody is crying, we might assume that instead of crying tears of
sadness, they are crying tears of joy
• Body language also indicates how a character is feeling, for example
cowering away suggests fear and shyness, while standing tall and proud
implies confidence
Examples

These two scenes from Breaking Bad convey entirely different emotions, based
on facial expression and body language. In the first image, Walter White is sat in a
confident posture – legs apart, shoulders back – conveying a sense of authority
and power, while his facial expression is relatively calm and level. In the second
image, Jesse is visibly shaken up and we can infer from his red, watery eyes that
he’s crying and therefore upset about whoever he has to shoot.
Lighting & Colour
• The intensity, direction, and quality of lighting can influence
understanding of characters, plot-points, and mood
• Lighting can be used to highlight main characters or make them look
mysterious by using shadows and shading effectively; it can also be
used to show how a character is feeling
• Low-key lighting is created by only using key and back lights, producing
sharp contrast and distinct shadows
• High-key lighting is created by using more filler lights, and produces
brightly lit sets
• Different colours have different connotations, and so add meaning, for
example yellow means happiness
Examples: Low-key

These are examples of low-key lighting: in the first image, from True Blood,
low-key lighting is used to convey a sense of mystery and danger. Most of Eric’s
body is kept in the dark, and only the his face and the blood is highlighted,
implying that he’s a dangerous and shadowy character. The second image, from
Hannibal, uses low-key lighting to depict Hannibal as also being quite
mysterious, and suggesting he has secrets as the audience can’t see all of his
facial features, and most of his body is in shadow.
Examples: High-key

These are examples of high-key lighting. In the first image, from Glee, the
lighting used conveys happiness, energy and general positivity, fitting the
overall tone of the show; everything in the shot is lit up, and all of the main
characters have been highlighted. The second image, from Once Upon a Time,
uses high-key lighting to represent innocence and cheerfulness.
Examples: Colour

Shots from Game of Thrones. The colour red represents danger, war, strength,
power, blood and fire; while blue represents coolness, winter, ice, cold, calm,
sadness and loneliness.
Positioning
• This involves how objects and characters are positioned within the
frame, and can draw our attention to that object/character
• Positioning can also be used to indicate the relationship between two
people, for example as equals, or one having more power over the other
• When characters are placed very close together, we can assume their
relationship is warm and intimate; when characters are placed far
apart in the frame, we might assume they are distant
• If a character is in the foreground of a shot, we know we should pay
attention to this character; however, background characters can also be
important, particularly in the horror genre
Examples

In the first shot, from Breaking Bad, the two characters (Walter and Skyler) are
positioned far away from each other in the frame, with a dug grave between
them; this suggests they are distant from each other, and that there is a rift in
their relationship (death). In the second image, from Teen Wolf, one of the
characters, Stiles, is touching and almost anchoring the other character, Scott,
to the spot; this suggests that they have a close, brotherly relationship.