Mise en scene is a French term and it is basically what is put in a scene or frame. It is all of the visual info in front of the camera that communicates essential ideas to the audience. There are five elements to mise en scene, settings and props, costume, hair and makeup, facial expressions, lighting and colour, and position of the characters or objects in the frame. Every aspect has hidden meanings that send signals to us for how we are supposed to feel.

• Settings and props are incredibly important, as they are usually the first things you see and think of when watching a film or remembering one. And it isn’t just backgrounds – it’s all of the places and objects that comprise a film – the whole world. The sets for these worlds are usually either found or built and then edited to manipulate the audience and create a specific atmosphere. They can also be used to build up expectations and then take a different turn to surprise the audience.

 

 

Here, the props and overall settings instantly tell us that this house is not of the present day. The lamp reminds me of late 1800’s houses in the higher classes, although the furniture and wallpaper are not as extravagant. From the mess of papers, we can infer that this is some sort of office, possibly belonging to someone quite eccentric, as an orderly businessman would be tidier.

 

• Costume, hair and makeup are vital for relaying information. They can be instant personality indicators or reveal something about a character, like their status or job. Things like what period the film is set in, what societies or cultures are present and what ideas and themes we should expect can also be discerned. They can even signify certain individuals, like Spiderman’s costume, which has become so well known that probably seeing a part of his costume’s pattern, his spider logo or even his colours would be enough to know that he is involved.

 

 

Looking at these four images, we can clearly see that the characters are from entirely different time periods. This is the power that costumes have. Let’s take the two middle ones as an example. They both seem to be royalty, probably queens or duchesses of sorts., because of their extravagant dresses and accessories. Without considering any information about the films, I get the feeling that the lady in red is from a fictional world, probably a fairytale. Why? Her dress is a very bright colour and is much more exaggerated than the other woman’s. This makes me think that the film is targeted at a younger audience. Funnily enough, both of the ladies in the middle are the evil queen in a version of Snow White’s story. Their very different costumes indicate what the movies are like – one is more fun and simple, while the other is probably entirely more complex and serious.

 

• Lighting can be used to highlight important characters or objects in frame. For example, a character can be made to look mysterious by shading certain sections of their face or body. The characters’ emotional state or hidden emotions can also be reflected through lighting, e.g. bright = happy, dark = disturbed. There are two types of lighting – low key lighting, which is only key/black lights, sharp contrasts and deep distinct shadows and silhouettes. It is often used in horror. High key lighting is the other type, where more filler lights are used, which is more natural and realistic to our eyes. The brightly lit sets are often seen in rom-coms where sunny days are common.

 

 

This is a good example of how lighting and colour work well together. The lighting is generally quite low, and the shadow on the man’s face enhances this, making us think that he might be morally corrupted, or perhaps has an ‘evil’ idea. Colourwise, we’re seeing a lot of yellow and red, with some blue in the background. The warm colours should be positive but paired with the menacing shadows in the frame, we get the impression that something is wrong and it makes us feel uneasy.

 

 

Here is a very obvious high key image, in terms of lighting. The woman, or ‘subject’ as is said in photographic terms, is brightly lit and clearly seen and there are no extreme shadows anywhere.

 

 

Here is an example of low key lighting. Almost everything is in darkness, including most of the man’s/subject’s face, which creates some very angular shadows. The light in the background also adds to the foreboding look by creating sharp contrasts.

 

• Facial expressions and body language can tell the audience how the characters are feeling, which can indicate events that can happen or will happen. They also reflect the state of relationships. For example, if a character is turned away from the other person in the frame, we can assume that their relationship is broken or fractured in some way, however, if they are turned away and smiling, we infer that they may be shy/flirting.

 

 

I chose this image as an example because, without any audio of any kind, we understand this scene, thanks to the facial expression and body language of the subject. The little girl is leaning away from the broccoli and is making a somewhat disgusted or uncomfortable face. We immediately know that she doesn’t want to eat the broccoli because her pose is giving us visual indicators of dislike.

 

• Colour is something I’ve written about before, and its importance in cinema is great. Different colours have different connotations and can give a scene a certain look or feel. They can be used for dramatic effects or extremely emotional scenes or portraying a character’s emotional state.

 

 

Colour is a very powerful part of this scene. We can see various shades of blue, grey and green in the background, whilst the foreground has darker colours, suggesting death and suffering. The muted colours tell the audience that there is no joy and all the fun in life, which we can associate with brightness, has disappeared. With no warm colours at all and a flood of blue, it is quite explicit that the tone is one of terrible sadness and grief, further reinforced by the facial expression and body language of the characters.

 

• The positioning of characters and objects within the frame is a more subtle way of sending signals to the audience, as a lot of people don’t realise the effect that it has on them. But positioning draws our eyes to important objects or characters in a scene and can also show the relationship between people. A film-maker can position things to surprise the audience or make them feel a certain way – e.g. in a horror film, vulnerability is a powerful tool; making the audience feel like they are there with the characters and are being exposed to the same things as them is what makes the experience so scary – you lose the sense of reality for an hour or two.

 

 

Here, the positioning tells us who the protagonist is, or at the least, the lead character in that particular part of the film. The man at the top of the car draws our attention first because his position, higher than all the rest and in a confident pose, intentionally tells our eyes to look that way. From his position, we can infer other information as well, such as his status within the group of characters – most probably the leader, seen as he is at the top. We can also guess things about his personality from his pose – he is facing forwards and looks almost in command, so he is probably a very head-on person and knows exactly what he wants. The position of the other characters tells us that they are having fun since they all seem to be in some whacky, comical pose. The fact that almost all of them are behind the man in black further reinforces the idea that he is their leader.

 

Using our knowledge of the mise en scene, we were asked to analyze a picture taken from a movie. Everyone contributed something to the best of their understanding, and I tried my best to focus on specific aspects, like positioning. I admit this wasn’t my favourite scene to pick apart but everything has a meaning behind it if you look for one, and so I did and managed to find a few explanations to put behind elements of mise en scene.

 

 

 

 

Cinematography – Shot Types

Extreme Wide Shot/Extreme Long Shot – Often used as an establishing shot, emphasises location and shows where the sequence will take place and/or when the film takes place. Also knows as EWS/ELS.

 

 

Puts emphasis on the size difference between the storm and people – makes the storm seem more powerful and dangerous.

 

Wide Shot/Long Shot – A less extreme version of the previous shot type. Emphasis balanced between location and subject, full-length subject shown. Usually seen after EWS to reveal action. Also known as WS/LS.

 

 

Character is seen amongst a crowd of children with more people in the background. Emphasis on his solemnity and adulthood in comparison to the fun/joy of the children.

 

Mid Shot/Medium Shot – Common and versatile shot type, emphasis on the subject, shown from the waist up. Reveals clothing, facial expression, etc. Also known as MS.

 

 

Character is clearly seen in a dangerous situation, added with his facial expression and state of clothes, increases our sympathy for him.

 

Close Up – Emphasis on the face and/or facial expressions. Reveals character’s mood, mental state and emotions and thoughts. Also known as CU.

 

 

Closeness to the character’s face makes us feel more personally attached to them, adds emphasis to the feeling of shock/worry.

 

Extreme Close Up/Big Close Up – Extreme version of CU. Emphasis on small detail, adds importance to somethings. Usually on eyes, to show extreme emotion, like concentration. Also known as ECU/BCU.

 

 

Draws our attention to the tear and sadness reflected in the eyes. Creates almost a singular moment – like time has slowed down.

 

Point of View – Put’s audience in the shoes of character/object. Often used to make the audience empathize with a character, but isn’t always from a person’s perspective. Also known as POV.

 

 

In this case, we are looking through the eyes of Spiderman at his own reflection, to empathize with his situation.

 

2 Shot – Very simple shot type – a shot with two people, often used for conversation scenes.

 

 

Puts both characters in the same position, exaggerates situation (they’re both looking in the same direction, meaning what’s happening is quite grave/shocking/disturbing).

 

Over Shoulder Shot – Camera is positioned over a character’s shoulder, used to show facial expressions/reactions of the other character. Often switches between each of the character’s shoulders and MS.

 

 

Our attention is on the lady and her facial expression – the situation is probably important/surprising to her.

 

High Angle Shot – Perspective from above, used to make someone look physically small, intimidated, lost, inferior, out of their depth, etc.

 

 

Although they are heroes, the high angle makes them look small and easy to defeat, which shows the threat they are facing is great.

 

Low Angle Shot – Perspective from below, makes subject look large, menacing, superior, etc. Depending on the character, can enhance their qualities, e.g. a hero can look more powerful, a hero can look more intimidating.

 

 

Emphasis on the raised hands – also makes characters look ominous in some way. Should we question the victory?

 

Birds Eye View – Extreme version of high angle shot, often used as an establishing shot or to show something in a more clear way to the audience.

 

 

Exaggerates on how the centre subject is surrounded, makes the circle of enemies seem more infinite and powerful.

 

Now that we know all about the different shot types, we can comment on the cinematography of certain clips. I chose to analyze the tree growing scene from My Neighbour Totoro – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5axST4hGMo&ab_channel=AndrewWaddell

Our sequence begins with two extreme wide shots as the establishing shots, to present the settings and whereabouts of the characters. We receive the information that our characters are inside the house, which is amongst the countryside, and it is nighttime. So far, everything is calm and steady, including the camera. As we slowly get closer and closer, we zoom into specific details to show our transition into the interior of the house, whilst receiving important information. For example, there is a shot of the moon, and then an open doorway that gets brighter. From this, we can tell that the moon has begun to shine brightly and it makes us think something is about to happen, probably outside the house.

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, we get to the characters, with a mid-shot of the older girl sleeping. The camera slowly zooms in until we have a close-up and this makes us assume that she is going to wake up – which she does. The zoom helps us build an expectation so that we can process what is happening and nothing is too quick.

 

 

 

 

 

Next, we get some wide shots to show Totoro and the other spirits, to finally disclose to the audience what the character has noticed and why the moon has shone brighter. Interweaved between the wide shots, there are one or two 2 shots, to show the reactions of the characters. It also serves as a link between the characters and tells us that they both in the same position of surprise and excitement.

 

 

 

There are more wide shots afterwards when the two girls join the spirits, but the camera position is still quite steady. I believe that this shows the wondrous magic of nighttime, which is still quite calm because the rest of their world is sleeping, whilst they are outside making plants grow. Throughout this part of the scene, there are also a few close-ups of the characters. Totoro gets a low angle close up to show that he a powerful spirit and is superior to us, the audience. We are at eye level to the little girl who we see in a close-up when she is shocked at Totoro making the plants grow. We relate to her because we at her level and we are also supposed to be surprised at what is happening.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, when they make the tree grow to its full height, we end with a wide shot and extreme wide shot. They both do the same thing, highlight the difference in size between the characters and the tree. This contrast is only blown up when we see the tree next to the house in the final EWS, and this is so that the audience understand the immense power of Totoro and nature. If we say that the house, which is man-made, is a representation of humankind, then the tree would represent the force of nature, and we see how truly magnificent and powerful nature is when it overshadows the house. In a sense, we can say that the house is being protected because the tree grows above it, meaning nature can be our shelter, but the low angles of the camera whilst the leaves and branches are still forming serve to remind us that nature is far more superior than us and we should not forget it, or the full weight of the tree will come crashing down on us.