In a drama, mise en scène refers to the arrangement of scenery and stage elements. While the phrase "mise en scene" translates as "setting the stage," in cinema analysis, it refers to everything in front of the camera, including set design, lighting, and performers. In cinema, the mise en scene is the overall impression of how everything fits together for the viewer. The mise en scene which are going to be highlighted in this blog post are:
Character Placement and blocking
lighting and color palette
Setting,Props and set design
Costumes and Makeup
Expressions and body language
Character Placement and blocking
In cinema, blocking refers to the positioning and movement of performers in relation to the camera–the choreography of the scene. Blocking is utilised to convey a narrative by arranging the actions of the characters to reflect the subtext of what is occurring on screen. Before filming begins, the director may plan, a.k.a. block, the character's actions in a scene.
This scene taken from the Netflix dramedy "sex education" shows the perfect positioning of the cadets which signify discipline. This also shows the drastic change of environment and behavior Adam Groff(the character in the corner), from being a deviant and a bullying teen who used to live life in a disorderly manner, he has gone through change and is living life in an orderly manner. The satisfying blocking of the extras pleases the eye of the audience as well.
Lighting and color palette
Characters' psyche is reflected in their lighting. Adjust the quantity, size, color, and severity of light around a character to correspond to their emotions. Lighting establishes and reinforces the film's genre. Additionally, it ensures that the characters are seen, and visible in the manner in which the filmmaker desires whereas a film's color palette is a subtle method to visually emphasize the emotional elements of the picture and lead the audience toward a visceral response. It is critical to understand the fundamental components of color, warm and cool hues, as well as how the audience reacts to these hues.
this shot has been taken from the tv show"breaking bad" . The color palette adds to the gloomy vibe of the city of Albuquerque . The director has used natural lighting as it is an outdoor scene to make the scene more realistic. On the other hand it can be seen that Mr.White (right) is wearing bland clothes and owns a bland colored crossover SUV whereas Jesse (left) is in a bright red lowrider signifying his totally opposite and vibrant personality
Setting,props and set design
On a somewhat bigger scale, set designers work. While the prop crew is responsible for the basic 'objects' and 'things' on set, set designers are in charge of where the scene is filmed (film) or how the scenery and backgrounds move and may be altered (theatre). The general setting and set is used to amplify the current scene and tone, this consists of background,furniture etc. On the other hand props are used by the actors to carry out an action which may be significant for the scene and its overall tone
One of the best examples of beautiful set design is Tony Montana's office from The movie ''Scarface''. It can be seen that the basic theme of the office is black along with gold accents that denote the luxurious and kingpin-esque lifestyle of Tony. The cctv surveillance screens beside Tony's desk highlight how much of a paranoid person Tony is. The gun locker also adds to Tony's persona. Moving onto the prop, the gun which Tony is a full auto converted Colt AR-15 with a Fake M203 Grenade Launcher attached which is used in his final battle to fend off the intruders in his house, this prop, again is beautifully adding to the scene as well as Tony's personality
Costumes and makeup
The actors bring the screenplay's fictitious characters to life, with the assistance of makeup artists and costume designers. The earliest usage of costumes and makeup was in theatrical performances. On stage, the audience sees performers from head to toe, but as cinema developed technologically, costumes and makeup began to be utilised in films.
The scene above is from The Revenant . This can be used as an example for the use of makeup as obviously the actor cannot be harmed and cut actually, so to potray these kind of injuries, makeup is used. The costume of Leonardo di Caprio is fitting to the time period which the movie is based on making the movie's experience even more realistic
Expressions and body language
Expressions and body language are the building blocks of a great acting performance. Different expressions help in expressing different emotions and this is further amplified by the body language of the characters.
The shot above is from the movie ''Scarface'' and the protagonist of this film was Tony Montana played by Al Pacino. He was able to do a phenomenal job in pulling off the character with his distinct and lean body language and expressions which shouted arrogance persistence. In this scene, Tony Montana has just killed his life long friend and partner when he found out his sister had been living with him. In a fit of rage, Tony kills his friend without hearing anything from his friend and is now immensely regretting his decision which is shown by his expressions which are shocking make Tony look like he has almost died from the inside