Mise-En-Scene

Objective: To be able to show an understanding of how mise-en-scene is used to create meaning

Outcome:

All: will be able to explain one element of mise-en-scene

Most: will be able to identify the 5 elements of mise-en-scene with some examples

Some: Will be able to identify the 5 elements of mise-en-scene and will also be able to use media language effectively to explain examples



The picture on the left looks scary because of the atmosphere it has such as it has mist and the tress are dead this could give us a clue to the genre of the film which would be horror because of the generic conventions it has such as the location is a grave yard. This makes the picture look threatening and scary because of the location and the dead trees .

The picture on the right looks like from a fictional, fantasy and made up story because the forest is big and enchanting, also the forest is very green and pure which makes it unrealistic because everyone in reality knows that forest do not exist like the no more. To the audience that does not look realistic and they can tell that this narrative must be fantasy.

SETTINGS & PROPS

·         Settings used in a film are rarely just backgrounds to the characters and sometimes we see settings with no action taking place. Filmmakers can choose to build a set from scratch in a studio. Alternatively a lot of time and effort is put in by a location manager to find a setting that already exists.

·         Props is the term given to objects in a scene and are usually used to help the narrative or to follow the generic conventions of a film.

COSTUME, HAIR & MAKE-UP

 

·         Costume plays a large part because it can indicate a character’s personality, social status and job. It tells us when the film is set and in what culture.

MAKE-UP

·         Make-up in the early days of cinema was used to highlight facial features, as black and white film stock could not register detail very well.

Facial Expressions & Body Language

·         Facial expressions are a clear indicator of how a person feels. The filmmaker may use a character’s eyes to draw our attention to something or a slight change in a character’s face can tell us something has happened.

·         Body Language also indicates how we are thinking and feeling. Everyone is different but we recognise common features such as shaking a fist means anger, or curling into a ball to protect ourselves.

Lighting

·         Lighting can help to give a scene a realistic look (high key) or a dramatic look (low key). It can also be used to highlight particular objects, characters or to change a character’s appearance.

POSITIONING OF CHARACTERS & OBJECTS WITHIN A FRAME

 

·         Positioning can indicate the importance of a person or object. If a character is positioned in the foreground we know to assume they have some importance in the scene. Also the positioning of objects can direct our attention to a particular area.

Task 1

Kill Bill

Settings and Props

The film is set in a club full of gangsters, this suggests that this could be there gangsters hideaway, there props they use are masks and the gangsters swords.

Facial Expressions & Make Up

The female character looks angry or annoyed and she looks like she is on edge and she is ready to fight or she has already started fighting and she is catching her breath quickly before she continues fighting

Lighting

The lighting they have used is high key lighting to show the importance of the female character and that something might happen because she is in the main light of source.

Colour

The main character is in yellow and black costume and the gangsters are in a typical white and black suit with masks around there eyes.  The female character stands out more because she is brightly coloured this tells us that she is important because she stands out. Furthermore this tells us she is more dominate and tells us that she may kill everyone.

POSITIONING OF CHARACTERS & OBJECTS WITHIN A FRAME

The female character is positioned in the middle and is closer to the camera, this allows the character to stand out and look bigger than everyone else in the frame this makes us think that she is more important. This gives us a clue to think that she is main character and the narrative is about her

Reservoir Dogs

Settings and Props

From where this picture has been taken it looks like the picture was taken in a garage, storage room or lock up. The props they are using are guns; we can see chairs, pipes, bin and a ladder.

Facial Expressions & Make Up

Both of the characters have an expressions and anger and tiredness. The characters give the impression that they are sweaty and blood can be seen on both their faces, this gives the suggestion that they have fallen out and fighting to the death which would explain why they have guns point blank at one another.

Lighting

The lighting they have used is low key because it creates a deep dark, shadows over the man on the floor and the man standing. This emphasises the dark gritty life of gangsters when they get into a fight this tells the audience they fight to the death.

Colour

The colours used are dark to create an atmosphere which is dark and gives off a bad vibe to the audience which is a gangster. They low key lighting makes everything look dark and cast shadows over the eyes and makes them look mysterious.

POSITIONING OF CHARACTERS & OBJECTS WITHIN A FRAME

One character is standing up over the other guy, this shows that maybe the guy standing has a higher authority or that the guy lying down could have crossed the line and the boss could have had to show him that he has higher authority. This gives us the impression he is a leader or a boss. It also indicates that he is the stronger character between the two.