Mise en scene Preliminary Exercise

 What is the objective of the lesson today?

The objective was to familiarize the students with the elements of Mise en scene.

Define mise en scene and why is it significant in film production?

Mise en scene is the essence of film making, something every director does. Mise en scene is the action of positioning actors and scenery on a stage for a theatrical, film or television production. It is a process of determining what to include in the scene and where it should go on the stage. Mise en scene is meant to tell a story with a single image. There are two types of mise en scene: The Naturalistic - the world in which the film shows is meant to match our own real world (familiar and realistic), and The Theatrical - Exaggerated worlds which are not intended to be normal. They draw audiences attention because of their uniqueness and strangeness. 

Mise en scene is important because it allows us to see many things including the characters, the props, the audio, the makeup, the costumes, the hair, the color, the lighting, etc. which gives the audience a good idea of what is happening in the scene from when the film is based upon to who is who and their emotions. Everything in a shot that we see is part of Mise en scene.

What is designing, blocking, arranging objects and framing in mise en scene and why are they important?

Designing - It is like the colors/color patterns in objects, such as a red, green and white striped couch or a black curtain. The stripes on a couch could be connotated as the owner of the couch is happy a lot of the time and likes bright colors and Christmas. The black curtain could mean the exact opposite where the owner of the curtain does not like bright colors and wants to hide from the lights outside. This gives the audience clues/predictions on what the characters or the overall movie will turn out to be.

Blocking - It is the cherry on top of the shot and refers to what is happening on-set. In the film "The Shining", the boy innocently playing with his toy cars is introduced to a new prop, a pink ball. The camera turns to the hall which the ball supposedly came from but no one was there. This shows the audience that something isn't right. 

Arranging Objects - This term refers to where an object is supposed to be before, during and after the shot has been developed. It is the placement of the object. Certain objects, like decor should be placed in the background and usable objects, like scissors, should be placed in the sight and the reach of the actor.

Framing - Framing is what it sounds like: what is in the shot, it refers to what the audience sees in the film. Framing includes everything that is intended to be in the shot from the actors, to the props to the setting excluding audio.