Tag: mise-en-scène

To what extent does mise-en-scene affect the sequence in my clothes film?

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Reflection on the extent to which mise-en-scene affects the sequence in Assignment 1 Clothes film

How does the scene feel?

  • there is a sense of mystery; slightly poetic feel
  • feels open ended – we are left wondering who the figure is, where he is, why he is there and where he is going
  • the scene feels empty

The sequence opens with a low angle, rotating shot looking up through the tree canopy. This opening shot of the trees, bare and lifeless, in silhouette against the sky, sets a dark, slightly oppressive, wintry mood within the sequence. Bringing us down to ground level within the forest, the second shot frames a figure walking through the trees into the distance. Subsequence shots show the forest floor, the figure’s boots in the mud and hand moving along the trunk of a fallen tree, and a flare of sunlight. We see a figure, out of focus, in the distance, stepping over a fallen tree and again in close up, standing beneath an old redwood tree. There is a sense of mystery, as we are left wondering who the figure in the forest is. But these questions are left unanswered, as the figure disappears back into the forest.

How has this been achieved?

  • choice of location
  • use of specific colours
  • the presence of a single, solitary figure

How has mise-en-scene played a part in this?

  • setting plays an important role in the sequence
  • the forest is central to the sequence

Is there any meaning conveyed through the mise-en-scene?

  • this may be a little vague
  • there is an unknown figure walking through a somewhat benign forest
  • a figure with a sense of purpose

On looking back at the mise-en-scène and its effect upon the sequence within the clothes film, I now realise how important it is to consider everything within the frame before I start filming. I think my use of mise-en-scène within the clothes film (i.e. setting, costume, lighting, staging) contributes to the atmosphere and meaning of the sequence in several ways. The forest setting is clearly a place that is empty and dormant, yet the trees, bare and lifeless in their winter state, are still quite majestic. The costume worn by the figure (walking boots, hat and fleece jacket) is appropriate to the wintery setting. The blue jacket contrasts with the subdued colours of the forest, helping to emphasise the human figure and picking it out against the background. Apart from the opening shot of the trees, there is a bright natural light within the landscape that helps give a benign feeling to the forest. This is in contrast to the opening shot that hints at something darker and more claustrophobic. The figure in blue moves through the forest with a sense of purpose. Though what that purpose is remains unknown.

However, having looked at the part played by mise-en-scène in the sequence and the atmosphere and meaning conveyed within it, I still feel there is much lacking both visually and in terms of meaning within my film.

 

Future improvements

This has been a very useful exercise for me. It has opened my eyes to the importance and cinematic power of mine-en-scene, and provided me with a vocabulary and grammar for the analysis of mine-en-scene in my own work.

This task has also revealed a number of flaws in my approach to mise-en-scène that need addressing as I move forward in my moving image practice.

Looking at other films and analysing the ways in which other filmmakers use mine-en-scene to convey meaning within a scene will prove an important step forward in my own moving image practice.

Building my own resource of research material will provide me with examples I can draw upon when planning my own moving images.

Mise-en-scène

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I’ve been looking at the role of mise-en-scène in a range of films. The course notes suggest that ‘every item on screen has been considered and placed, every area of space has been adjusted to give the best composition’ (OCA, 2017:57).

Bordwell and Thompson (2017:115) identify Setting, Costume, Lighting and Staging as the four components, or areas of ‘choice and control’ in mise-en-scène.

I think the key point being made here is that everything within a scene is ‘chosen’ to be there for a reason, and that everything that is chosen to be in a scene is ‘controlled’ in such a way to help convey a particular meaning within the film.

The Godfather (1972)

Fig. 1.

The placement of objects within the frame adds significance to the meaning of this scene from The Godfather.

  • the wheat in foreground, filling most of the right half of the frame
  • the black car in mid-ground, centred vertically in the left half of the frame
  • the Statue of Liberty, tiny on the horizon in the background

Together these objects help set the scene. The car in a field of wheat creates a scene that feels remote. The Statue of Liberty, tiny in the background, indicates that we are in close proximity to New York City. The placement of these three elements also create a sense of depth within the frame. Particularly the Statue of Liberty, which is set on the horizon within an area of empty space, which helps emphasise its small, but significant presence in the background.

Hunger (2008)

Fig. 2.

The minimalistic image in the long take in this scene from Hunger helps focus the viewer’s attention on the dialogue between two characters.

  • a gloomy, bare-walled room
  • the empty tables and chairs, enclosing the characters
  • two characters in conversation
  • limited palette of colours
  • back lighting, from a single window above and behind the characters

Again, the four components of mise-en-scène help set the scene, in which two characters, Bobby Sands and Father  Dominic Moran, discuss the morality of a hunger strike.

Jane Eyre (2011)

One scene that I looked at in some detail was the ‘Jane the liar’ scene from Jane Eyre (2011), in which Jane is taught that lying is a sin. It’s a harsh, cruel and intimidating scene. On accidentally dropping her writing slate while another pupil was being beaten, she is branded a liar in front of the whole school by the principal Mr Brocklehurst and made to stand on a chair all day.

What I found particularly interesting about this film adaptation of Charlotte Bronte’s novel is the way in which the mise-en-scène emphasises the darker side of the story. The setting, costume, lighting and staging combine in such a way to portray the harsh surroundings of Lowood School for Girls in a way that feels authentic and realistic.

The action within this scene takes place in a dark, featureless room lit by a few shafts of daylight piercing through windows high up in the wall. The adults sit on either side of a raised platform facing the girls, who are seated on wooden chairs arranged in rows on a stone-slabbed floor. Mr Brocklehurst, the only male in the scene, entering through a door at the back of the platform, stands in the centre of the platform, towering above the girls. There are very few colours in the scene. Those that are evident are generally pale and muted. The setting of this scene reinforces the impression that this is a very grim, strict, regimented school.

Many of the shots are symmetrically composed. This adds to the atmosphere of strict regimentation within the school.

The costume matches the mood. All the girls are dressed in the same grey, featureless dresses and white caps. Their costume de-emphasises their figures and rather than helping to pick them out against the neutral background, it helps to blend them into it. They are almost like ghostly shadows, sitting motionless in or moving through the room. The four teachers on the left of the platform are also wearing grey dresses. By contrast, the three young women sitting on the right of the platform are wearing colourful dresses and bonnets, indicating their higher social status than the staff and pupils of the school. Only they are allowed to express any emotion.

Much of the overall mood is generated by the lighting within the scene. Bordwell and Thompson (2017:124) suggest that lighting is more than just illumination enabling the viewer to see the action. They point out that the lighter and darker areas within the frame help create the composition of each shot. This is evident throughout the scene, through the partially lit room with patches of daylight falling on the wall and floor and the half-lit faces of the teachers, girls, Brocklehurst and Jane Eyre.

What I liked about this scene was the way in which the mise-en-scène helped heighten the dramatic action within the film and the way in which it helped add tension to the plight of Jane Eyre at this time in her life.

What this exercise has shown me is that mise-en-scène plays a fundamental role in the storytelling precess of a film. That the colours and design of each sequence play a significant role in the atmosphere and meaning of a moving image.

References

Moving Image 1: Setting the scene, 2017. Barnsley: Open College of the Arts

Bordwell, D., & Thompson, K. (2017) Film Art: An Introduction.  New York: McGraw Hill.

Jane Eyre: Jane the liar [YouTube website] At: https://www.youtube.com/embed/XFpdM1RPD94 (Accessed on 22 May 2017)

 

List of references

Figure 1. The Godfather

Figure 2. Hunger

Reading: ‘Mise-en-scène’

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Mise-en-scène

The design aspects of a film – everything that appears within the frame and its arrangement.

 

As an example I looked at the mise-en-scène in Jane Eyre (2011).

 

 

The Components of Mine-en-scène

 

Key points for me

Mise-en-scène plays a fundamental role in the storytelling precess of a film. The colours and design of each sequence play a significant role in the atmosphere and meaning of a moving image. Everything within a scene is ‘chosen’ to be there for a reason, and everything that is chosen to be in a scene is ‘controlled’ in such a way to help convey a particular meaning within the film.

 

Bordwell, D., & Thompson, K. (2017) Film Art: An Introduction.  New York: McGraw Hill.