the staging of a scenewhere the action unfolds

the overall look and feel of a moviethe sum of everything the audience sees, hears, &

experiences

Mise en Scène

SettingActors (and their performance)

LightingComposition

Four Basic Elements of Mise en Scène:

Can be: general or specific, real or imaginary

set construction vs. on location vs. CGI

All are creative and $ challenges

Setting (where the action unfolds)

Visual and spatial attributes of settingInside/outside, bright/dark, open/closed

eg: open spaces can be limitless (Red River) or show dread (Castaway)

Contextual use of setting: qualities of what’s includedCultural meaning, insight into characters

Function of settingestb. time and place, themes, ideas, create moodsome genres have particular settings, like…

Setting

Casting (type-casting, A-listers)

Acting style (impersonation, personification, method,

character actors)Actor placementProps, costume, and

make-up

Actors*

Illuminates set /actors; used to create mood and effects

Three attributes of light:Quality (soft/hard)Placement (direction the light hits

subject)Contrast (high/low)

Looking at Movies (ch 6, 10min)

Lighting

Hard: small light source positioned close to the subjectUnflattering (deep shadows, shows

imperfections)

Soft: large light source that is diffused/scattered over a bigger area or reflected off a surface before it gets to the subjectMinimizes details, actors look more attractive

http://www.photomatters.org/hard-light-soft-light

Lighting: Quality

Available light (natural)Can be hard or soft, depending on time of

day/season/location“golden hour”

… Lighting: Quality

Lighting in front of subject creates flat effectwashes out details, shadows only behind

Lighting from either side of subject creates a sculpted effect3-dimentional with volume/texture

Lighting from behind separates subject from background

Lighting: Placement (direction of light)

Three-Point LightingDiagram:http://www.mediacollege.com/lighting/three-point/Video:http://vimeo.com/25449708

…Lighting: Placement

one of most important factors in estb. moodDepends on the relative intensity of key light

to fill light (lighting ratio)High-key lighting (2:1 or lower)

Illuminates most shadows, most details washed out

Creates hopeful mood (comedies, musicals)

Lighting: Contrast

Natural-key lighting (‘normal’ light; 4:1 to 8:1)Key-light is more intense than the fill (cannot

eliminate every shadow)

…Lighting: Contrast

Low-key lighting (16:1 to 32:1)Fill light cannot eliminate shadows – lots of

shadows and high contrastSomber and forbidding mood (crime drama,

film noir, gothic horror)

…Lighting: Contrast

Counter –intuitive: higher ratio of key to fill is a low-key light set up

visual arrangement of objects, actors, and space in the frame

Balance and symmetry:Essentially a two-dimensional space

Horizontal (left to right) and vertical (top to bottom)

Rule of Thirds (video)Balanced composition: equal dist. of

bright/dark areas, colors, objects, figures (classical Hollywood)

Unbalanced – leads viewers to a particular directionLack of equilibrium

Composition

Lines : diagonal lines carry most visual weight (v. vertical and horizontal)

…Composition

Framing:Loose framing great deal of open space around

subjectfreedom or isolation

Tight framing - lack of space around subject Sense of constriction or intimacy

… Composition

Foreground/background focusCan highlight significance of object/subject

Use of light and darkChiaroscuro

ColorColor palette to go with movie – appropriate to

moodCool, warmColors in sets, props, costumes

May function as motif

… Composition

… ColorSaturation (strength of hue) and desaturation

(colors are less pure, contain more white than saturated colors)

Highly Saturated:

… Composition

Desaturated: