AS Media Studies TV Drama

Mise En Scene

Session Aims

By the end of the session you will be able to:

• Understand the concept of ‘mise en scene’

• Apply the concept to a TV drama extract

Definition: Mise En Scene

• A French term meaning what is put into a scene or frame

• Visual information in front of the camera

• Communicates essential information to the audience

• Made up of 5 elements: Can you guess what they are?

The 5 Elements of Mise en Scene

• Settings & Props

• Costume, Hair & Make Up

• Facial Expressions & Body Language

• Lighting & Colour

• Positioning of characters/objects within the frame

Each aspect of mise-en-scene has hidden

meanings within a film and sends signals to the audience about how we are supposed to feel at a

certain point

1. Settings & Props• Settings & Locations play an important part in film-

making and are not just ‘backgrounds’

• Sets are either built from scratch or a great deal of time is spent to find a setting which already exists

• Settings can manipulate an audience by building certain expectations and then taking a different turn

• TASK: What settings and props you would find in:1. A Science Fiction TV Drama2. A Period TV Drama3. A Crime TV Drama

Iconography: • images and objects which we associate

with a genre

• and hold specific connotations with a certain subject

2. Costume, Hair & Make Up

• Costume, Hair & Make Up act as an instant indicator to us of a character’s personality, status & job

• It tells us immediately whether the film is set in the present and what society/or culture it will centre around

• Certain costumes can signify certain individuals (i.e. black cloak of a vampire, Spidey’s Spiderman suit)

3. Facial Expressions & Body Language

• Facial Expressions provide a clear indicator of how someone is feeling

• If someone is smiling broadly, we assume they are happy but we may get a different feeling if this is accompanied by scary music

• Body Language may also indicate how a character feels towards another character or may reflect the state of their relationship

• TASK: What meanings/emotions do the following images convey:

IMAGE 1

IMAGE 2

IMAGE 3

4. Positioning of Characters & Objects within a frame

• Positioning within a frame can draw our attention to an important character/object

• A film-maker can use positioning to indicate relationships between people

• TASK: What does the positioning in the following images reveal about the characters/film:

IMAGE 1

IMAGE 2

IMAGE 3

IMAGE 4

Colour

• Colour carries certain connotations which may add meaning to a scene (i.e. Red = Danger/Passion)

• Can give a scene a particular look, feel or mood

• Can be used for dramatic effect

Analysing Mise en Scene

5. Lighting & Colour

Lighting & Colour can be used to achieve a variety of effects:

• To highlight important characters or objects within the frame

• To make characters look mysterious by shading sections of the face & body

• To reflect a characters mental state/hidden emotions (i.e. bright = happy, dark = disturbed, strobe effect = confused

three-point lighting

Three-point lighting is the standard method used in visual media such as film, still photography and computer-generated imagery.

It is a simple but versatile system which forms the basis of most lighting.

Once you understand three-point lighting, you are well on the way to understanding all lighting.

The technique uses three lights called

the key light,

the fill light

and the back light.

key light

This is the main light.

It is usually the strongest and has the most influence on the look of the scene.

The key light is placed to one side of the camera/subject so that this side is well lit and the other has some shadow.

It provides excellent modelling by highlighting the shape and contours of the subject.

It provides hard light, like that from the sun on a clear day: a bright light with hard-edged shadows.

camera

subject

fill light

This is the secondary light and is placed on the opposite side to the key light.

It is used to fill the shadows created by the key. The fill will usually be softer and less bright than the key and casts soft indistinct shadows.

Its light can be likened to indirect sunlight or reflected light from the

environment.

It is sometimes referred to as the 'highlight' as it is often used to give a sheen or highlight to an actor's hair.

back light

The back light is placed behind the subject and lights it from the rear.

Rather than providing direct lighting (which the key and fill give), its purpose is purely for modelling – to provide definition and subtle highlights around the

subject's outlines.

This helps separate the subject from the background and give a three-dimensional look.

illustrating lightingThe following images of a computer-generated apple are from an online lighting tutorial.

key light only

the key light has been placed to the right of the camera and has created very

sharp shadows.

It looks okay – is identifiably an apple – but doesn't show any real depth.

The fill light is usually on the opposite side of the

camera from the key, so in this case it is on the left.

As it should be a soft light (created by use of filters or diffusers) the effect is similar to the key except the shadows are less defined. The apple looks flat and

artificial.

fill light only

Using both key and fill gives that all important depth so that the image looks more three-dimensional.

key + fill

The backlight provides very subtle highlighting to the apple, most of which is in darkness.

backlight only

Beautiful! A complete view of the apple.

a fourth light could be used at the back to remove the remaining shadows.

key + fill + back

key light only fill light only key + fill

backlight only key + fill + back

Types of Lighting

• LOW KEY LIGHTING:

• Created by using only the key & back lights

• Produces sharp contrasts of light and dark areas

• Deep, distinct shadows/silhouettes are formed

Example: Horror Films

Types of Lighting

• HIGH KEY LIGHTING:

• More filler lights are used. Lighting is natural and realistic to our eyes

• Produces brightly lit sets or a sunny day (right)

Example: Rom-Coms

What types of lighting are used in the following images:

A

FD

C

E

B

TASK: For each image, answer the following questions:

1. What type of lighting is used in each image (High or Low Key)?

2. Where are the KEY LIGHTS, FILLER LIGHTS & BACK LIGHTS in each image?

3. What effects/meanings does the lighting suggest?

KEY LIGHT

FILLER LIGHTS

BACKLIGHT

TV Drama: