Mise-en-scène

Mise en scène by Constant Puyo

An important element of "putting in the scene" is set design—the setting of a scene and the objects (props) visible in a scene.[8] Set design can be used to amplify character emotion or the dominant mood, which has physical, social, psychological, emotional, economic and cultural significance in film. Set design is often found to sway many themes or parts of a film. [5] One of the most important decisions made by the production designer and director is deciding whether to shoot on location or on set. The main distinction between the two is that décor and props must be taken into consideration when shooting on set. However, shooting on set is more commonly done than shooting on location as a result of it proving to be more cost-effective. For example, in a set you can create the entire background and arrange the props within it. On the other hand, with a setting there is a natural background that you must film around. In that, if there is a boulder, barn, or field in the back of the film you don't wish to be there, you must work around it and find a way for it to intertwine. The most important part to set design is the set designer. This is somebody who follows the script carefully and creates a complex theatrical show. They do this by, creating space, mood, and character in just one setting. [5]

The intensity, direction, and quality of lighting can influence an audience's understanding of characters, actions, themes and mood.[9][6] Light (and shade) can emphasize texture, shape, distance, mood, time of day or night, season, glamour; it affects the way colors are rendered, both in terms of hue and depth, and can focus attention on particular elements of the composition. Highlights, for example, call attention to shapes and textures, while shadows often conceal things, creating a sense of mystery or fear.[5] For this reason, lighting must be thoroughly planned to ensure its desired effect on an audience. Cinematographers are a large part of this process, as they coordinate the camera and the lighting.[5] Lighting also plays a huge role because, it is the last factor of mise-en-scène that ties together texture, setting, and characters. This is so because, the light directs each scene, incorporating what the viewers should be looking at and focusing their attention on.

The representation of space affects the reading of a film.[10] Depth, proximity, size and proportions of the places and objects in a film can be manipulated through camera placement and lenses, lighting, set design, effectively determining mood or relationships between elements in the story world. Space is the component of mise-en-scène that is often most looked over and doesn't get the attention it deserves. This is so because, space adjusts whether the screen is to compact or on the contrary if it is empty. And all these factors often correlate to themes, characters emotions, or major events. For example, a bland and empty scene may represent peace and an empty mind.

Composition is the organization of objects, actors and space within the frame. One of the most important concepts with the regard to the composition of a film is maintaining a balance of symmetry.[6] This refers to having an equal distribution of light, colour, and objects and/or figures in a shot. This is an idea implemented into many films because of how it pleases the eye. When things are aligned perfectly it creates an aesthetic like no other. Symmetry isn't just objects aligned though, it can also be an equal distribution of light, color, and figures in a shot. On the contrary, the use of misalignment is used very often too in cinema. This form of shooting can emphasize certain portions of the screen and distract the viewers from the background. This works because audiences are more inclined to pay attention to something off balance, as it may seem abnormal. Directors deliberately compose the frame in a way that controls the narrative and induces viewers to pay attention to certain characters or points of interest in a scene.

Costume simply refers to the clothes that characters wear. Using certain colors or designs, costumes in narrative cinema are used to signify characters or to make clear distinctions between characters.[11] Although some people view costumes as a subtle component to Mise-en-scène, it is one of the primary reasons a film looks so good, there are even Oscars awards for best costume designs. Designers often use specific colors to enable emotions from the actors or the viewers, whether that be red to draw attention or light vs dark colors. Often, designs are used to attract the attention of the audience. The same goes with makeup, when an actor or actress is seen as unrecognizable because of the makeup job that leaves a note in the viewer's mind. Costumes communicate the details of a character's personality to the audience, and help actors transform into new and believable people on screen.

While makeup and hairstyles often find themselves included in costumes and design, they indeed are their own thing. This is so because, one can create an outfit for characters, yet the makeup can take hours on hours to apply every day. Actors are known to wake up 3 hours before shooting just to get the makeup applied, often it is even full body makeup.Makeup and hairstyles establish time period, reveal character traits and signal changes in character.[12]

There is enormous historical and cultural variation in performance styles in the cinema. In the early years of cinema, stage acting and film acting were difficult to differentiate, as most film actors had previously been stage actors and therefore knew no other method of acting.[6] Eventually, early melodramatic styles, clearly indebted to the 19th century theater, gave way in Western cinema to a relatively naturalistic style. This more naturalistic style of acting is largely influenced by Konstantin Stanislavski's theory of method acting, which involves the actor fully immersing themselves in their character.[6][13] Acting is the performing art in which movement, gesture, and intonation are used to realize a fictional character for the stage, for motion pictures, or for television. This ties to Mise en scène because, the acting must align with the setting, themes, and all factors of the film so that the film is perfect. Once the acting

It is a physical analog medium used for recording images made from celluloid and coated with gelatin emulsion. Light captures an image onto the film. Which is then later developed under a specific chemical process and produces the images.

Film stock is the choice of black and white or color, fine-grain or grainy.[14]

Aspect ratio is the relation of the width of the rectangular image to its height. Each aspect ratio yields a different way of looking at the world and is basic to the expressive meaning of the film. Essentially, it describes an image's shape. [15]^{: pp.42–44} Each aspect ratio yields a different way of looking at the world and is basic to the expressive meaning of the film.

In theatre, blocking is the precise staging of actors in order to facilitate the performance of a play, ballet, film or opera. Both 'blocking' and 'blocks' we're applied were applied to stage and theatre as early as 1961. It is a set of instructions incorporated by the director to make sure the acting falls into line with all other aspects of the film. In contemporary theatre, the director usually determines blocking during the rehearsal, telling actors where they should stand for the proper dramatic effect, ensure sight lines for the audience and work with the lighting design of the scene.

• Bordwell, David and Kristin Thompson. "Chapter 6 – The Shot: Mise-en-Scène." In: Film Art: An Introduction. New York: McGraw–Hill, 2010, 9th. ed, pp. 175–228. ISBN 978-0-07-122057-6, OCLC 456179577 and OCLC 690437186.
• Martin, Adrian. Mise en Scène and Film Style. From Classical Hollywood to New Media Art. Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2014. ISBN 978-1-349-44417-5.