Mise-en-Scene & Film Techniques PDF

MISE-EN-SCENE The term “mise-en-scene” comes to us from the theater. In French it means “putting on the stage” or “that which is placed on the stage.” In cinema, mise-en-scene refers to that which is staged before the camera, including the sets, props, costumes, hair and make-up, lighting,...

MISE-EN-SCENE The term “mise-en-scene” comes to us from the theater. In French it means “putting on the stage” or “that which is placed on the stage.” In cinema, mise-en-scene refers to that which is staged before the camera, including the sets, props, costumes, hair and make-up, lighting, and the placement (or “blocking”) of the actors and the composition within the frame. Mise-en-scene is a key element of cinema comparable in scale to editing, sound, camerawork, and the photographic qualities of the shot that we covered in week 2. As you can see, these categories DO overlap to some extent. Of course lighting is also a “photographic” quality of cinema: Photographs DO need to be composed and lit. Composition within the frame is clearly also “photographic.” A term that means the same as mise-en-scene, but which is used  Aspect ratio: The shape of the frame One could place the shape of the frame within “photography,” but think of how theater artists can work w/a standardized proscenium arch or shape the stage’s space or have a circular platform in the middle of the audience. So one might argue that mise-en-scene includes aspect ratio—the ratio of the film frame’s width to its height. Silent screen artists often played w/the shape of the frame, but for many years the Academy standard aspect ratio was 1.33:1, that is, 4:3. Early TV sets adopted this aspect ratio. Anything wider is considered widescreen. 1.85:1 became the rage in the 1950s and remained pretty standard ever since but other ratios include 2.35:1! IMAX screens curve around towards the viewer & have very large aspect ratios. Anamorphic lenses make widescreen possible by squeezing a wide image onto the film frame; projection reverses this to recreate a wider vista. When watching films made after 1953 on TV, streaming or DVD, if you have a choice, watch them in “letterbox” mode and NOT “full screen”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tU5Y4t2_oe0 Various aspect ratios, from the old Academy standard/TV standard of 1.33:1 to the most common widescreen 1.85:1 to the much larger 2.35:1 Composing the mise-en-scene: staging, blocking, density, etc. When looking at the composition of the mise-en-scene, where is our eye attracted first (the dominant) and why? (Questions from Giannetti) What are the “subsidiary contrasts” we see after taking in the dominant? How are characters placed vis-à-vis each other (character proxemics) in the frame and with respect to the sets and camera? Blocking What is interesting or notable about the sets, costumes, hair and make-up? What do they tell us about the milieu, the era & the characters? Do we see any character psychology or thematics revealed? Any symbolism? How are color and/or black & white used? Saturated color? Symbolism? ***Three things about composition: Is the framing balanced or unbalanced? Is the framing dense/cluttered or fairly empty/spare? Is the framing open/loose or more closed/tightly composed? What about offscreen space? What six areas constitute offscreen space?? 1) Very balanced, open and medium-clutter composition in Rear Window 2) Jake Gyllenhall in a fairly balanced, empty and loose composition Joseph von Sternberg’s stunningly lit and composed images for The Scarlet Empress (1934) were usually dense, packed and cluttered. They could, though, be tightly composed & balanced, or very unbalanced & open/close  Lighting Among forms of stylized “formalist” cinema (Giannetti) is Expressionism, a movement/style from Germany. It began with painting c.1904-7 & spread to architecture, theater, dance & cinema. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), a landmark in which the story is told, we discover, by an insane man, is the first Expressionist film. Expressionists used “distortion, lyricism & self- expression at the expense of objectivity.” Often, Expressionist sets and lighting were sharply angled & unrealistically warped, suggesting a person’s perspective or a dark view of society. Hollywood horror & film noir imported Expressionist style. Mainstream Hollywood, though, often used three-point lighting to tell a story, set a mood, show the setting and emphasize a star. The Three Points are: Key light: the light used to illuminate the subject(s)/dominant of a scene. Back light: Use to illuminate background. Strong backlighting can create halos around the subject or, if we have little key light, it can put subjects into semi-darkness or create silhouettes around them. Fill light: Illuminates space btw the main subjects & the background. It creates the gradations of lighting (hard/soft) in a scene. It softens the harshness of a key light. More on lighting 1) High contrast (or hard) lighting sharply defines the edges of objects, distinguishes firmly between light and dark areas and produces sculpted, prominent shadows. E.g. Think of low-key lighting. So if the key light is low and the back lighting is high, quite a contrast is produced. What if little fill light is used to create gradations of light? What if lights are placed in odd positions or compete w/each other? 2) Low contrast (or even, soft) lighting blurs boundaries between objects & planes of action. It produces indistinct shadows & often lends a soft radiance. Think how many shots show little contrast in the lights. Imagine bright key (High-key lighting) to highlight a star, a supportive fill light & bright back light to show off a lavish, glamorous background. Famous Expressionist images from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) Expressionist influence in film noir (top) & James Whale’s Frankenstein films (below) Three-point Lighting Backlighting can create a halo when combined with some key & fill lighting, but used strongly or alone, it can create a silhouette Musicals & stars often favor high-key lighting; we see high & low in Rear Window