Film Fridays

The 5 Elements of Mise en Scene

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

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

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

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)

                 LOW KEY LIGHTING:

•Created by using only the key & back lights

•Produces  sharp contrasts of light and dark areas

•Deep, distinct shadows/silhouettesre formed

Example: Horror Films

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