Armageddon

Mise-en-Scene

In relation to the study of print and moving images, Mise-en-scene translates as ‘everything in the frame.’ It is a French term which refers to:

·         Lighting and Colour

·         Setting

·         Props, costume hair and makeup

·         Character positioning in within the frame

·         Body Language, expression and movement.

So when embarking on an analysis of Mise-en-scene, there are lots of aspects to consider all at once.

Lighting and Colour

The use of lighting and colour probably impacts the most on other elements of Mise-en-scene. A simple interior shot of a church can be made to seem threatening by flooding it with deep red light. Props such as statues and crucifixes become frightening and thus the Gothic Horror genre is signalled.

Colour

Often a director will have a clear sense of the way they want colour to work in a scene – as colour can have a big impact on our emotions and therefore on our understanding of a scene. These colours can be used symbolically, for example red to symbolise love or perhaps danger. Your understanding of the symbolism behind a colour may be influenced by your cultural background as different cultures have different associations with colour.

As well as using certain colours, film-makers can add tints to their film when editing to create effect. The film Amelie has increased the colour saturation in order to give the film a more fantasy / animated feel. In contrast the opening sequence from Saving Private Ryan has de-saturated the colour. It’s not quite black and white but the colour levels have been decreased.

Lighting

Lighting helps to convey mood or atmosphere. Often our attention is drawn to a particular object or gesture that is important within the film’s storyline. The film-maker can also use shadows to hide elements of the scene and create suspense.

If a film is shot in a studio, lighting usually comes from three different kinds of lights

-          A back light

-          A Filler Light

-          A Key Light

There are two distinct ways of describing lighting techniques – High Key Lighting and Low Key Lighting

High Key Lighting refers to a scene where lots of lights are included to create a colourful and/or bright environment. The key light is the main light used in a scene. This is a large light placed at the front, by the cameras. This is because lighting a subject from behind or from the side will either create a silhouette or deep shadows across the subject. Filler lights refer to the other lights used in a scene which remove any shadows.

Low Key lighting is created by using only key and back lights, creating areas of both light and darkness. This lighting will be used to create a particular atmosphere – for example the suspense of a Thriller or the terror of a Horror. Furthermore it may be used a ‘mood’ lighting for a romantic scene.

Setting

The set design or choice of location can be very important to a film. The setting is able to contribute to the narrative and furthers the audience’s understanding of the film. In Thelma and Louise (1991), the two main protagonists are on the run across America, trying to avoid the Police. Eventually they arrive at the Grand Canyon which, in the context of the film’s story, serves as a symbol of their quest for freedom. Setting also creates time and place. If set in a historical period, a certain amount of accuracy would be important to audiences.

Costumes Props and Make-Up

In everyday life we often judge people on first impressions. These impressions are formed by what people wear, what they carry, their make-up and hair. In media texts these things are important ways of telling us about different characters. These can change throughout a narrative to show us that things are changing for the characters.

Costume

Costume simply refers to the clothes worn by a character, so this could mean the armour of Predator or a glamorous dress. It can tell us what people do or a job, if they are rich or poor and even give us clues as to what type of person they are, for example the symbolic use of colour. In Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet, when the two protagonists first meet, Juliet in seen in white angel’s costume whilst Romeo is dressed as the knight in Shining armour – in this sense these are key indicators of their role within the film. Also consider a teen drama where different characters will where clothes to identify their character and perhaps which subculture they belong to.

For some characters, costume is essential both to the genre and the narrative. Spiderman uses costume both to mask his identity and to work with his special powers. Superman switches from the business clothes of his day job, to his superhero clothes when he’s about to use his powers.

Costume also works alongside setting to establish the historical setting of a text and aspects of individuals’ characters within that place. Changes in costume may be used to tell us about personality changes but also about time passing. In films like ‘Titanic’ costume initially portrays the glamour of the voyage. However when the disaster strikes and the characters have to fight to survive, costumes are torn and indicate the distress faced by the characters. In Titanic, Rose’s costume is important in showing her social class but also how restricted she feels. At the beginning of the film she moves stiffly and seems to hide behind her clothes and hat. As the film goes on her clothes become less formal, she is even naked at one point, signifying how she is shedding her old life.

Make-up

Make-up is not simply used to make female characters look glamorous. It could also be used to make characters seem grotesque or much older than they are in real life. It can also be used to change a character from one gender to another as in White Chicks or Mrs Doubtfire.

Make-up can also be used to create characters from fantasy worlds and aliens from other planets. Furthermore it can also be used to create scars and injuries following action sequences. 

Character Positioning within the Frame

A characters position within the frame is significant for various reasons. If a character is in the foreground and in focus, then we can be sure that there is something very important about them. We may be listening to a character in the background but the character that is in the foreground grabs our attention.

Often the director / photographer will ‘balance’ the screen by carefully positioning characters within the frame. They may position then at different heights to show their various positions in terms of power and importance. Characters can be positioned to show their relationships with each other. For example if an argument has taken place characters may be positioned far apart, in contrast a loving pair will be positioned in close proximity to one another.

Body Language, Expression and Movement

Body Language tells us about the relationship between different characters on screen. The hero in an action film will have a strong stance whereas a weaker character may be fidgeting to suggest they are nervous. Film posters or adverts also use body langue to immediately demonstrate to the audience the relationships and status between characters. A good example is the film poster to Mean Girls where the main protagonist has her back turned away from the gang of girls whose body language suggests they might be the aggressors.