Mise-en-Scene

Mise-en-Scene

French term meaning 'in the scene or frame'.

Linked into this: 

• Lights and Colour
• Settings
• Props
• Costume, Hair and Make-up
• Performance (facial expressions and body language)
• Position of characters and objects in frame

Extracts:

• Voyage a Travers L'Impossible (by Georges Melies 1904) - Hand coloured film - long, painstaking process.
• Wizard of Oz - colour holds significance - transfer from reality to Oz - colours exaggerated - dream like scape.

Colour: Detonation and Connotation

Detonation: literal description of an idea, concept or object.
Connotation: what we associate with a particular idea, concept or object.

We Need to Talk About Kevin:

• Vivid 'warm' colours (primarily reds)
• Visceral images
• Colours of blood and pain
• Woman garbbed in grey (miserable, depressed)

Setting:

Psycho (Norman's office) - Stuffed birds of prey (in position of attack), nude paintings - suggests reference to a sexual predator - foreshadows events (Marion is murdered while naked).

Norman's performance - nervous, rambling, stutters - suspicious

How does the Setting and Performance Tell Us About Norman in Psycho?

In the parlour scene, within the film 'Psycho', the setting gives us an in-depth analysis into Norman's persona. The office is speckled with stuffed birds of prey and nude paintings which presents to us the sinister aura of a sexual predator. it also foreshadows Marion's untimely death of being murdered while naked. However, Norman's attitude is completely contrast to this setting analysis. He fidgets, stutters and rambles when in close proximity with Marion suggesting he is anxious around her.

Casino Royal:

Within the first sequence -

• James Bond - two different scenes, two different sides - first kill; vicious, dirty (linked with toilet setting), second kill; quick and clean (clean office building), progressed in efficiency
• Light - the toilet setting is very bright - revealing dark nature, dark office - hidden and covert, poker face
• Colour switch - two different points of time - two different Bonds

Positioning:

• Where characters/objects are positioned is important - symbolisis
• Can emphasise the relative importance of the object or character. 
• Split focus - Where two or more scenes are taking place at the same time

• Deep focus - Everything on screen is in focus

• Shallow focus - In shallow focus, one plane of the image is in focus while the rest is out of focus. It is typically used to emphasize one part of the image over the other.  

• Feathering - makes the image appear softer.