Mise - en - Scene

Mise en Scene - basically means, everything that is on the set and in the frame. It is build of five key elements:
https://www.slideshare.net/houseofamos/5-elements-of-mise-en-scene
https://collegefilmandmediastudies.com/mise-en-scene-2/

1. Setting and props

location
background
key objects/objects used by actors

https://screipttoscreen.blogspot.co.uk/2018/03/prop-list.html - props
https://screipttoscreen.blogspot.co.uk/2018/02/the-meeting-with-lilie-ferrari-script.html - location

Setting is a very important part of a film. It is not only a place in which an action take place, but it may also reflect a characters state of mind. It can be outdoor location or a studio build set.

A location can introduce the audience to the theme, tone and mood of a production. Films and TV series show time lapses and cut always from a place.location in which the story takes place, to introduce the audience to the story itself. For example:

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Pirates of the Caribbean (2003 Gore Verbinski )

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0325980/

At first, we are introduced to the sea and a ship, therefore we know ,straight away, that the film will be based around those things. Then, we go onto the costume and hair part of mise en scene, and we can tell that the story is based in the past, by the dress that the little girl wears. Then to her song, being a pirate song, the whole image introduces in depth to what the story is about, where and in what times it is going to be told/presented.

In terms of the lightning and color, it is rather cold. The tone seems quite blue. We cannot see much, therefore we think of the story as creepy and maybe even scary. It makes sense since the story is about pirates.
The camera shows the little girl from behind, slowly getting closer in hand held. It makes us believe that it is someone or something getting closer to her. It builds the tension and shows us hat there will be elements of surprise and tension in the film.

In our drama we are facing a large obstacle, since we will not be able to film at variety of different locations. We will be based in a one room where the story will be told. We need to turn one location into a labyrinth of stories that each character carries with them.

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I have also written about other openings as part of my AS media course. It explains a little the costume, camera movement and settings:

Openings of "The secret of Moonacre"(2008 Gabor Csupo)
http://12annaolesinskasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/opening-of-secret-of-moonacre.html

Opening of "Inkheart" (2008 Iain Softley)
http://12annaolesinskasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/opening-of-inkheart.html

Opening of "Jumanji" (1995 Joe Johnston)
http://12annaolesinskasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/opening-of-jumanji.html

In terms of props, I believe that those help with making a film seem realistic and creative.

Harry Potter (2001 - 2011)

Harry Potter series definitely spend a lot of time, designing and creating props and costume that would make the world of magic look realistic and in the same magical, as we would expect it to be. The film has so many details, so many magical objects and decorations; wands, furniture, decorations, room decors and much more made the fantasy become real.

While being in Harry Potter Studios, I could see all of the sketches of props and all of the planning and work it went to create all of those amazing things.

I think that as much detail goes to the props, the more realistic it feels, therefore the audiences can believe that a world presented to them exist for as long as the film keeps runing.

2. Costume, hair and makeup

the way characters are presented

https://screipttoscreen.blogspot.co.uk/2018/02/costume-mood-boards-and-budget.html - costume

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The costume and the makeup play incredibly important role in films. Those are the factors, that create a character. Those make them real. It can be a nurse in a slice of life series or a monster in fantasy production. Films are visually told stories. What we see gives the meaning and context of a film. So of course we expect a nurse to wear nurse uniform and a monster to have detailed makeup and spooky costume.

Costume and makeup can introduce us to a situation a character is in, make it all seem realistic. It also shows us what the person is like. For example:

Joker from The Dark Knight (2008 Christopher Nolan)

Joker is easily recognizable character due to his purple jacket and trousers, green west coat and finally the creepy clown-like makeup. The second one and the fact that the character has two scars coming from both corners of his lips, suggest his mental state, whereas his clothes, look like a costume he believes to work with his persona.

Room (2015 Lenny Abrahanson)

In the film, we are introduced to two characters. A mother and her 5 years old son. They are kept in a small room, which is amazingly designed. It looks like it was really lived on, but I want to focus on the costume and makeup.

Their clothes look basic, worn-out a little bit. They faces look tired and pale from the lack of the sun and fresh air. Their hair is a bit dirty; the little boy has very long hair which signifies that they have been kept there for a very long period of time.

For our characters I would like to have clothes that will help to understand them. For example I imagine Harvey to wear his bank uniform, Rosemary to wear a cardigan which she can use to hide from the place she does not want to be in or Jess to wear the same clothes all the time, because that was everything she had left after her best friend died. I want our costumes to tell a story, that the word cannot tell.

3. Facial expression and body language

the way actors play they roles

This part will be the most important part for our drama. We have lots of text, lots of stories to be told, however we cannot use too many words, we have to "show" the story. The actors will have to use their fecial expressions and body language to tell a line of dialogue through those actions.

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I have looked at those videos just to understand a little bit more how body language and fecial expressions can indicate emotions and thoughts.

A lot of the time, we do not need to learn about this small little detail. We are able to control our body language and facial expressions to "say" what we want to be communicated without using words.

Our tutor introduced us to an exercise that is done in acting schools, where a group of studets observes two other students standing in front of each other. One of them would observe the other one's facial expresions and body language to make a comment about it.

For example:

Person A: you are smiling

Then person B would have o repeat what has been said to them in first person

Person B: I am smiling

This had to be repeated until the facial expressions had changed or person B changed what they were saying and become the dominant one in the "conversation".

It is called the Meisner Technique.

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