Mise-en-Scene

This fancy word "Mise-en-scene" gets thrown around a lot and many don't actually know the meaning behind it or what it is used for in a film. While it can be confusing to construct it can be understood fairly easily. Mise en scene is the arrangement of scenery and stage properties in a play. Translated from French, it means "setting the stage" but, in film analysis, the term mise en scene refers to everything in front of the camera, including the set design, lighting, and actors. Mise en scene in a film is the overall effect of how it all comes together for the audience. In an earlier blog post I pointed out lighting and actors but I have not been too specific on setting and set. Where you shoot and how your set is comprised are huge for setting the mood of your film. If you are set in a house there is more privacy involved and intimacy because all of the things are happening within one roof. With Mise-en-scene the important thing is to be intentional and stick with choices. When the director carefully chooses a set or costume a good director will make it deliberate and another form of representation I mentioned in another blog post. Overall, within my film intro, there is the use of sweat I want to add to help portray hard times and hard work. That means using a spray bottle filled with water to make the subject look sweatier or waiting hours till he has created authentic sweat none less makeup will not be used however certain elements like the one I just mentioned will.

Case Study - The Dark Knight

By controlling what is shown in the boundaries of a screen, Nolan controls the understanding of the audience. All that Nolan puts into every Dark Knight scene and film is the “mise-en-scène”. The mise-en-scène is how he creates meaning within Bruce and even the Joker at times. In The Dark Knight, the costume is used to add personality to the characters. The Joker wears a suit of green and purple and his face is plastered with white and red makeup that emphasizes his smile. Batman resembles a bat with an all-black suit with a sharp nose and ears. The Joker's costume and makeup are iconic and are a crucial part of the Dark Knight. The Joker's appearance is well known to many but the Dark Knight altered the costume and makeup from previous Batman movies. While the Dark Knight is not perfect it does cleverly incorporate aspects of darkness and gloom that I may choose to add to my own films

The primary Mise-en-Scene elements in The Dark knight are:

1. Costume design (Batman)

2. Makeup design (Joker)

3. Lighting (Low-Key/shadowed)