Mise-en-scene

STARTER TASK

 State 5 things you would expect to see in:

 A horror film

·         Antagonist

·         Dark setting/isolated locations

·         Jump scares

·         Final girl

LEARNING OUTCOMES

 

Unit 1 is broken up into 6 different LEARNING OUTCOMES

LO1 Understand the ownership models of media institutions

LO2 Understand how media products are advertised and distributed

LO3 Understand how meaning is created in media products

LO4 Understand the target audiences of media products

LO5 Be able to evaluate research data used by media institutions

LO6 Be able to evaluate legal, ethical and regulatory issues associated with media products

LEARNING OUTCOMES

 Identify  the features of mise en scene

Explain how mise en scene is used to create meaning in your chosen film

 

 MICRO ELEMENTS

-      Mise-en-Scene

-      Camerawork techniques

-      Editing techniques

-      Use of sound

                 

MACRO MEANING

All the above micro elements are specifically put together to create meaning about:

-      Audience

-      Genre

-      Narrative

-      Representation

All audio visual media products are encoded (put in) to create a preferred reading (Stuart Hall 1980) to the audience.

 This means that media products are purposefully put together using micro elements (denotation) to create a representation (connotation) for the audience to understand.

 One micro element that is encoded to create meaning/ representation (stereotypes) in music videos/ film trailers, films, tv programmes, video games is MISE EN SCENE:

1.              Location

2.              Costume/make up

3.              Props

4.              Colours/ lighting

5.              Gestures

MISE EN SCENE

This means ‘everything within the frame’.

(subculture- specific youth group)

 TASK

Based on the examples that you have seen so far, what determines what the following mise en scene features look like in a film?

Genre- social realist text.

1.                 Location

2.                 Costume/make up

3.                 Props

4.                 Colours/ lighting

5.                 Gestures

 

MISE EN SCENE: LOCATION

Locations are encoded to create verisimilitude (relatable) /be aspirational to the audience. 

MISE EN SCENE: COSTUME/ MAKE UP AND PROPS TASK

1.           What is the difference between costume and clothes? Costume is the way an a person is dressed by a director to form a character rather than just a normal person.

2.           What is the word prop short for/ mean?

Properties, props are used to form a narrative.

MISE EN SCENE: ICONOGRAPHY

So far the features of mise en scene can also be used as a form of iconography:

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Helps you identify where the film is set, created on stereotypes of that place

London: Big ben, red phone boxes, big red buses,

 MISE EN SCENE: ICONOGRAPHY

Iconography or ‘ icons’ are items that create stereotypical representations that become well known and recognised. This can create ideologies (belief/value system connotes an ideal style of life).

Task 

What iconography do you expect to see in the following texts:

1.              Horror films- isolated house, daggers, broken.

2.              Sci fi films- spaceship, outer space, gadgets, AI.

 MISE EN SCENE: COLOURS AND LIGHTING

Colours are encoded to connote moods/ emotions. What are the stereotypical colours used in:

1.            Rom coms- red, pink, white

2.            Hip hop videos- yellow, blue, black, gold

3.            Social realism films- beige, grey
STATE THE CONNOTATIONS FOR EACH

 here are two types of lighting that are used to reinforce genre styles/ emotions/ verisimilitude for the audience:

1. Low key lighting

2. High key/ natural lighting

MISE EN SCENE: COLOURS AND LIGHTING

Low key lighting is encoded when the scene/location has shadows and low light.

What are the connotations/ representations that are created using this type of lighting?

·        mystery,danger,horror

 

                                                                                                        

MISE EN SCENE: COLOURS AND LIGHTING

High key lighting is encoded when the scene/location is bright and well lit.

What are the connotations/ representations that are created using this type of lighting?

• Positivity, utopia, happy, energetic.

MISE EN SCENE: GESTURES

Gestures refer to body movements of a character. They are used to connote:

1.            Gender stereotypes

MISE EN SCENE:
Located in an old house, open plan house, isolated. The lighting/colours are dark with low lighting. The girl is dressed
as a normal young girl in pyjamas. The little girl is mesmerised by the TV which suggest something abnormal. An
atmosphere of horror is created. Props used I this are TV, household items.

MISE EN SCENE: GENDER REPRESENTATIONS

John Berger (1972) in the ‘Ways Of Seeing’documentary states:

“Men act and women appear.

Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at. Women are aware of being seen by a male spectator.” WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Men are in the film to form a plot and narrative where as women are there to be sexualised and sidekicks/an add-on. 

 MISE EN SCENE: GENDER

REPRESENTATIONS

Women are often seen as sexual objects in media texts but men appear strong. Laura Mulvey (1975) suggested that women are objectified in media texts, which she calls the male gaze. 

WRITE UP FOR MISE EN SCENE INSTRUCTIONS COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR FILM

      -      Locations and Iconography:

       'Poltergeist' is set in partially isolated house, from the establishing shot of the house we see it is quite big, this could suggest it is set in America as most of the houses there are that size. It also looks to be set nearer the countryside as there is lots of green area around the house

-     Costume and Make Up:
The main family involved wear a normal everyday costume to show they are just normal, this is used to scare the audience into thinking it could happen to them

-      Props:

      the clown doll, the TV/hands.

-      Lighting and Colour:

       mainly high key during the day, where nothing happens. Low key at night when the antagonist comes out, Classic horror theme to make darkness connote fear and danger.In the trailer it seems to get darker as it goes on, this could connote the sequence of events that happen in the movie- everything starts off fine but gradually gets worse and worse.