Indeed our whole semester is dedicated to decoupage and it is involved in each of our exercises or lessons in one way or another. Whilst before this studio I had no understanding of what découpage was, I’m now grasping the concept more and more as we go along. My current understanding of découpage stems from both the Bunuel and Bernard reading. Decoupage to me, is the final visualised shooting script and the creative liberties the director takes with this coverage; that determines the overall tone of a scene. In an effort to broaden my horizon of film techniques and terms, I have chosen to do further research on the french theatre term mis en scene. According to Robert Kolker, author of article Mise -en-scene, this term refers to “…everything that goes into the composition of the shot, including the composition itself: framing, movement of the camera and characters, lighting, set design and general visual environment, even sound as it helps elaborate the composition.” This definition does align with my previous knowledge of mise on scene, however it is more in-depth and includes sound as one of the many elements to consider in the term. Mise en scene I believe, is inherent in decoupage. This is as the coverage of a shot, can occasionally be determined by the set, costume or lighting etc. For example a scene in which detailed and extravagant costumes are worn, is not going to be covered by close-ups of the actors faces. The director will want to make a point of displaying the costumes to perhaps communicate a feeling or develop the relationship between characters etc. In Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower, the character of Sam (Emma Watson) is introduced to the main character Charlie (Logan Lerman), in a very particular way that combines both mise en scene and découpage. In the below gif, Sam is shot from a low angle. This is partly because this is Charlie’ perspective as he is sitting down and partly to demonstrate Sam’s importance and how incredible she appears to Charlie. Furthermore, Sam is back lit which gives her a somewhat angelic appearance. Had Chbosky chosen to shoot this first meeting from a wide or a side shot, the lighting would not have had nearly the same impact and the meaning the framing conveyed just couldn’t be created from an alternative angle. Without this composition or lighting, there would be no ‘wow moment’ that stunned me when I first watched the film.

Mise en scene can truly enhance a scene to its maximum potential. Done well, it can greatly affect the feeing created within a scene. This technique is incredibly relevant to the film making process and it often overlaps with découpage. Occasionally (blissfully ignorant) film goers see costume, framing and elements in the background etc, as just being there with no inherent meaning, pure accidents if you will. However the pain-staking amount of time spent planning mise en scene and découpage for a scene says otherwise. One cannot simply diminish the meaning of these carefully thought-out elements as they can be incredibly relevant to a film; perhaps almost as relevant as the narrative or editing. For the individual film maker mise en scene is something to attempt to incorporate in to every project, even if it is slowly at first. This research has led me to consider incorporating more meaning in to my shots and to start making informed decisions when shooting.