Mise en scene meaning the placing within a shot ultimately means how a director controls what goes within a frame and how it appears, often this is to achieve realism and authenticity.

 

For example  Georges Méliès often made hundreds of films based on strict control over the frames to create magic like shot’s, a trip to the moon  where the wizards turn into atronaughts by the cutting of the frame and sticking them tighter to appear as if if happened by magic.

Our reading this week discussed the significance of setting, costume/makeup, lighting and staging within miss en scene. These were some of the main points I got out of the reading …

SETTING

• shape how we understand story and action
• set the scene
• narrative
• emphasise authenticity
• colour is important to hint, show importance (dark colours negative and vice versa)
• props may become a motif

COSTUMES AND MAKEUP

• Can become motifs
• enhancing characterisation
• costume and setting to narrative progression
• horror and sci fi – expressive qualities (enhance facial performance) e.g. direction of glance
• physically and digitally to create a character

LIGHTING

• pictorial impact
• composotion and direct eye to certain objects and actions (key gesture (highlights), conceal detail(shaodws), articulate textures.)
• controlling our sense of a scenes space
• quality, direction, source and colour
• hard vs. soft light e.g. illuminations
• direction: frontal, side, backlight and angles (toplighting and under lighting)
• source: key light, fill light, natural light (realism), underweight, three point lighting

STAGING (WHICH INCLUDES ACTING AND MOVEMENT IN THE SHOT)

• acting and actuality
• motion and performance capture
• functions and motivation

With Mise en scene being the placement of things within each frame we often have to ask many questions in order to understand the intention of objects. How does the setting, lighting etc. change within a shot/scene? what does this say about characters and the environment they’re in? What is brought to our attention? What are we supposed to be focused on and how is this important to the film? How are we cued to react? does lightning, setting, character, costume and acting contribute to the films sense of suspense? excitement? fear? happiness?

Wes Anderson’s movie “Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” was such a visually engaging, colourful and wacky movie. Mise en scene, the focus of our reading meaning the ‘placing on the stage’ is controlled significantly in Wes Andersons film to communicate ideas.

The main forms of mise en scene include Lighting, Setting, Staging and Costumes/ makeup. Wes often uses changes in these elements through a scene to shift the audiences focus, such as the scene (2.07mins to 2.31mins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPSqRmk3WSk). The sheer juxtaposition is shown as the Zissou’s team are in colourful, quite messy looking costumes, they are staggered around the frame and the camera position is at eye level. This is contrasted to  those on the other much larger boat who are presented in clean white outfits, and are positioned in a well formed line communicating that they’re pristine and quite professional. We as audiences are cued to react that those on the other ship are placed with higher authority and power, whereas Steve’s boat we are hinted are of lower class but therefore we relate to more because they are on our level.

Tone is something we see quite regularly within this film the contrast between the cold blue lighting tones like when they’re being captured which represents uncertainty is occurring as compared to when they’re on the ship just researching and looking at the dolphins communicating they’re in their natural, safe and warm environment.

I also wonder the extent to which Wes Anderson planned each frame out within his movie? It’s interesting in particular to observe the scene where he describes the boat and in one shot we are shown each room. All the miss en scene elements are incorporated together to produce individual meanings of their welcoming, run down but cosy boat.

SOURCE: http://www.popmatters.com/review/182764-the-life-aquatic-with-steve-zissou/