Mise-en-Scène

• Mise-en-Scène

  "The action of putting onto the stage".

  Concept pioneered by writers at Cahiers du Cinéma (a magazine).

  Consists of: staging/blocking, off screen space, setting, properties (props), etc.
• Costume

  Refers to the clothing that a character wears. This can be stereotypical or iconographic.
• Makeup

  Film making requires harsh, bright lighting so all actors have to wear makeup to prevent them from looking shiny.

  Prosthetics are special effects makeup that are used to change an actor's appearance (used in biopics).
• Props

  Any object held or used by an actor for use in furthering the plot or the storyline.

  When they aren't being used by actors they are 'set dressing'.

  Any prop that is seen functioning (like a gun) is called a 'hero prop'.
• Staging/Blocking/Proxemics

  Staging is the process of selecting, modifying, designing or adapting to the performance space for a play or a film.

  Blocking is the term that describes where, when and how subjects are placed and move within the frame.

  Proxemics is the spatial relationship among the characters within the Mise-en-Scène, and the apparent distance of the camera from the subject.
• Off-screen space

  The framing and the editing help the audience understand that there is a world beyond the edges of the image.

  (Determines what appears and what doesn't appear on screen).
• Performance: Figure expression

  Figure expression- acting style, use of facial expressions to convey emotions.

  Figure movement- how things move on screen. Important for creating spectacle in action movies and musicals.