MISE-EN-SCENE
TERMINOLOGY
Lighting (general) – can be used to
highlight important characters
High Key Lighting – A bright and
well lit scene with very few shadows.
Often used to make a location or character seem friendly, happy, safe.
Low key Lighting – a dimly lit
scene with lots of shadows. Often used
to make a location or character seem shady, untrustworthy, dangerous, unsafe. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91gU93J2Q8k&feature=relmfu
Chiaroscuro
Lighting – a scene lit with extreme lighting, lots of shadows, some very bright
parts. See the effects of low key
lighting. Also used to make a location
or character seem very dramatic and unusual.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SlH_uvPuRw
Body Shape and
Language – the way a character’s body looks and the way they hold their body eg
confident, slumping down, cowering from someone etc It tells us what type of person they are and
how they feel about others.
Facial Features and
Expression – the way a character’s face looks and shows emotion. For example a shocked expression, sadness, a
look of love. You can also comment on
the way they look such as a interesting features such as bad teeth, small,
squinty eyes etc It tells us what type
of person they are and how they feel about others.
Props – Items a
character possesses or picks up eg a gun or a bunch of flowers etc.. They can
tell us lots about what type of person someone is
Costumes – clothes a
character is wearing. You could comment
on the style, shape, choice of item, colour, etc. They can tell us lots about a character, what
type of person they are, how they are feeling etc. For example a floaty dress might represent
someone as being traditionally girly. A
policeman’s uniform might represent someone as having authority and power. Baggy, shapeless clothes might suggest
someone is shy, where as tight clothing might suggest they are confident and
flirtatious.
Hair & Make Up – the appearance of the hair of
a character and the cosmetics a character might be wearing such as lipstick, a
skin head etc. They tell us things about
the character. For example a woman
wearing very little make up might be seen as being very naive and innocent.
Voice / Tone – The way a
character speaks tells us a lot. Someone
who stutters might be nervous. Someone
who shouts may be angry and powerful.
Colour – Colours in a
scene often represent things. Red can
represent anger, passion, danger, love.
Blue can seem calm and peaceful, sometimes sad. You must pick the most appropriate meaning
for the scene.
Location – A place where
the scene is set. A location can tell us
lots about the people in it. For example
a dirty, bloodstained basement could signify that a character was a villain or
up to no good. A messy bedroom might
signify that the character who owned it was disorganised. Don’t forget to look out for how a character
reacts to their location as well (eg if they are comfortable there or not)
Breaking the Fourth
Wall (Direct Address) – Describes a time where a character may look directly at
the camera and speak to the audience.
This is highly unusual but can be seen regularly in shows like Malcolm
InThe Middle. This is designed to
emphasise that character as the most important, as powerful, and as someone we
should be siding with as it helps us feel like we are “one of them” and as
though we are one of their friends.
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