Interpretation
This narrow definition of mise-en-scène is not shared by all critics. For some, it refers to all
elements of visual style—that is, both elements on the set and aspects of the camera. For others,
such as U.S. film critic Andrew Sarris, it takes on mystical meanings related to the emotional
tone of a film.
Recently,[when?] the term has come to represent a style of conveying the information of a scene
primarily through a single shot—often accompanied by camera movement. However, there are
no citable examples in academic papers to justify this definition. Two academic papers, Brian
Henderson's Essay on the "Long Take" (1976) and Lutz Bacher's MA thesis entitled "The Mobile
Mise-en-Scène" (1976), discuss the use of Mise en Scène in long shots and shots that encompass
a whole scene. Neither conflates its meaning with how the term was originally applied to film in
the Cahiers de Cinéma. This recent and limiting redefinition of the term makes it synonymous
with a "oner" or a single shot that encompasses an entire scene. This use of the term displays a
blinding ignorance of both the traditional use of the term in French theatre and film and its actual
translated meaning, which is, broadly, "to put in the scene".
In German filmmaking in the 1910s and 1920s, one can observe tone, meaning, and narrative
information conveyed through mise-en-scène. Perhaps the most famous example of this is The
Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919) where a character's internal state of mind is represented through
set design and blocking.
The similar-sounding, but unrelated term, "metteurs en scène" (figuratively, "stagers") was used
by the auteur theory as a disparaging label for directors who did not put their personal vision into
their films.[citation needed]
Because of its relationship to shot blocking, mise-en-scène is also a term sometimes used among
professional screenwriters to indicate descriptive (action) paragraphs between the dialog.
Only rarely is mise-en-scène critique used in other art forms, but it has been used effectively to
analyse photography.
[edit] Key aspects of mise en scène
Set design
An important element of "putting in the scene" is set design—the setting of a scene and
the objects (props) there in. Set design can be used to amplify character emotion or the
dominant mood of a film, or to establish aspects of the character.
Lighting
The intensity, direction, and quality of lighting have a profound effect on the way an
image is perceived. Light (and shade) can emphasise texture, shape, distance, mood, time
of day or night, season, glamour; it affects the way colors are rendered, both in terms of
hue and depth, and can focus attention on particular elements of the composition.
Space
The representation of space affects the reading of a film. Depth, proximity, size and
proportions of the places and objects in a film can be manipulated through camera
placement and lenses, lighting, set design, effectively determining mood or relationships
between elements in the story world.
Costume
Costume simply refers to the clothes that characters wear. Using certain colors or designs,
costumes in narrative cinema are used to signify characters or to make clear distinctions
between characters.
Acting
There is enormous historical and cultural variation in performance styles in the cinema.
Early melodramatic styles, clearly indebted to the 19th century theater, gave way in
Western cinema to a relatively naturalistic style.
[edit] References
1. ^ Brian Henderson, "The Long Take," in Movies and Methods: An Anthology, ed.
Bill Nichols (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1976), 315.
2. ^ Bordwell, David; Thompson, Kristin (2003). Film Art: An Introduction, 7th ed..
New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0072484551.
[edit] Further reading
Look up mise en scène in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Bordwell, David; Thompson, Kristin (2010). Film Art: An Introduction, 9th ed.. New
York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 9780071220576. Contains a chapter on mise en scène with a
concise definition of it.
[edit] External links
The Straight Dope: What do artsy film critics mean by "mise-en-scene"?
Yale University Film Analysis Site: "mise-en-scene"
Buster Answers: Mise en Scène
Indy Mogul 4 Minute Film School: Mise en Scene
