Today's lesson consisted of the study of 'mise-en-scène'. This French terminology roughly translates to 'placing on stage'. As the translation suggests, we spent the hour discussing the ways in which various decisions can impact the scene in question. We were told that there are 5 basic categories which can be manipulated in order to give specific desired effects to the viewer.
The categories were:
- Settings and Props
 |
| Setting: Hogwarts is one of the settings from the Harry Potter saga. |
- Costumes, Hair and Make-up
 |
| Costume, Hair and Make-up: Edward Scissorhands (played by Johnny Depp). |
- Facial Expression and Body Language
 |
| Facial Expression and Body Language: from horror classic, The Shining (1980). |
- Lighting and Colour
 |
| Lighting and Colour: the lighting in Psycho (1960) is used very effectively. The shadow behind the curtain has negative connotations and gives visual implications of what's ahead. |
- Positioning of Character
 |
| Positioning of Character: In this scene from The Matrix (1999), Trinity is looking down upon Agent Smith, this gives Trinity the impression of having power. However, the shadow cast by Smith gives him a foreboding impression. |