Transcription
[Music] When we see directors on set, what are they often doing? Pointing? Looking through the viewfinder? Or making this hand gesture? Why? Because the director's job actually begins long before this moment.
Okay, here we go. In fact, a rolling camera is the final step in designing, arranging, and framing each shot. It is the last piece in a puzzle called mise-en-scène. What's your name, Sam? Mise-en-scène isn't just a fancy theoretical concept. It is the essence of filmmaking and something every director does, whether they realize it or not. This is what is mise-en-scène. If you haven't yet subscribed or enabled notifications, you might just miss out on the big picture. Let's get started.
[Music] Translated from French, mise-en-scène means "placing on stage." A theater term for the process of deciding what to include in the scene and where it should go on the stage. One of the biggest champions of mise-en-scène was French film critic André Bazin. Bazin divided filmmaking into two basic approaches: mise-en-scène and montage. Montage filmmakers create meaning from the combination and juxtaposition of multiple images.
[Music] While mise-en-scène filmmakers concentrate on storytelling in a single image.
[Music] If I want, I can go to court. A father has a right to consider this infamous shot from Citizen Kane. "That property is just as much my property as anybody's now that it's valuable." The wide angle and deep focus allows us to see each character and their performance. The blocking, staging, and composition shows us who has power and who does not. "Signing my boy away at any banker's." "I want you to stop all this nonsense." And the uninterrupted take allows us to interpret all of these dynamics ourselves, at our own pace, without editing. Traditional definitions of mise-en-scène are limited to everything we can see, but sound design
[Music] and music can also be crucial pieces to the overall mise-en-scène. Okay, I'm confused. This can be a tricky concept to understand, so here's an analogy. Mise-en-scène can easily be understood as a math problem. Instead of two plus two equals four, it's these elements equals one shot, each with their own part to play in the overall meaning of a shot. Does this mean that everything we see is part of the mise-en-scène? Yes, everything. So now, let's put them to practice.
There are two basic traditions in mise-en-scène: naturalistic and theatrical. With naturalistic mise-en-scène, the world in the film is meant to match our own. It should be familiar and realistic.
[Applause] With theatrical mise-en-scène, we are presented with exaggerated worlds, unintended to be normal. Think of Tim Burton's expressionist mise-en-scène. The exaggerated sets,
[Music] costumes, props. These elements draw our attention because of their uniqueness and strangeness. But that doesn't mean a filmmaker like David Fincher's mise-en-scène is any less considered or effective. So whether you're dealing with a grounded domestic drama
[Music] or a hyper-stylized fantasy film, the mise-en-scène should align with those visions. So what does it look like when it all comes together?
[Music] Let's do an exercise. The Shining is bursting at the seams with fascinating mise-en-scène.
[Music] If you haven't seen it, it's about the Torrance family who move into the empty Overlook Hotel as caretakers for the winter. Oh, and it's a horror movie. "Here's Johnny!" And this shot is one of the most unsettling in the entire film. We've imported this scene into StudioBinder to see how Stanley Kubrick turned this one sentence into one of the most unsettling shots of the entire film. With all the elements of mise-en-scène in mind, pay attention to how they are used and what they convey.
[Music] [Music] Starting with production design, we first see props and set design, namely the toy vehicles and the carpet.
[Music] As the camera zooms out, the carpet is revealed with a striking and intense design.
[Music] This theme of mazes that runs throughout The Shining is once again used to make Danny seem trapped and surrounded. The sound design and soundtrack also bring contrast to the mise-en-scène.
[Music] We hear two things: Danny's vocalization as he plays with his toys and ominous swelling from the musical score.
[Music] How about the cinematography? The lighting is high-key and even. Nothing menacing there, until you remember that this is a horror film where we expect shadows and darkness.
[Music] Danny is shot in a high angle and center-framed, with deep depth of field and a slow zoom out. Finally, the cherry on top of this shot is the blocking. Danny is seated innocently playing when a new prop is introduced. All of this adds up to making him appear isolated and vulnerable. "Something is terribly wrong. Someone or some thing is watching Danny." Even if you don't know what comes before or after this moment,
[Music] the mise-en-scène in this one shot is full of visual storytelling. It is designed in every way to be unsettling. So here's a challenge: On your next project, take a single frame and consider the entire mise-en-scène. What do you see? Think of the perfect shot for that moment and how each of these elements will contribute. This can be a daunting task to begin. How to start? That's why preparation is so important, like breaking down a script into its elements, generating storyboards to bring them all together, and sharing your vision with department heads. StudioBinder is designed for this type of preparation. Next time, we'll look at the role color plays in mise-en-scène and in the work of Stanley Kubrick. We've only scratched the surface of mise-en-scène. If you're ready to explore the big picture, all you have to do is subscribe and click the bell. See you in the next one. You.