TV Drama - Mise en-scene

Mise –en - Scene

The arrangement of everything that appears in the framing – actors, lighting, décor, props, costume – is called mise-en-scène, a French

term that means “placing on stage.” The frame and camerawork also constitute the mise-en-scène of a movie.

Décor refers to the decoration or decorative styles, comprising mainly of the set and props used in a TV Drama

As Media students we need to work out how aspects of the décor creating meanings, and provoking thoughts

Décor

Unarguably one of the elements that has the greatest power to evoke emotions is lighting.

High Key LightingEverything looks bright with little to no shadow at all. High-key lighting has little dramatic effect, and it is often used in a scene with no tension or to attach positive and uplifting connotations to a character or situation.

Low-key lighting Often used in tense scenes or scenes where negative connotations are to be derived. It comprises of a lighting pattern that has both bright and dark areas in the frame.

The obvious purpose of costuming is to dress an actor according to his character. Lawyers wear suits, nurses wear scrubs, and a drifter could wear worn out shoes, ragged shirt, and baggy pants.

But, more than that, costuming can also be used to establish someone’s hierarchic level or attach a stereotype to them

Costuming may also be used to emphasize a personality trait. For instance a women wearing leopard print may be characterized as a predator.

Costume & Props

Colour

• What is the dominant color? • Are there contrasting foils? • Is there color symbolism?

The set or location of any filmed drama is created to give meaning to the text. A documentary will also attempt to film contributors in locations that are relevant to the story or meaning of the text.

For instance, in a soap opera such as Coronation Street, the actual row of terraced houses, the pub, cobbled streets etc. all contributes to the working class feel of the community.

Location

Appearance - how the actor appears in the role - large, small, the right size. Costume and make up can help an actor build a character

Movements – an actor’s movements can enhance the believability of the character, and increase the information the audience is receiving about the character

Gestures – gestures are helpful to creating the character

Facial expressions – important in whether a character is sympathetic or not, and for reading emotions such as love, fear and pain.

Vocal delivery - very important in delivering the lines so that comprehensive meaning is understandable to the audience

Body Language

Staging PositionsWhich way do the characters look in relation to the camera?

An actor can be photographed in any of five basic positions, each conveying different psychological overtones.

– Full-front (facing the camera): the position with the most intimacy. The character is looking in our direction, inviting our complicity.

– Quarter Turn: the favored position of most filmmakers. This position offers a high degree of intimacy but with less emotional involvement than the full-front position.

– Profile (looking of the frame left or right): More remote than the quarter turn, the character in profile seems unaware of being observed, lost in his or her own thoughts.

– Three-quarter Turn: More anonymous than the profile, this position is useful for conveying a character's unfriendly or antisocial feelings, for in effect, the character is partially turning his or her back on us, rejecting our interest.

– Back to Camera: The most anonymous of all positions, this position is often used to suggest a character's alienation from the world. When a character has his or her back to the camera, we can only guess what's taking place internally, conveying a sense of concealment, or mystery.

Character ProxemicsHow much space is there between the characters?

The way people use space can be divided into four proxemic patterns.

– Intimate distances: the intimate distance ranges from skin contact to about eighteen inches away. This is the distance of physical involvement--of love, comfort, and tenderness between individuals.

– Personal distances: the personal distance ranges roughly from eighteen inches away to about four feet away. These distances tend to be reserved for friends and acquaintances. Personal distances preserve the privacy between individuals, yet these rages don't necessarily suggest exclusion, as intimate distances often do.

– Social distances: the social distance rages from four feet to about twelve feet. These distances are usually reserved for impersonal business and casual social gatherings. It's a friendly range in most cases, yet somewhat more formal than the personal distance.

– Public distances: The public distance extends from twelve feet to twenty-five feet or more. This range tends to be formal and rather detached

Character PlacementWhat part of the framed space do the characters occupy?

Center? Top? Bottom? Edges? Why?

• The area near the top of the frame can suggest ideas dealing with power, authority, and aspiration.

• The areas near the bottom of the frame tend to suggest meanings opposite from the top: subservience, vulnerability, and powerlessness.

• The left and right edges of the frame tend to suggest insignificance because these are the areas farthest removed from the center of the screen.

In the next shotWhere is our eye attracted first?

Ghost World directed by Terry Zwigoff (2001)

Why?...The Dominant

The dominant contrast can be created by any number of techniques:

1. The size of an object may draw our attention to it.2. In black and white movies, the dominant contrast is

generally achieved through a juxtaposition of lights and darks.

3. In color films, the dominant is often achieved by having one color stand out from the others.

4. Placing one object in sharper focus than the rest of the shot can also create a dominant.

Close AnalysisWatch the following sequences and make notes on what meanings can be derived from aspects of the mise-en-scene, in particular regarding characterisation. Be prepared to share your ideas with the rest of the class.

You must consider;

•Location

•Body Language

•Costume & Props

•Colour

•Lighting

•Decorhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJmoqRAaGjw&feature=related

Revenge

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBhG78Ourjw

From the start until 1 minute 30 seconds of Ugly Betty

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTQDipfN8JA&feature=related

Monarch of The Glen