What is Mise en Scene — How Directors Like Kubrick Master the Elements of Visual Storytelling
Summary
TLDRThis script delves into the art of Mise-En Scene, a fundamental concept in filmmaking that encompasses all visual elements in a scene. It explains the difference between Mise-En Scene and Montage, highlighting the importance of storytelling through a single image. The video uses 'Citizen Kane' and 'The Shining' to illustrate how directors like Stanley Kubrick use mise en scene to convey power dynamics and create unsettling atmospheres. It challenges viewers to consider the mise en scene in their own projects, emphasizing the role of preparation and collaboration in achieving cinematic visions.
Takeaways
- 🎬 The director's role involves much more than just being on set; it begins with the pre-production phase of designing, arranging, and framing each shot.
- 🎥 Mise-En Scene is the essence of filmmaking, encompassing everything that is included in a scene and how it is presented.
- 🌐 Mise-En Scene is translated from French as 'placing on stage', and it is a foundational concept in both theater and film.
- 🤔 Andre Bazin, a French film critic, categorized filmmaking into two approaches: Mise-En Scene and Montage, with the former focusing on storytelling within a single image.
- 📹 In a Mise-En Scene approach, directors use elements like wide-angle and deep focus to convey power dynamics and allow the audience to interpret the scene at their own pace.
- 🎨 Traditional definitions of Mise-En Scene include everything visible in a shot, but sound design and music are also integral to the overall scene composition.
- 🔢 Mise-En Scene can be thought of as a math problem where each element contributes to the overall meaning of a shot, similar to how numbers contribute to a sum.
- 🌿 There are two main traditions in Mise-En Scene: Naturalistic, which aims for realism and familiarity, and Theatrical, which presents exaggerated and unique worlds.
- 👨👩👧👦 'The Shining' serves as an example of how Mise-En Scene can be used to create unsettling and visually storytelling shots, even in a single frame.
- 👶 The mise en scene in 'The Shining' uses high key lighting, toy vehicles, and a maze-like carpet to convey a sense of entrapment and vulnerability for the character Danny.
- 🎼 Sound design and music play a crucial role in Mise-En Scene by adding contrast and enhancing the emotional impact of a scene.
- 📚 Preparation is key in filmmaking, and tools like StudioBinder can assist in breaking down scripts, creating storyboards, and sharing the director's vision with the team.
Q & A
What does the term 'Mise-En Scene' mean in the context of filmmaking?
-Mise-En Scene, translated from French, means 'placing on stage'. It refers to the process of deciding what to include in a scene and where it should be placed, similar to theater. It encompasses all the elements that are visible within a frame, including set design, props, costumes, lighting, and composition.
How does Mise-En Scene differ from Montage in filmmaking?
-Mise-En Scene filmmakers focus on storytelling within a single image, concentrating on the arrangement and framing of each shot to convey meaning. In contrast, Montage filmmakers create meaning from the combination and juxtaposition of multiple images, often through editing.
What is the role of sound design and music in Mise-En Scene?
-Sound design and music are crucial pieces of the overall Mise-En Scene, as they can significantly influence the mood and emotional impact of a scene. They work in tandem with visual elements to create a cohesive and immersive experience for the audience.
Can you provide an example of Mise-En Scene from the film 'Citizen Kane'?
-In 'Citizen Kane', the infamous shot where Kane argues about the property's value uses a wide-angle and deep focus lens. This allows the audience to see each character and their performance, with the blocking, staging, and composition revealing power dynamics within the scene.
What are the two basic traditions in Mise-En Scene?
-The two basic traditions in Mise-En Scene are Naturalistic and Theatrical. Naturalistic Mise-En Scene aims for a realistic and familiar world, while Theatrical Mise-En Scene presents exaggerated and unusual worlds to draw attention and create a distinct atmosphere.
How does the film 'The Shining' utilize Mise-En Scene to create an unsettling atmosphere?
-In 'The Shining', director Stanley Kubrick uses Mise-En Scene elements such as production design with maze-like patterns, contrasting sound design, high-key lighting, and strategic blocking to create a sense of isolation and vulnerability for the character of Danny, contributing to an unsettling atmosphere.
What is the significance of the toy vehicles and carpet in the scene from 'The Shining'?
-The toy vehicles and carpet in 'The Shining' feature a maze pattern, which is a recurring theme in the film. This design element symbolizes the entrapment and confusion experienced by the character of Danny, enhancing the sense of unease in the scene.
How does the high angle and center framing of Danny in 'The Shining' contribute to the mise en scene?
-The high angle and center framing of Danny in 'The Shining' make him appear small and vulnerable, emphasizing his isolation. This compositional choice, combined with the deep depth of field and slow zoom out, adds to the overall unsettling mise en scene.
What is the challenge presented at the end of the script for filmmakers?
-The challenge for filmmakers is to take a single frame from their next project and consider the entire mise en scene. They should think about what they see, how it contributes to the perfect shot for that moment, and how each element will play its part in the overall storytelling.
Why is preparation important in filmmaking according to the script?
-Preparation is crucial in filmmaking because it involves breaking down the script into its elements, generating storyboards to visualize the scenes, and communicating the director's vision with department heads. This process ensures that the mise en scene is thoughtfully designed and effectively conveys the intended narrative.
Outlines
🎬 Introduction to Mise-En Scene
This paragraph introduces the concept of Mise-En Scene, a fundamental aspect of filmmaking that involves the arrangement and design of each shot. It explains that directors' roles extend beyond the moment of filming, emphasizing the importance of Mise-En Scene in creating a visual narrative. The paragraph also highlights the distinction between Mise-En Scene and Montage, with the former focusing on storytelling within a single image and the latter creating meaning through the combination of multiple images. The iconic shot from 'Citizen Kane' is used as an example to illustrate the power dynamics conveyed through Mise-En Scene elements such as wide-angle, deep focus, blocking, and staging.
👻 Mise-En Scene in Horror: 'The Shining' Analysis
This paragraph delves into the application of Mise-En Scene in the horror genre, using 'The Shining' as a case study. It discusses how director Stanley Kubrick utilized various elements of Mise-En Scene, such as production design, sound design, cinematography, and blocking, to create a sense of unease and tension in a particular scene. The paragraph provides a detailed breakdown of the scene, pointing out the use of maze-like carpet patterns to symbolize entrapment, the contrast between high key lighting and the horror genre's expectation of darkness, and the high angle shot that frames the character Danny as isolated and vulnerable. The summary encourages filmmakers to consider the entire Mise-En Scene in a single frame and to think about how each element contributes to the overall narrative and atmosphere.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Mise-En Scene
💡Director
💡Viewfinder
💡Montage
💡Naturalistic Mise-En Scene
💡Theatrical Mise-En Scene
💡Sound Design
💡Cinematography
💡Blocking
💡Production Design
💡Uninterrupted Take
Highlights
Directors often point and make hand gestures on set to communicate the final arrangements of a shot.
The rolling camera is the final step in the design process known as Mise-En Scene.
Mise-En Scene is the essence of filmmaking and is utilized by every director, whether consciously or not.
Mise En Scene originates from the French theater term for placing elements on stage.
Andre Bazin, a French film critic, divided filmmaking into Mise En Scene and Montage approaches.
Montage filmmakers create meaning through the combination of images, while Mise En Scene filmmakers focus on single images.
In 'Citizen Kane', the wide-angle and deep focus reveal character dynamics and power structures.
Sound design and music are crucial to the overall Mise En Scene, contributing to the storytelling.
Mise En Scene can be understood as a math problem where elements combine to form the meaning of a shot.
Traditional definitions of Mise En Scene are expanded to include everything seen and heard in a film.
There are two Mise En Scene traditions: Naturalistic, aiming for realism, and Theatrical, featuring exaggerated elements.
Tim Burton's films exemplify Theatrical Mise En Scene with their expressionist style and exaggerated elements.
David Fincher's work demonstrates that Mise En Scene can be just as effective in grounded dramas as in stylized films.
In 'The Shining', Stanley Kubrick uses Mise En Scene to create unsettling shots that convey a sense of isolation and vulnerability.
The mise en scene in 'The Shining' includes elements like props, set design, sound design, and cinematography to enhance storytelling.
A single frame in a film can be analyzed for its mise en scene to understand how each element contributes to the narrative.
Preparation is key in filmmaking, including script breakdown, storyboarding, and sharing vision with the team.
StudioBinder is a tool designed to assist in the preparation and planning of mise en scene in film projects.
Upcoming content will explore the role of color in mise en scene and its impact in Stanley Kubrick's work.
Transcripts
♪ ♪
When we see directors on set
what are they often doing?
"- And action."
Pointing.
Looking through the viewfinder.
Or making this hand gesture.
Why?
Because the director's job
actually begins long before this moment.
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 Scene.
"- What do you mean?"
Mise-En Scene 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 Scene".
If you haven't yet subscribed or enable notifications,
you might just miss out on the big picture.
Let's get started.
Translated from French
Mise En Scene means placing on stage.
The 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 scene
was French film critic Andre Bazin.
Bazin divided filmmaking into two basic approaches.
Mise En Scene and Montage.
Montage filmmakers
create meaning from the combination and juxtaposition
of multiple images.
♪ ♪
While mise en scene filmmakers
concentrate on storytelling
in a single image.
♪ ♪
"- If I want to, I can go to court. A father has a right to."
Consider this infamous shot from "Citizen Kane".
"- That property is 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.
"- I want you to stop all this nonsense.
- The bank's decision on all matters..."
And the uninterrupted take
allows us to interpret
all of these dynamics ourselves.
At our own pace without editing.
Traditional definitions of Mise En Scene
are limited to everything we can see
but sound design.
And music.
♪ ♪
Can also be crucial pieces to the overall mise en scene.
"- Okay, I'm confused."
This can be a tricky concept to understand.
So here's an analogy.
Mise en scene 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 mise en scene?
Yes, everything.
So now, let's put them to practice.
There are two basic traditions in mise en scene.
Naturalistic.
And Theatrical.
With naturalistic mise en scene
the world in the film is meant to match our own.
It should be familiar and realistic.
♪ ♪
With theatrical mise en scene
we are presented with exaggerated worlds
unintended to be normal.
Think of Tim Burton's expressionist mise en scene.
♪ ♪
The exaggerated sets.
Costumes.
"- Oh my."
Or 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 scene
is any less considered or effective.
♪ ♪
So whether you're dealing with a grounded domestic drama.
Or a hyper-stylized fantasy film.
The mise en scene should align with those visions.
So what does it look like when it all comes together?
Let's do an exercise.
"The Shining" is bursting at the scenes with fascinating mise en scene.
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 scene in mind
pay attention to how they are used
and what they convey.
"- Mom?"
Starting with production design,
we first see props and set design
namely the toy vehicles
and the carpet.
As the camera zooms out,
the carpet is revealed with a striking and intense design.
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 scene.
We hear two things,
Danny's vocalization as he plays with his toys
and ominous swelling from the musical score.
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.
Danny is shot in 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.
"- Mom?"
Someone or something
is watching Danny.
Even if you don't know what comes before or after this moment
the mise en scene 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 scene.
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 look at the role color plays in mise en scene.
And in the work of Stanley Kubrick.
We've only scratched the surface of mise en scene.
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.
浏览更多相关视频
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)