Content
Page
Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 2
Midnight in Paris (2011) ........................................................................................................... 3
The Iron Lady (2011) ................................................................................................................ 6
Saving Mr Banks (2013) ........................................................................................................... 9
Moonrise Kingdom (2012) ...................................................................................................... 12
Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 15
References ............................................................................................................................... 16
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Introduction
Films are a great form of entertainment. The different genres and styles demonstrated
by hundreds of directors enables the audience to find their favorite type of movie to watch from
a selection of thousands. However, some movies gain better reviews and rake in millions of
dollars from their debuts in theatres as they have a je ne sais quoi element to them.
One of the most crucial elements incorporated in a film are the mise-en-scène that make
the visual compelling to the audience. The word is borrowed from a French theatrical
expression, which roughly means “put into the scene”. It is used to describe the people and/or
props in the frame and the way it is portrayed and arranged (Mise-en-scene, n.d.).
Although the audience is rarely conscious of it, mise-en-scène is both an influential and
vital cinematic technique in filming a movie. It plays a big role in making or breaking a film.
Mise-en-scène allows the director to guide the audience’s attention to what is needed to be seen
in the shot. This is to ensure that significant details are not to be missed and minor details are
not focused on.
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Midnight in Paris (2011)
Directed by Woody Allen
Time stamp: 1 hour 30 minutes 12 seconds
The scene chosen is from the ending of the film. Gil, the main character in the film, breaks
up with his fiancée, Inez, after she admits to having an affair with her friend, Paul. She tries
not to make a big deal out of the issue and tells him that they can fix their relationship once
they get back to California. Gil, however, is hurt and he breaks up with Inez. He decides to
move to Paris. On his midnight stroll, he unexpectedly bumps into the vinyl shop keeper,
Gabrielle, and offers to walk her home in the rain (IMDb, n.d.). In this scene, a few elements
of mise-en-scène was observed which were the use of lighting, camera shot, camera angle,
camera movement, subsidiary contrast and staging positions.
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1) Lighting
Low key lighting is used in the excerpt. The scene is solely relying on the illumination
of the streets lamps to light up the path. The soft edges and shadows in the setting create
a dim and romantic atmosphere to the scene.
2) Camera shots
The scene is taken from a long shot as the full figures of Gil and Gabrielle are seen.
This type of shot is effective as the glimpse of the dim street lamps show that the
location is set in Paris, France.
3) Camera angle
The scene is shot on eye-level. It shows the clearest view of the characters. It indicates
a sense of normality and usualness. The feel of romance and the beautiful setting makes
up for the ordinary shot.
4) Camera movement
The camera movement in the scene is stationary. Although it is seen panning a fraction
to the right, it remains in a single spot as the audience watches both characters walk
away. It gives an impression of both Gil and Gabrielle leaving the location to find their
happily ever after.
5) Subsidiary contrast
The main subsidiary contrast in this shot is the street lamps. After the characters walk
further away, the main object that calls for attention to the shot are the grand street
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lamps. Although the main focus is not on the lamps, the shot creates a sense of wonder
and romance to the audience as it highlights one of the city’s best features. It may even
persuade the audience to travel to Paris to see it for themselves.
6) Staging positions
The positions of Gil and Gabrielle, as seen in the shot, show that they have they backs
turned towards the camera. This act suggests that the characters are departing from the
scene to go on with their lives. Furthermore, it suggests that the characters are moving
on to find their happily ever after. The audience is left with a sense of concealment or
mystery of their future.
The excerpt was one of the examples of outstanding shots taken in the movie. It ends
on a light note as the audience sees the hero finally getting the happily ever after that he
deserves. The storyline was simple. However, the elements of mise-en-scène and the music
used in the film made it outstanding. Furthermore, the film was able to highlight Paris’ beauty
in every shot, making the audience yearn to explore the city of love.
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The Iron Lady (2011)
Directed by Phyllida Lloyd
Time stamp: 32 minutes 40 seconds
This scene summarizes the Thatcher’s struggle throughout her career. Thatcher is seen
walking through a crowd of men as she tries to make her way to the front of the room. It
symbolizes her struggle to make a name for herself as the only woman politician in a man’s
world. She had to work harder and prove herself worthy of the cabinet seat, compared to the
other men who were competing against her. In this scene, elements of mise-en-scène that were
detected were dominant, camera angle, camera movement, character placement, colour value,
and lighting.
1) Dominant
The dominant in the shot is Thatcher’s character. Although her size remains the same
with the men around her, she is the focal point in the scene. In the whole shot we see
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the crowd wearing the same shade of colour in their formal attire. However, Thatcher
attracts the audience focus by wearing a blue suit.
2) Camera angle
Throughout the film, many unique shots were taken to show Thatcher’s struggle in the
parliament. In particular, this shot is interesting as it has taken a peculiar camera angle
to portray the message. In this scene, a bird’s eye view is used to show the busy
conditions in the parliament house. Photographed from above, it gives the audience an
impression of the people in the scene competing with each other to get the place first.
It is a great shot to show the chaos taking place in the venue.
3) Camera movement
In this scene, it was important that the camera stayed stationary. As the shot was filled
with many people, their movement towards the left was enough to indicate that they
were progressing forward. The lack of camera movement was made up by the motion
of the crowd in the scene itself.
4) Character placement
Thatcher is seen moving through the centre of the crowd of men. It indicates that she is
the centre of attention in the shot and film. It also shows that she is soon going to be the
ruler of the country as she stands out from the rest.
5) Colour value
The use of colours in this scene is extremely symbolic to the scene. The scene is set in
the parliament. The men standing around Thatcher are wearing greys and blacks as they
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are required to wear suit. On the other hand, Thatcher is wearing a vibrant blue suit in
the scene. She is not only a contrasting the men in the shot, but she will metaphorically
add a dash of “colour” and a woman’s touch to the country’s politics and growth as a
country.
6) Lighting
The lighting key in this shot is moderate. The lighting in the shot is not too bright, but
there aren’t a lot of shadows either. Plus, there isn’t a great contrast between lights and
darks in the shot. This sort of lighting fits the genre as it creates a slight melancholic
overcast to reflect Thatcher’s hardship in the beginning of her career.
In conclusion, the cinematography in this movie was able to capture the most crucial
moments in Thatcher’s life in an interesting way. Like the excerpt shown above, many scenes
were taken in a unique way to show that Thatcher had to compete with men to be the leader of
a country. The elements of mise-en-scène portrayed in the film were able to show it in great
detail.
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Saving Mr. Banks (2013)
Directed by John Lee Hancock
Time stamp: 9 minutes 56 seconds
The excerpt from the film happens in Australia, 1906. It is one of the many flashbacks
Pamela "P.L." Travers has throughout the film. In this flashback, her younger self, also known
as Ginty, is moving away from her home. In the previous scene, they are all seen holding
suitcases as they bid farewell to the staff that used to take care of their house. They then walk
on foot through town to get to the train station. Her father, Travers, turns it into a game but his
wife is heartbroken. They finally take the train to its very last stop in the line, Allora, a rundown
city (Sypnosis for Saving Mr Banks , n.d.). Ginty’s expression to the move is seen in this shot
of the film. In this scene, elements of mise-en-scène that were detected were dominant, camera
shot, camera angle, camera movement, lens and staging position.
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1) Dominant
In this shot, the dominant focal point is Ginty. She is positioned in the centre of the
shot. The audience is able to read her facial expression and emotions clearly through
this single shot.
2) Camera shot
The camera shot used for this scene is a medium close up shot. The shot captures the
character, from the chest and above. The background is hardly noticeable in this shot
as Ginty is the centre of focus. It is an effective camera shot as it gets a better look at
the character’s facial expression.
3) Camera angle
The excerpt demonstrates an eye-level shot. The camera is parallel to Ginty’s face. It
captures her face clearly as there is a short distance between the character and the
camera. The angle is a normal shot and is seldom able to create a dramatic feel to the
film but the emotions of the character makes up for it.
4) Camera movement
In this scene, the camera is remains stationary as the train moves forward. This creates
an impression of her leaving “us” behind as she moves on to live her life in a new town.
The camera then tilts up to the clouds after the train moves forward. The movement
leaves the audience wondering about where Ginty will be moving to.
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5) Lens
From the shot, it is observed that the lens is not wide-angle because there isn’t a great
sense of depth to the shot. There is a probability of the lens being long but not
necessarily a telephoto lens because the depth isn’t inordinately compressed.
6) Staging position
Ginty’s character in the shot denotes one of the most common staging positions. She is
seen facing the camera, demonstrating a full-front position. It is a position that shows
most intimacy and emotion to the audience as we are able to decipher the characters
thoughts, emotions and facial expression. As the character is looking at the audience’s
direction, it implies that the character wants the audience to feel her emotions and
understand her current state of being.
The excerpt was one of many scenes in the film that were able to portray Pamela’s
emotions excellently. For biopic films, it is crucial for the camera shots to be able to capture
the characters facial expression. It helps the audience connect and relate to the feelings of the
character shown in the movie. With the proper use of mise-en-scène, the message of the director
intended to the audience was received well.
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Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
Directed by Wes Anderson
Time stamp: 21 minutes 4 seconds
The scene chosen from the film is significant as it marks the start of twelve-year-olds Sam
and Suzy’s escapade from their scout’s camp and home respectively. After meeting each other
at a church play, the two love birds stayed connected for months through snail mail. They had
planned to runaway together and agreed to meet at the barren land near Suzy’s house. In this
scene, a few elements of mise-en-scène was observed which were the use of props, camera
shots, dominant, staging position, character proxemics and costume and makeup.
1) Props
The objects that are brought by the characters imply that they will be going away for a
long time. Suzy is seen with her luggage beside her as she carries other belongings with
her left hand. Sam is seen carrying a backpack and a water canteen, implying that he is
able to adapt and survive in the wild. Moreover, the use of the map shows that the two
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characters are unexperienced to the idea of travelling. They need to rely on the map to
help them get to places. Plus, the flowers given by Sam to Suzy symbolizes young love
of the couple.
2) Camera shots
The excerpt from the film is a long shot. It shows the full figures of both characters,
without showing much of the surrounding. The shot gives the audience an idea of Sam
and Suzy’s is about to leave town (Moura, 2014).
3) The Dominant
In the scene, the first focal point is Suzy. By having an empty field as a background,
the audience immediately pays attention to the pink dress that she is wearing. The
colour of her dress sets a contrast between the yellow background and Sam’s outfit. In
addition, her size attracts the attention of the audience as she is one of the largest objects
in the shot.
4) Staging positions
The positions of both Sam and Suzy in the shot shows them having a conversation while
standing in a quarter turn position. It indicates a high degree of intimacy between both
characters. However, the shot offers less emotional involvement as they are facing each
other. It signifies both characters being so focused on each other that they forget about
the world that is around them.
5) Character proxemics
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The distance in the shot shows that the two characters are intimate as they have very little
space between them. It indicates love, intimacy and comfort between Sam and Suzy’s
characters.
6) Costume and makeup
The items of clothing for each character symbolizes their personality. For instance,
Suzy is seen wearing a pink dress and has blue eyeshadow applied on her eyelids. Her
yellow suitcase is placed in front of her. These bright colours indicate that Suzy lives a
vibrant life filled with art, music and books. The makeup worn shows that she is a young
woman who is experimenting with her look. On the other hand, Sam is seen wearing a
boy scouts attire, carrying a backpack and holding a map. It shows that he is a boy who
is capable of taking care of himself.
The scene is able to create a feeling of excitement and anticipation with the different
colours used. The props further strengthen their roles as it helps give an insight to the
personalities of Sam and Suzy’s characters. All in all, Wes Anderson was able to direct a
wonderful film with well thought of shots. The audience is able to appreciate the suspense
induced storyline along with the aesthetically pleasing shots of the setting.
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Conclusion
By analysing 4 different films, the thirteen elements of mise-en-scène was seen to be
interpreted in various forms. Since all the movies were of different genres, each film had a
specific way of playing with camera angles, camera movements and camera shots to convey
the visual effectively. Other elements such as props, lighting and the staging positions further
stress the impact or meaning behind a scene.
All in all, I was able to learn the different uses and impacts mise-en-scène elements can
have in a scene. It helps the audience experience the film to a greater extent. It can be done by
playing up various technical parts of filming. By doing so, the viewers are able to appreciate
every part of the film, from the storyline to the cinematographic shots.
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References
IMDb. (n.d.). Synopsis for Midnight in Paris. Retrieved from IMDb Web site:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1605783/synopsis?ref_=tt_stry_pl
Mise-en-scene. (n.d.). Retrieved from College Film & Media Studies Web site :
https://collegefilmandmediastudies.com/mise-en-scene-2/
Moura, G. (2014, June 3). SHOT SIZES: Telling What They See. Retrieved from Elements of Cinema
Web site: http://www.elementsofcinema.com/cinematography/framing-shot-sizes/
Synopsis for Saving Mr Banks . (n.d.). Retrieved from IMDb Web site :
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2140373/
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