When it comes to films most people think that the filmmakers just draft up the script, hires some actors, films and edits some scenes, then releases the next number one movie in America to the world (or select theaters near you). In actuality, there are a lot more details that go into film than that. Filmmakers are constantly making decisions in regards to a films narrative and cinematic style and making sure a film comes out as well as it can. One of those decisions fall under cinematic style and is called mise-en-scene. Mise-en-scene has four elements: lighting, costume/makeup, sets/props, and figure expression and movement. The three that will be focused on when analyzing the film Modern Times are costume/makeup, sets/props, and figure expression …show more content…
and movement. Charles Chaplin’s 1936 film Modern Times is a great example of how mise-en-scene and its elements are used to bring forth the comedic aspects of a film. The first example of this involves figure expression and movement. This occurs in the beginning of Chaplin’s film. His character, The Tramp, is working at a factory screwing in nuts on an assembly line. The Tramp is continually letting the line carrying pieces of steel pass him, and as the scene goes on his movements unintentionally postpones the productivity of the other workers on his line before he catches up to the pieces he had missed. At one point during this scene a winged insect has somehow made it inside of the factory and is causing a distraction for him as it buzzes around his face leading to a passerby factory worker hitting him in an attempt to get rid of the pesky bug. The Tramp’s disorientation from being hit in the face distracts him from screwing the nuts onto the steel which in turn stop the other workers from securing the nuts in place leaving them annoyed. During his lunch break the Tramp, though not working still makes these sort of jerking movements as though he were working on the assembly line and the audience can see him slowly start to lose his mind as he attempts to screw nuts on the secretary’s skirt where the buttons are located. Another example of figure expression and movement involves a group of salesmen trying to talk the Tramp’s boss into buying a “modern” feeding machine for all his workers and the Tramp is used as a test subject for this machine. Having been caged into the feeding machine the Tramp’s movement restriction requires him to use his facial expressions to convey how he is feeling throughout the machine’s malfunction. When the salesmen start the feeding machine the Tramp face express his confusion and surprise at the feeding machine’s functions. As the feeding machine begins to malfunction his facial expression into shock as the contraption that is holding an ear of corn rotates at a quick pace sending corn kernels and the Tramp’s mustache in different directions. Equally important as the figure expression and movement are the sets/props of this film mise-en-scene. As the film progresses the Tramp has been released from the hospital after having a nervous breakdown. Soon after his release, he sees a flag fall from the bed of a truck as he picks up the flag or the prop in this scene. The Tramp, waving the flag to try and get the driver’s attention, unknowingly starts to lead a march that fills in behind. This gets him sent to jail for being a communist leader and brings new sets into the film. The audience is introduced to the Tramp’s jail cell, the jail’s hallway, and the jail’s cafeteria. On the set of the cafeteria, we learn that a prisoner has smuggled in some “nose-powder” or cocaine and has put it in a salt shaker to throw off the police. As the prisoner is taken away for questioning the Tramp grabs the prop, the salt shaker, and proceeds to put some on his food, unknowingly ingesting the drug. Causing him to act delirious, which leads to him unintentionally being free from his cell and stopping a gang of convicts from taking over the jail. The Tramp later meets the Gamin, an orphaned girl, and together they both try and find a home to live in, but Tramp gets arrested again after they break into a mall. After being released for a second time, the Tramp reunites with the Gamin and she surprises him with a home. The set on the inside of the home is very run down. As the Tramp walks around his new home he closes the door behind him a little too roughly causing a beam to strike him in the head. As he tries to recover, he leans against the table and the prop collapses, leaving him and a mess on the floor. In an attempt to clean it the Tramp removes the broom, a prop, wedged between the roof and a barrel, which leads to the roof partially falling into the Tramp and Gamin’s home. As the Gamin fixes the roof the Tramp leans on a side door in the home and both he and the prop fall into the water outside of the home. The final mise-en-scene element being focused on is costume/makeup. In the film it is an obvious tell of wealth when the audience observes the costumes of both the Tramp and the Gamin and compares them with the costumes of others. For the Tramp in comparison to his boss the audience gains a clear picture of who has more money. The Tramp, sporting a very mismatched outfit, a tight coat with baggy pants and a small hat with big shoes, tries to give a sense that he is worth a little more than he looks. His boss, however, with a fitted suit and shoes, gives off an air of being a wealthy businessman. After Tramp’s third arrest following the loss of another job the Gamin gets hired dancing at a café and we see a complete change in her costume.
In the beginning of the film the Gamin wore a torn and dirty dress and her makeup incorporated dirt on her face to better get the point across that she was poor and down on her luck as opposed to other people, like the secretary from the start of the film, who have cleaner costumes. Subsequently, her having that job allows here to buy better close and sport cleaner makeup. When the Tramp is released the Gamin gets him a job at the same café in which she works and his costume changes a bit as well. His costume, though not as well-fitted and fancy as the other waiters, was cleaner and slightly more put together. In conclusion, the mise-en-scene and its elements are very important decisions that are needed to make a good film. If a film was lacking figure expression and movement actors would be nothing more than stick people with blank expressions and very limited movement. The sets and props used in films would be boring or generic if no decisions were made regarding it and the same goes for costumes and makeup. Without these elements, without mise-en-scene, Chaplin’s film Modern Times, and every other film would be complete and total dud and little to none of the emotions the film would try to evoke would come
across.
The mise en scenes in this film are unique because it gave viewers the ability to have a sense of how the characters are feeling. For example, low lighting was used throughout the film to express a sense of the unknown and/or fear. Another great example of how mise en scene was used is how human shadows for night shooting were used to increase the feeling of mystery and a threating atmosphere (Awjingyi). And one of the most important examples of mise en scene used in this film is in the last scene where mirrors were used (aka the “funhouse”) to
Elements of mise-en-scene in Wendy and Lucy help to convey aspects of the story that are never explicitly expressed in the narrative of the film. Wendy and Lucy does not present a large amount of background story information, for instance, the scene where Wendy calls her brother may cause some viewers to wonder about their strained relationship and his role in Wendy’s current financial situation. Moreover, Wendy’s financial situation is never truly discussed in the film, only implied, yet the viewer is still aware of it. Facets of mise-en-scene helps to convey the information that fills the gaps left in the story. Kolker defines the concept of mise-en-scene as a way to “explain how images, through composition, camera movement, lighting, focus and colour, generate narrative event and guide our perception through a film” (Kolker 1998, p.17). An essential element of mise-en-scene is setting and sets. Wendy and Lucy is presented in an entirely naturalistic setting. The small town Wendy is passing through gives the fi...
In the early 1900’s Georges Melies introduced his film “A Trip To The Moon” to audiences in France. This film, when first seen by viewers at this time, was jawdropping. Melies who happened to be a magician, and illusionist before becoming a filmmaker, made one of the first-ever narratives in motion picture history. Similarily throughout “Trip To The Moon” and many of his later films, Melies, who also worked in theatre, took full advantage of what is known as Mise-en-scene. Mise-en-scene is defined as: All the elements placed in front of the camera to be photographed: the settings and props, lighting, costumes and make-up, and figure behavior. In “Trip to the Moon” Melies created a world to which no one had ever seen on film, and utilized all the characteristics to which mise-en-scene is based upon.
In The Bride of Frankenstein, there were many mise en scenes that could be easily found. For one thing, there were many religious symbols thrown in all around the movie. There were many crosses, which had been placed inside the houses. There was a good amount of talking about blasphemy and whether creating this monster was good or bad. One of the biggest issues was about how Dr. Frankenstein seemed to play the role of God. He was creating beings and bringing parts of people back to life. Also, in many scenes, they would use unique camera angles to set up a scene in a particular manner so that the audience would know that something was about to happen. For example, when Elizabeth was in her room, the camera showed the window, Elizabeth, and the reflection of the mirror as the monster began to approach her.
Mise-en-scène is a vital function in film which allows us to glean a deeper significance than mere action and dialogue can convey. We react to the signs, symbols, and icons within a film because they are imbedded deeply into our collective subconscious. Our history of visual storytelling predates language and it is a tradition that is innately human and universally recognized, even if the viewer is unaware of the elements of mise-en-scène and the way in which they are constructing the emotional and psychological context of a film’s story.
A style of film making that developed as part of the German expressionism movement during the 1920’s, which produced numerous movies now considered to be classics could be seen to have done so only through the stylings of mise-en-scène. Such films as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari could be seen to convey the benefits in this style of film making; as described by (Phaidon, p.483, 1999) There is no conventional scenery: the sets are painted on canvas, creating an eerie world of distorted perspectives entirely fitting a film who's title character rules over a lunatic asylum.’ This style of film making is still used to this day. One film in particular that features strong aspects of mise-en-scène is The Others, a 2001 feature written and directed
“Creating a master plan for a consistent visual texture or style that is artistically suited to the film story to be told” (Petrie and Boggs 75). This is the main universal goal of all filmmakers. This blueprint for success is the way the films North by Northwest, The Third Man, and The Piano accomplished such astounding and visually beautiful performances. These three films successfully balance the use (or lack of use) of color, lighting, setting, costumes, and makeup to create a film that is harmonious from beginning to end.
Charlie Chaplin created amazing films with his career as a director, screenwriter, actor, producer and musician. City Lights is a story of the tramp who falls in love. He is blown away by the unexpected love affair with the flower girl. He does everything in his power to help her and along the way befriends the millionaire. The story shows the contrasts between the two very different worlds of the rich and the poor. The tramp befriends the damsel in distress millionaire and sparks a friendship where the tramp then sees the lives of both worlds. The mise en scene is a way that shows how different each scene is by the way each character lives their life. Not only in the contrast between the rich and the poor, but also a contrast to happiness verses the unhappy. The mise en scene shows symbols of props that represent how the characters are feeling and what we are suppose to be feeling as we watch what is going on onscreen. Mise en scene is used to tell the story and there are many aspects that come together. The composition, props,
As mentioned above the Yves Saint Laurent film spans most of Yves life, where on the other hand the Saint Laurent film only spans from 1967 to 1976. According to Mise En Scene; French Theater Now (Bradby, Sparks) mise en scene is a massive factor in setting of time. What is put into the scene and how it is placed allows the viewers to form an understanding of when this scene takes place in relation to time, even without telling the viewer exactly what the date is. The Yves Saint Laurent film required a more complex level of mise en scene seeing that it spans from the late 1950s up until 2008, and the mise en scene delivered to its expectations for each and every time period. On the other hand the Saint Laurent film only had a time period of 9 years and while it did deliver to its expectations, it did not go as far as to beat the Yves Saint Laurent film. In addition to Mise En Scene; French Theater Now, The Texture of Genius (Lee) provides direct examples of mise en scene in Saint Laurent. The Texture of Genius goes in depth when it comes to analyzing the artwork by Yves Saint Laurent that is portrayed in the film. Each collection has ties with a certain point in time and the director, Bertrand Bonello, uses this to his advantage to connect the viewers to the time
Cinematography was used in the way the color was shown throughout the film. They gave each emotion a different color so the viewers would need no explanation. An example of sound was also used because of the way Riley talked when giving information about herself to her class. When she was happy her voice was enthusiastic and filled with joy. When her memory was changed her voice dropped down and she started to talk slower. This gives off the effect of a change in the mood of the scene. Lastly, editing makes the story move alone. Without editing, the story may miss key points. If parallel editing did not occur in Inside Out, then we would not understand why Riley’s emotions changed as has as they did. Different parts of Mise-en-scéne such as cinematography, sound, and editing all come together to create a sense of
Mise-en-scene is used in many different parts of the movie to help the viewers feel as if they are a part of what is going on. An example of the use of mise-en-scene and also lighting used throughout the movie is when the characters are inside the matrix. The camera has a slight shade of green on everything during the scene. This could be identified as mise-en-scene. The green lighting is used to inform the viewers that the scene is taking place inside the matrix and it could also be a form of a lighting technique. The computer code is green, also which links it to the matrix. Then it changes to a blue light when they are back in the real world. Another technique of mise-en-scene is used when Neo first enters the matrix. He is in a room that is completely solid white and appears to be never-ending. This technique is used to show that
2. Explain each shot in terms of camera angles, sounds, acting, costume, props, lighting; you should explain the impact of the cinematic devices chosen and used by the director.
techniques such as Camera angles, Lighting and sound. This movie users all of this elements
Suspense is a crucial ingredient in the making of horror and thriller films. The significance of suspense in horror films is to bring out the “twist or unexpected moment of realization that makes someone scream and one's heart race. In the film industry, there are various types of genre, but as different as films may seem, they all have one element that links them all together. That element is known as Mise-en-scene. Mise-en-scene is a French phrase that means “putting into the scene.” Mise-en-scene includes elements such as setting, lighting, costume, and figure movement and expression (acting).
Mise-en-scѐne has a major significance to the overall experience of film itself. Bordwell & Thompsons Film Art: An Introduction (2013), breaks up the significance into four meanings. referential, implicit, symptomatic and explicit, the referential meaning