#2 Mise En Scene

In today's episode, Matthew and Kierston talk about Mise En Scene. Arguably films' most vague term, breaking down what exactly Mise En Scene is, what it encompasses and where it came from is not as easy as it may appear at first glance. Join Matthew and Kierston as they dive, once again,  in the culture, the history and the wonderful world of film. 

Show Notes 

DEFINITION:Mise-en-Scene directly translates to “placed on stage” or “placed in scene”. Essentially, it describes everything placed within the frame of the camera, that creates “the world” of the scene the story is taking place in. Inside the frame, the story takes place, outside of the frame, the rest of the world exists. There is some controversy attached to the term, as it has been considered slightly unclear wether the term is directed at one singular scene, or the look the film as a whole. Some critics call it “films grand undefined term”. But we can break that down a little more

• GENERAL EXAMPLE: Mise-en-scene is, at its most basic, the props, sets, objects, and actors within the frame of the shot. It also encompasses set design, lighting, and to some degree, the sense of space. In the earliest films there were set “decorators” basically doing what “interior decorators” due for homes- but for scenes. 
  
  Why it is used:
  Some films can tell a whole story without using any scenes or set at all- but it is rare. When we tell stories they are usually set inside a world- and that world has to look and feel like rich, full world. What is in that world is Mise-en-scene.