#9 - Mise-en-Scene!

Welcome back to my blog! Time for a learning recap!

Today,  I'm putting down the camera to talk about a new concept I learned: mise-en-scene. "What's mise-en-scene?", you may ask. Well, simply put, mise-en-scene is the setting of the scene. It's all the elements of the scene and how they are arranged. This includes set design, location, costumes, make-up, props, lighting, color design, and blocking. The mise-en-scene helps the audience suspend belief and immerse themselves into the scene/story.

I think mise-en-scene can be best understood when actually talking about a scene. Take a look at this scene of a coffee shop as an example.

Now, let's dissect it!

First, location. The scene is staged like a real coffee shop. There's a shop logo on the wall, a full menu with real drinks on the wall, an area for ordering goods, and other decorations. There's even coffee shop workers manning registers. The audience can believe that this is a legitimate coffee shop (even if we know this is just a set at a studio).

Next up, costumes, make-up, and props. The two actors in the scene are wearing casual company apparel. The make-up they are wearing, if they are wearing any at all, is very natural. The actors are also using registers as props. The audience can believe these are regular people working at a coffee shop, taking customers' orders and making drinks.

Lastly, lighting and blocking. The scene is dimly lit, and has the same lighting as many real cafes and coffeeshops. Also, the blocking s extremely similar to how actual coffeeshop employees stand and interact with each other.

All in all, the mise-en-scene in the scene helps immerse the audience into the coffee shop and any actions taking place in it. That's the magic of mise-en-scene - helping you believe that the fake is indeed real. There's much more that can be analyzed through this scene, so give it a try! What parts of the scene stand out to you as mise-en-scene? Comment down below!

Thanks for reading and see you next time!

References

Top graphic created in Canva

Second graphic sourced from Canva