Mise En Scene

The elements to consider in Mise En Scene are:

• setting + props
• costume, hair + makeup
• facial expressions + body language 
• lighting + colour
• positioning of characters + objects within a frame 

Image that we interpreted 

In the lesson, we were given an image of a war scene from the film 'saving private ryan' and interpreted it.

• Men dressed in army uniform - setting of a war scene
• The man in the centre appears to be the captain, as he is upfront and the other men are surrounding him in the background.
• He is wearing a helmet, this could signify control and being in charge.
• I think a low-angle shot was used, which gives the image and the people power over the audience.
• The body language perhaps suggests that they have accomplished a mission and are walking away.
• The guns in the image connote a negative theme such as violence; however it could be a form of protection. 
• The ground appeared demolished as the area was full of rubble.
• The time period appears to be old fashioned, due to the shape of the houses in the background.

Setting:

In films, we often see shots of places without any action taking place. Filmmakers can choose to build a setting using the bare walls and floor of a studio set; alternatively a great deal of time and effort is put in by the location manager in the initial stages of making a film to find a setting which already exists. personally, sometimes you can tell when a fake set has been used e.g. when a car is driving and outside the windows you can't really see any image as the footage is usually repeated to look like your moving in motion. However, nowadays the technology is much more advanced and a setting has been created can look very realistic.

Props:

• Props can signify the time period e.g. a typewriter would display a old fashioned time period.
• Status of the character e.g. cars, jewels, expresses the character's wealth.

Incongruous: Something that does not fit in with the scene.