Mise en scène

The ‘theory’ of mise en scèneMise en scène is the starting point for analysis of ‘film as film’ (the title of a ‘classic’ introduction to film analysis, Perkins 1993) as distinct from film in its social context. First used by critics in Les Cahiers du Cinéma, an influential French film journal, in the 1950s, mise en scène focuses on what can be seen in the picture. Clearly what can be seen (unless we are dealing with computer generated imagery) must exist before it can be filmed; this is the pro-filmic event. Usually this event will consist of actors performing in a setting; the point of view from which audiences see this is wholly determined by the position of the camera. The film’s director usually decides where the camera is positioned.
For some critics this pro-filmic event defines mise en scène. For example, in the first edition of another classic text, Film Art (1979), David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson state that mise en scène consists of setting, lighting, costume and figure expression and movement (that is behaviour and movement in the scene); they consider camera placement (framing) in a separate chapter. Bruce Kawin’s definition (1992), however, also includes:
choice of filmstock (black-and-white or color, fine-grain or grainy) . . . aspect ratio (the proportion of the screen) . . . framing (how much of the set or cast will be shown at a time) . . . camera placement and movement, and . . . sound environment. (Kawin, 1992, p. 98)
Kawin is unusual in including sound; however, there seems little point in divorcing sound produced in the narrative world from what’s producing it. This is a question of definition and it matters little, when analysing film, whether you consider camera positioning and/or sound as part of mise en scène or not as long as you do consider all the elements. I prefer Kawin’s inclusion of camera placement because the position can transform the way audiences see the pro-filmic event and will include sound in the following as most films we deal with are not silent.
Whilst camera movement also changes the way we see the pro-filmic space, it draws attention to itself and so attention is split between what is ‘in the picture’ and how the camera is transforming what we see. Filmstock, too, can alter the look of the scene; however, it is exterior to it. Therefore we shall consider movement and filmstock separately from mise en scène.
So for our purposes mise en scène consists of:
• Production Design: sets, props and costumes• Colour (present in both production design and lighting)• Lighting• Actors’ performance (including casting and make up) and movement (blocking)• Framing including position; depth of field; aspect ratio; height and angle (but not movement)• Diegetic sound (that is, sound that emanates from the scene and is not extraneous to it, such as the music that is not being played within the scene or a voice-over)