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TRANSCRIPT
Session Aims
By the end of the session you will be able to:
• Understand the concept of ‘Mise en scene’
• Apply the concept to a film extract
Definition: Mise En Scene
• A French term meaning what is put into a scene or frame
• Visual information in front of the camera
• Communicates essential information to the audience
• Made up of 3 key elements
Settings
• Settings & Locations play an important part in film-making and are not just ‘backgrounds’
• Sets are either built from scratch or a great deal of time is spent to find a setting which already exist.
• Settings can manipulate an audience by building certain expectations
• Props help us to work out characters – their roles, attitudes etc and need to fit in with the Location (esp time period)
Props
• A prop is classified as any object that is in a scene that a character could use (ie not just part of the scenery
• The type of prop can tell us a lot about a character and their personality. How the prop is used can also tell the audience a lot
• Look at the colour, material, shape and use of the prop to help understand what the director is trying to say
Costume, Hair & Make Up
• Costume, Hair & Make Up act as an instant indicator to us of a character’s personality, status & job
• It tells us immediately whether the film is set in the
present and what society/or culture it will centre around
• Certain costumes can signify certain individuals (i.e. black cloak of a vampire, Spidey’s Spiderman suit)
The Three Races
• Hobbits and The Shire
• Ocrs, Goblins, Uruk Hai and Isengard
• Elves and Rivendell
• What do the locations, costumes and props associated with these races tell us about them, their personalities, attitudes to the world etc.
Questions to ask - Setting
• What do the buildings look like?
• What are they made out of?
• How do the building fit into the landscape?
• What colours are dominant?
• What shapes dominant – are things curved. Straight, rough, sharp, soft etc?
• Are the buildings decorated, if so how?
• Have certain building be structured or arrange to highlight different character or features?
Questions to Ask - Costume • What colours are the costumes? • What types of fabrics are they made out of? • How are they tailored? • How are the costumes decorated? • How do the costumes reflect the movement of
the characters • How much are they wearing? • What lines do the costumes make – flowing lines,
straight lines, sharp lines etc • Have costumes been used to make some
characters stand out from other, or make them all look united?
Questions to Ask - Props
• What props do they have?
• What are the props made out of?
• How might the props have been made?
• What shapes dominant – are things curved, straight, rough, sharp, soft, highly decorated etc?
• How are the props used?
• What colours dominant?
• What is the function/purpose of the props?
Summary Task
• Choose two of the ‘societies’ looked at today (Hobbits/Elves/Baddies) and explain what their society is like and how is this communicated through the use of setting, props and costume. – What is their society like, what is important to
them
– What is their life like
– What is their attitude to the world/each other/ other societies
– Age of society
– What do they value/not value etc