Research into Mise-En-Scene - Miss Georgiou

What is Mise-en-Scene?

Mise-en-Scene is a french term meaning 'placing on stage' and is the arrangement of everything that appears in a frame in a film or play. Mise-en-Scene consists of five main elements which are; Setting & Iconography, Costume, Hair & Makeup, Facial Expressions & Body Language, Lighting & Colour and Positioning of characters/objects within the frame. The setting  & location is a significant factor within a scene and isn't just a background. Sets are usually built from scratch or a considerable amount of time is spent looking for a suitable setting that already exists. Settings can manipulate an audience by building certain expectations and then taking a different turn. Costume, Hair and Makeup indicate to the audience straight away of the portrayal of a character's status, personality and profession. They can also be a clear sign of the era a film is set in whether it will be set in the present or in the future as well as the society or culture the film may be based around. Facial expressions clearly present us with an idea of how a character is feeling, for example if someone is smiling, we can assume that they are happy but we may think differently if this is accompanied with mysterious music. Body language may also indicate how a character feels towards another character and reflect the state of their relationship. Positioning of characters within a frame can cause the audience to focus upon a particular character or object. This can be used by film makers to indicate relationships between characters. Colour carries two meanings in Mise-en-Scene; denotation; the first meaning and connotation; the implied meaning. They can be used for dramatic effect or to reflect the mood of a scene There are many different lighting styles, these include; Low key which is created by using only the key and back lights, produces sharp contrasts of light and dark areas and also creates deep, distinct shadows/silhouettes, High key in which more filler lights are used, the lighting is natural and appears realistic to the eye and produces brightly lit sets such as a sunny day. There are 3 main lights within a scene; the Key light which is the brightest light source positioned directly in front of the camera, back light which comes from outside positioned behind the actor and filler lights which are the smallest lights that get rid of any sharp contrast. It can be used to place emphasis on certain characters and objects as well as reflecting a character's mental state or emotions. For example, bright colours signify happiness whereas dark colours connote that that character may be disturbed in some way.  Each aspect of Mise-en-Scene has  hidden meanings within a film and sends signals to the audience about how we are supposed to feel at a certain point.


The thriller sequence I decided to analyse was from The Exorcist where the Father allows Regan to pass the demon into his body.

Costume was a key element of Mise-en-Scene used in this clip. The Priest and Father are both wearing their religious robes while Regan wearing her nightgown. The robes give both the Priest and the Father a sense of authority as their costumes are carefully thought out relating to the nature of their profession. However, Regan's nightgown suggests an idea of purity and innocence due to the simplicity of it and the colour of it being white, this costume also reminds the audience that this character is just a child caught up in an unnatural cause of events. This is conventional to the thriller genre as it creates an air of suspense and leaves the audience wondering if the Priest and Father are able to help Regan or if the demon is too strong even for their ability. Having the scary unknown presence of a demon also adds to the tension as the audience are enticed to watch on in order to find out if the demon is ever defeated.

Another element of Mise-en-Scene identified within the clip analysed was Setting & Iconography. The scene is set in Regan's bedroom and the iconography is the use of the restraints tied to Regan's arms intended to stop her from harming anyone. The setting provides a realistic feel to the scene causing the audience to be on edge as the realism causes them to realise that this situation could happen to anyone. This is conventional as it creates suspense because a setting so normal holds so much danger. The restraints on Regan highlights how dangerous she is to herself and others and also connotes that she could be capable of doing anything. Again, this is conventional as it builds the tension as the audience wonder what she could do if she wasn't tied to the bed.

Another element of Mise-en-Scene used within this sequence was facial expressions which was shown when the Father is hesitantly approaching Regan's bedroom looking very scared and anxious. This highlights the power of the demon due to a fully grown adult being terrified to deal with it creating tension as the audience are unaware of the events about to unfold beyond the bedroom door. This is conventional for a thriller film as it builds tension and keeps the audience engaged wanting to watch on to see what happens next. It creates suspense as we see the protagonist being afraid, it makes the audience feel as though they should be worried as well of what is about to take place.

Colour is also a significant element of Mise-en-Scene evident within this scene. Dark and mysterious colours (white and blue) are the overriding colours used which are also cold colours. There is a blue tint to the scene which connotes an idea of coldness showing that the Father may be out of his own comfort zone with dealing with a demon of this nature. It may be hard for him to go against the antagonist (Demon) which creates suspense as the audience don't know who will overcome the other. This mirrors the mood of the scene as the demon passes through another body and claims the soul of another. This creates tension as the audience are waiting for something to happen. This is conventional as, again, it builds suspense, the cold colours highlight the nature of the scene as demons suck the life out of a room.

Furthermore, another element of Mise-en-Scene used in the clip was body language. This was within the scene where Regan was being attacked by the Father for killing the Priest. As he is continuously punching and shaking her, the Father's body language evokes a feeling of anger toward Regan due to her killing his colleague and sitting there laughing while he was making a failed attempt to resuscitate him. This also connotes that he is fed up of the demon possessing her and it all comes to a head where it results to violence and Regan being hurt. This creates sympathy within the audience as they feel sorry for Regan being viciously attacked as they know that it isn't her fault that the demon is making her behave in this way. However, this isn't conventional to the thriller genre as the villain, in this case the demon, is usually always more powerful but this scene shows otherwise, the Father has a sense of power over Regan and the demon and it looks as though it may be defeated.

Positioning of characters is also a key element of Mise-en-Scene used within the Exorcist clip. This is shown when the Father is on top of Regan as he punches and strangles her. The Father represents innocence and integrity as he is part of the Church, because he's on top of the girl this demonstrates that good will always overcome evil. Evil is represented by the little girl being possessed showing that she is becoming corrupt and behaving in an erratic manner, the demon's ability to overcome a little girl, a girl who's conventionally shown as being innocent shows the power of the antagonist and how the protagonist will have to work harder to defeat it. This is supported by the images of the Father attacking Regan displaying his fight to defeat the evil presence. This technique creates a power shift as the Father is now above Regan and consequently, the demon, and this gives him power over her and shows the audience that the demon doesn't phase him, he just wants to stop all of this once and for all. This is conventional as in thrillers, the villain (demon) is always defeated and the problem resolved in the end. This scene, the way that good and bad are grappling, evokes a sense of surprise as the audience wouldn't expect the Father to go as far as to physically attack the possessed girl but is justified by his desperation to end the suffering felt by Regan as the demon slowly eats away at her.

An element of Mise-en-Scene I identified within the clip analysed was a use of low key lighting which was shown when the Father is demanding that the demon possesses his body instead of letting Regan suffer. This builds tension as the demon has now moved into another body therefore prolonging the action causing the audience to wonder if the demon will ever disappear completely. This is conventional as this type of lighting casts shadows on the right side of the Father's face capturing the exact moment that the demon possesses him which, although we can see half his face that isn't in the shadow represents how a part of his soul is still present, the darker side shows that the demon is slowly taking over his body and the fact that he has been attacking a child supports this as he is becoming more corrupt as he is attacking what can be seen as innocence. This keeps the audience engaged in what they are watching and make them want to watch on to see what will happen to the Father now that he is possessed. It creates shock within the audience as we don't expect someone of such authority to be able to be possessed by the antagonist as his profession should prepare him for these situations.

This research has helped me considerably in deciding which elements to include within my own thriller sequence as I now have a full knowledge of the 5 specific elements that make up Mise-en-Scene and I know that you have to include every element in order to achieve an accurate representation of MES. Within my own sequence, I am going to ensure that I include cold colours to reflect the nature of the genre to keep my audience engaged, low key lighting to cast shadows either on my characters or behind them to portray a sense of innocence and leave them unaware of what is about to happen to them as well to build suspense as well as making sure that the body language and facial expressions are sinister and sharp to show that the character is extremely scared of what is happening and also that they may be unable to get away therefore making the villain seem superior.