Lights Camera ACTION! Created by MK

Mise-en-scène Mise-en-scène is also known as staging. It is the overall look and feel of a movie, the sum of what the audience sees, hears, and experiences. In some films, the elements of mise-en-scène is so powerful that They enable the viewer to experience the aura of a place and time. They present not only visual backdrops but “ideas.” Contribute to the interpretation of the film’s meanings. Genre formulas have a powerful influence in mise-en-scène. Mise-en-scène is originally a French theatrical term, meaning “placing on stage.”

Mise-en-scène Contributions to mise-en-scène: Set Design High Key Lighting: often used in romances and comedies. Shows the scene as bright, colorful, and shadowless. Low Key Lighting: often used in dramas and horror films. Employs contrast to highlight and add deep shadows. Costuming Location: Where the scene physically takes place. All of the following contribute to the film’s themes, symbolism, and tone!

Camera Angles These are used extensively to communicate meaning and emotion about characters: Low angle shot: Looking up at a character or object, often to instil fear or awe in the audience

Straight and high angle shots Straight angle shot: Looking at an eye-level angle to a character or object, giving a sense of equality between subject and audience; High angle shot: Looking down on a character, often to show vulnerability or weakness;

Canted or oblique angles Canted or Oblique: The camera is tilted to show the scene at an angle. This is used extensively in the horror and science fiction genre. The audience will often not consciously realize the change. This is most often referred to as a ‘Dutch' angle, or 'going Dutch'.

Shot angles

Proximity Emotion comes directly from the actor's eyes.  You can control the intensity of that emotion by placing the camera close or far away from those eyes.  A close-up will fill the screen with emotion, and pulling away to a wide angle shot will dissipate that emotion.  A sudden cut from wide to close-up will give the audience a sudden surprise.  Sometimes a strange angle above an actor will heighten the dramatic meaning.

Putting it into practice How many camera angles can you spot when watching the Truman Show trailer? Are these effective in setting the mood and tone of the film? Click to view

Sound Sound is used extensively in filmmaking to enhance presentation, and is distinguished into diegetic ("actual sound"), and non-diegetic sound: Diegetic sound: It is any sound where the source is visible on the screen, or is implied to be present by the action of the film: Voices of characters; Sounds made by objects in the story; and Music, represented as coming from instruments in the story space. Music coming from reproduction devices such as record players, radios, tape players etc.

Non-diegetic sound Non-diegetic sound: Also called "commentary sound," it is sound which is represented as coming from a source outside the story space, ie. its source is neither visible on the screen, nor has been implied to be present in the action: Narrator's commentary; Voice of God; Sound effect which is added for dramatic effect; Basic sound effects, e.g. dog barking, car passing; Mood music; and Film Score Non-diegetic sound plays a big role in creating atmosphere and mood within a film.

Sound Effects In motion picture and television production, a sound effect is a sound recorded and presented to make a specific storytelling or creative point, without the use of dialogue or music. The term often refers to a process, applied to a recording, without necessarily referring to the recording itself. In professional motion picture and television production, the segregations between recordings of dialogue, music, and sound effects can be quite distinct, and it is important to understand that in such contexts, dialogue and music recordings are never referred to as sound effects, though the processes applied to them, such as reverberation or flanging, often are.