What is Mise en Scene — How Directors Like Kubrick Master the Elements of Visual Storytelling

[Music] when we see directors on set what are they often doing pointing looking through the viewfinder or making this hand gesture why because the director's job actually begins long before this moment okay here we go in fact a rolling camera is the final step in designing arranging and framing each shot it is the last piece in a puzzle called misonser what's your name san isn't just a fancy theoretical concept it is the essence of filmmaking and something every director does whether they realize it or not this is what is misonsen if you haven't yet subscribed or enabled notifications you might just miss out on the big picture let's get started [Music] translated from french misonsen means placing on stage a theater term for the process of deciding what to include in the scene and where it should go on the stage one of the biggest champions of mizonsan was french film critic andre bazan bazan divided filmmaking into two basic approaches mizonsan and montage montage filmmakers create meaning from the combination and juxtaposition of multiple images [Music] while mizon sand filmmakers concentrate on storytelling in a single image [Music] if i want i can go to court a father has a right to consider this infamous shot from citizen kane that property is just as much my property as anybody's now that it's valuable the wide angle and deep focus allows us to see each character and their performance the blocking staging and composition shows us who has power and who does not signing my boy away at any bankers i want you to stop all this nonsense and the uninterrupted take allows us to interpret all of these dynamics ourselves at our own pace without editing traditional definitions of mizonsan are limited to everything we can see but sound design [Music] and music can also be crucial pieces to the overall mison sand okay i'm confused this can be a tricky concept to understand so here's an analogy misonsan can easily be understood as a math problem instead of two plus two equals four it's these elements equals one shot each with their own part to play in the overall meaning of a shot does this mean that everything we see is part of the miz on sand yes everything so now let's put them to practice there are two basic traditions in miss onsen naturalistic and theatrical with naturalistic mizonsan the world in the film is meant to match our own it should be familiar and realistic [Applause] with theatrical mizonsan we are presented with exaggerated worlds unintended to be normal think of tim burton's expressionist mizonsan the exaggerated sets [Music] costumes props these elements draw our attention because of their uniqueness and strangeness but that doesn't mean a filmmaker like david fincher's miz onsan is any less considered or effective so whether you're dealing with a grounded domestic drama [Music] or a hyper stylized fantasy film the mizon sand should align with those visions so what does it look like when it all comes together [Music] let's do an exercise the shining is bursting at the seams with fascinating miz onsen [Music] if you haven't seen it it's about the torrance family who move into the empty overlook hotel as caretakers for the winter oh and it's a horror movie here's johnny and this shot is one of the most unsettling in the entire film we've imported this scene into studio binder to see how stanley kubrick turned this one sentence into one of the most unsettling shots of the entire film with all the elements of misonsen in mind pay attention to how they are used and what they convey [Music] [Music] starting with production design we first see props and set design namely the toy vehicles and the carpet [Music] as the camera zooms out the carpet is revealed with a striking and intense design [Music] this theme of mazes that runs throughout the shining is once again used to make dany seem trapped and surrounded the sound design and soundtrack also bring contrast to the mizonsan [Music] we hear two things dany's vocalization as he plays with his toys and ominous swelling from the musical score [Music] how about the cinematography the lighting is high key and even nothing menacing there until you remember that this is a horror film where we expect shadows and darkness [Music] dany is shot in a high angle and center-framed with deep depth of field and a slow zoom out finally the cherry on top of this shot is the blocking danny is seated innocently playing when a new prop is introduced all of this adds up to making him appear isolated and vulnerable something is terribly wrong someone or some thing is watching dany even if you don't know what comes before or after this moment [Music] the mizon san in this one shot is full of visual storytelling it is designed in every way to be unsettling so here's a challenge on your next project take a single frame and consider the entire miz onsan what do you see think of the perfect shot for that moment and how each of these elements will contribute this can be a daunting task to begin how to start that's why preparation is so important like breaking down a script into its elements generating storyboards to bring them all together and sharing your vision with department heads studio binder is designed for this type of preparation next time we look at the role color plays in misonsan and in the work of stanley kubrick we've only scratched the surface of ms onsen if you're ready to explore the big picture all you have to do is subscribe and click the bell see you in the next one you

Channel: StudioBinder

Views: 473,269

Keywords: script, what is mise en scene, mise-en-scene, mise en scene elements, mise en scene examples, mise en scene in film, mise en scene meaning, mise en scene analysis, mise en scene explained, what is, visual storytelling, film studies, film analysis, media studies, film music, cinematic lighting, wardrobe, depth of field, props, frame rate, focal length, color in film, production design, blocking, staging, film lighting, crash course, directing, directing a movie, film directing

Id: 3euNFd7-TCg

Length: 10min 13sec (613 seconds)

Published: Mon Sep 14 2020

Reddit Comments

[u/highwater]

This will be handy for all the folks who jump on here (and /r/filmmakers) shrieking "WHAT IS MISE-EN-SCENE??", clearly right before they have a quiz coming up in Language Of Film 101.

[u/MarineHulk]

I learned this from reading a couple books about film. Do filmmakers actually care about these terms? I’ve never heard any filmmakers use it, only pretentious film majors.

[u/mrdevil413]

Hey film school would come in handy here !! I know this. Totally fucking useless degree on set though.

[u/studiobinder]

What is mise-en-scène? If you went to film school, or even casually studied film theory, you’ve heard this term many times. But what does it mean and why is it so important? In this video essay, you’ll learn everything you need to know about mise-en-scène — from its origins in theater, how film theorists like Andre Bazin championed it, and how filmmakers like Stanley Kubrick applied it to his work.