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

A Quick Guide to Mise-en-Scène in film ►► 00:00 What is Mise en Scene in film? 01:09 Mise en Scene Meaning & Definition 02:07 Mise en Scene in Citizen Kane 02:48 Mise en Scene Elements 03:50 Naturalistic vs Theatrical Mise-en-Scéne 04:23 Mise en Scene Examples (Theatrical) — Tim Burton 04:57 Mise en Scene Examples (Naturalistic) — David Fincher 05:35 Mise en Scene in The Shining 06:36 Exercise — Can you spot Kubrick’s Mise-en-Scéne? 08:57 Challenge — Consider all Mise-en-Scene elements 09:40 Next Episode of Mise-en-Scene — Color and Kubrick 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. In French, mise-en-scène literally means “placing on stage,” or the process of how theater directors would decide what should go on the stage and how those elements should be arranged. This same concept was easily borrowed by film directors — everything you see on-screen is part of the “mise-en-scéne.” This includes elements that fall under the umbrella term of production design (props, wardrobe, set design, movie props, etc.) as well as cinematography (cinematic lighting, frame rate, depth of field, camera framing, composition). In addition, the blocking and staging of the camera and actors, their performance, and even what we hear on the soundtrack (film music, sound design) counts as mise-en-scéne. In film directing, it is the task of the director to decide how all of these elements will be placed, arranged, and combined in each shot. When you look at the work of filmmakers like Stanley Kubrick, you start to see the method behind each of these elements — even if you can’t fully understand WHY, the overall effect is seen and felt. Visual storytelling is all about using each image to tell the story. When filmmakers are in control of visual storytelling (of mise-en-scene), they can create powerful and layered images that we study in videos like this for decades. #FilmTheory #VideoEssay #Filmmaking — Music by Artlist ► Music by Soundstripe ► Music by MusicBed ► — SUBSCRIBE to StudioBinder’s YouTube channel! ►► Looking for a project management platform for your filmmaking? StudioBinder is an intuitive project management solution for video creatives; create shooting schedules, breakdowns, production calendars, shot lists, storyboards, call sheets and more. Try StudioBinder for FREE today: — Join us on Social Media! — Instagram ►► Facebook ►► Twitter ►► film studies