Learning about mise-en-scène

During our first few Media Studies lessons, my classmates and I had been introduced to mise-en-scène. Mise-en-scène, being everything that an audience can see on screen, includes production design, lighting, as well colour design in film. 

In mise-en-scène, it is vital to understand colour theory, which consists of three colour types: primary, secondary and tertiary. The primary type of colours consist of red, yellow and blue. The secondary type of colours consist of green, orange, as well as purple. And lastly, the tertiary colours are a mix of primary and secondary ones. 

It is said that colours opposite of each other are complimentary, while colours next to each other are analogous. However, I learnt - through time and developing skills in drafting my own mise-en-scène - that this does not mean that we cannot use analogous colours in a shot which aren't complimentary to each other. 

Furthermore, a colour scheme in media is extremely important since it is able to convey the mood and atmosphere of a certain media form. 

Some examples of very contrasting colour schemes -

Additionally, composition - the arrangement of visual elements to convey an intended message - is another aspect of mise-en-scène. It creates a relationship between our subjects and their surroundings.

The rule of thirds allows us to divide scenes into thirds (2 horizontal and 2 vertical lines - 9 parts with 4 intersections). It is usually stated to position important elements at the intersection points. This is done in order to create a natural image that will be appealing to the audience - something that I want to include in my final foundation portfolio. Moreover, any horizons should be positioned either at the top or the bottom of the horizontal line. 

And lastly, while using the rule of thirds is important, I learned that you can also break such a rule. This is done specifically to convey a sense of uneasiness and could create either tension or a sort of comedic relief (depending on the situation) in film.

Some examples of compositions using the rule of thirds and breaking it -