Re: what is mise-en-scene

From: "Roger Almendarez" <[email protected]>

Hey Mike,

Interesting question. I have always considered "mise-en-scene" to refer to
everything "on screen." While cinematography refers to camera movement and,
arguably, framing, I define "mise-en-scene" as what I see on the screen,
which includes the placement of the objects in the "pre-filmic" moment and
the arrangement of colors and shadows. My definition comes from my viewing
of the image as a 2D-object and avoiding the impulse to see into a film as
a 2d representation of a "real" 3d space. To understand the
"mise-en-scene," I abstract the image to exist as colors, shapes, and
shadows where I analyze the arrangement of negative to non-negative space.
That is not to say that I don't also analyze the "mise-en-scene" of an
image in terms of its signs via recognizable objects (e.g., a skull on a
desk). "Mise-en-scene," then, has at least two levels within which to
approach it: the abstract image and its more representational capacity as a
container of signs.

Best,
Roger

--
Roger F. Almendarez
PhD Candidate
Screen Cultures, Northwestern University

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