Mise en scene for creative lighting

Recap

• You have 10 minutes to take a low, mid or high key portrait of one other student

• In this time you must set up the camera, flashes, find a suitable location and shoot

• Your portrait must aim to show the persons true character

• Come back and show your portrait to each other. How has your choice of lighting impacted the communication of personality? Rate out of 10

Today

Understand the concept of mise en scene

Apply to two scenarios

Apply to your own draft designs

AS Photography

Introduction to

Mise En Scene

Session Aims

By the end of the session you will be able to:

• Understand the concept of ‘mise en scene’

• Apply the concept to your own shoot plans

The 5 Elements of Mise en Scene

• Settings & Props

• Costume, Hair & Make Up

• Facial Expressions & Body Language

• Lighting & Colour

• Positioning of characters/objects within the frame

Each aspect of mise-en-scene has hidden

meanings and sends signals to the viewer

about how we are supposed to feel

• Settings & Locations play an important part in photography and are not just backgrounds. Props can add meaning or help to tell a story

Herb Ritz

Gregory Crewdson

2. Costume, Hair & Make Up• Costume,

Hair & Make Up act as an instant indicator to us of a character’s personality, status (& job) or they help us link to style and theme

Rankin

William Klien

David Lachappele

Man Ray

4. Positioning of Characters & Objects within a frame

• Positioning within a frame can draw our attention to an important character/object

W Eugune Smith

IMAGE 1

Mario Testino

• Facial expressions and body language link to a characters style, job, position and can really help to tell a story

Rankin

Irving Penn

Edward Weston

5. Lighting & ColourLighting & Colour can be used to achieve a variety of effects

Colour carries certain connotations which may add meaning to a scene (i.e. Red = Danger/Passion)

Black and white carries with it overtones of professionalism, reality and fine art state/hidden emotions (i.e. bright = happy, dark = disturbed, strobe effect = confused

Mario Sorenti

Paolo Roversi

Tim Walker

Types of Lighting

• LOW KEY LIGHTING:

• Created by using only the key & back lights

• Produces sharp contrasts of light and dark areas

• Deep, distinct shadows/silhouettes are formed

Mario Sorenti

Types of Lighting• MIDKEY LIGHTING:

• Created by using only the key & back lights

• Produces sharp contrasts of light and dark areas

• Deep, distinct shadows/silhouettes are formed

Mark Selega

Types of Lighting

• HIGH KEY LIGHTING:

• More filler lights are used. Lighting is natural and realistic to our eyes

• Produces brightly lit sets or a sunny day (right)

Rankin

Task• Sketch (or make collage) out one of the following scenarios

paying close attention and annotating with the mise en scene elements. This needs to be completed and added to your folders AO1 = research/showing knowledge of mise-en scene AO2 = planning of shoots

1. A fashion shoot; Target Audience of 16-25 year olds, male and female, mid to high end designer labels e.g. Diesel, G-Star. Aspirational (audience wants to be like the models/have same lifestyle). Full page advert in Vice or Billboard

2. Editorial; Story about internet use/misuse by young people aimed at their parents. two page spread with text in Sunday newspaper lifestyle section

Homework

• Create a similar set-up based on your current ideas taking into account all appropriate mise en scene

• Come to the next class ready to shoot or ideally book studio time and shoot before. This is development of ideas

•

Summary

• On a post-it list all the elements of mise en scene

• Pass to a partner for checking. Your partner cant give you the answer and you cant say anything other than 1 or more elements are needed. You can only mime to give clues!

• You cant leave until you have them all