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(; or "what is put into the scene") is the
stage design Scenic design, also known as stage design or set design, is the creation of scenery for theatrical productions including Play (theatre), plays and Musical theatre, musicals. The term can also be applied to film and television productions, wher ...
and arrangement of actors in scenes for a
theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...
or
film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...
production, both in the
visual arts The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics (art), ceramics, photography, video, image, filmmaking, design, crafts, and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual a ...
through
storyboarding A storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of simple illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of Previsualization, pre-visualizing a film, motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. The ...
, visual themes, and
cinematography Cinematography () is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens (optics), lens to focus reflected light from objects into a real image that is transferred to some image sen ...
and in
narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether non-fictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travel literature, travelogue, etc.) or fictional (fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller ...
-
storytelling Storytelling is the social and cultural activity of sharing narrative, stories, sometimes with improvisation, theatre, theatrics or embellishment. Every culture has its own narratives, which are shared as a means of entertainment, education, cul ...
through directions. The term is also commonly used to refer to single scenes that are representative of a film. has been called
film criticism Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films and the film medium. In general, film criticism can be divided into two categories: Academic criticism by film studies, film scholars, who study the composition of film theory and publish ...
's "grand undefined term". It has been criticized for its focus on the dramatic design aspects rather than the plot itself, as those who utilize tend to look at what is "put before the camera" rather than the story. The use of is significant as it allows the director to convey messages to the viewer through what is placed in the scene, not just the content of the scene. allows the director to not only convey their message but also implement their aesthetic; as such, each director has their own unique . refers to everything in front of the camera, including the
set design Scenic design, also known as stage design or set design, is the creation of scenery for theatrical productions including plays and musicals. The term can also be applied to film and television productions, where it may be referred to as prod ...
, lighting, and actors, and the ultimate way that this influences how the scene comes together for the audience.


Definition in film studies

When applied to the cinema, refers to everything that appears before the
camera A camera is an instrument used to capture and store images and videos, either digitally via an electronic image sensor, or chemically via a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. As a pivotal technology in the fields of photograp ...
—the sets, props, costumes, actors, and even the lighting. These elements help to express a film's vision by generating a sense of time and space, as well as setting a mood. can be used to suggest a character's state of mind, whether that be happy with bright colors, or sad with darker colors. also includes the composition, which consists of the positioning and movement of actors, as well as objects, in the shot, as overseen by the director and
production designer In film and television, a production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings. Work ...
. The director (who controls props, costumes, lighting and sound) all have input on the ; they work together to make sure it fits the film well before production begins. The production designer is generally responsible for the look of the movie, and thus leads the various departments in charge of individual sets, locations, props, and costumes, among other things.
André Bazin André Bazin (; 18 April 1918 – 11 November 1958) was a renowned and influential French film critic and film theorist. He started to write about movies in 1943 and was a co-founder of the renowned film magazine '' Cahiers du cinéma'' in 1951 ...
, a French
film critic Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films and the film medium. In general, film criticism can be divided into two categories: Academic criticism by film scholars, who study the composition of film theory and publish their findin ...
and film theorist, describes the
aesthetic Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and taste, which in a broad sense incorporates the philosophy of art.Slater, B. H.Aesthetics ''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy,'' , acces ...
as emphasizing choreographed movement within the scene rather than through editing. , as a term, is also sometimes used by
screenwriters A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...
to refer to the descriptive paragraphs between the dialog used in shot blocking.


Key aspects


Set design

An important element of is
set design Scenic design, also known as stage design or set design, is the creation of scenery for theatrical productions including plays and musicals. The term can also be applied to film and television productions, where it may be referred to as prod ...
—the setting of a scene and the objects (props) visible in a scene. Set design can be used to amplify character emotion or to set the mood, which effects the physical, social, psychological, emotional, economic, and cultural significance in the film. Set design often influences many themes or parts of a film. can also affect the decision whether to shoot on location or set. Shooting on a set is more commonly done than shooting on location for reasons of cost efficiency and simplicity, on a set, you can create the entire background and arrange the props within it. On the other hand, if shooting on location the natural background must be considered—if there is a boulder, barn, or field in the background it must either be worked around or integrated.


Lighting

The intensity, direction, and quality of
lighting Lighting or illumination is the deliberate use of light to achieve practical or aesthetic effects. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources like lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylight. ...
can influence an audience's understanding of characters, actions, themes, and mood. Light (and shade) can emphasize texture, shape, distance, mood, time of day, season, and glamour; it affects the way colors are rendered, both in terms of hue and depth, and can focus attention on particular elements of the composition. Highlights, for example, call attention to shapes and textures, while shadows often conceal things, creating a sense of mystery or fear. For this reason, lighting must be thoroughly planned to ensure its desired effect on an audience.
Cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...
s are a large part of this process, as they coordinate the camera and lighting crews. Lighting is the last factor of that ties together texture, setting, and characters; it directs each scene, directing the viewers' gaze and attention.


Space

The use of
space Space is a three-dimensional continuum containing positions and directions. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions. Modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless ...
also affects the of a film. The depth, proximity, size, and proportions of places and objects can be manipulated through lighting, set design, and camera placement and lenses—effectively determining the mood and relationships between elements. Space is the most overlooked component of , yet the use of space determines whether the screen is too compact or too empty for the themes, characters' emotions, or major events. For example, an empty space may represent peace and an empty mind.


Composition

Composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography * Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include ...
is the organization of objects, actors and space within the frame, often by use of balance and symmetry for the distribution of light, color, objects and figures in a shot. Composition also includes the intentional use of misalignment, often to emphasize certain portions of the screen and distract the viewers from the background. This works because audiences are more inclined to pay attention to something off balance, out of place, or abnormal. Through these , directors carefully compose the frame to control the narrative and induce viewers to pay attention to certain characters or points of interest in a scene.


Costume

Costume design Costume design is the process of selecting or creating clothing for a performers. A costume may be designed from scratch or may be designed by combining existing garments. "Costume" may also refer to the style of dress particular to a nation, a ...
refers to all the clothes that characters wear. By using particular colors or designs, narrative cinema uses costumes to make clear distinctions between characters or to signify a particular character. While costume design is a subtle component of , it is an important one, with an Oscar awarded annually for the best costume design. Designers often use specific colors to enhance emotions, whether that be red to draw attention or using light versus dark colors. Often, costume designs are used to attract the attention of the audience, communicate details of a character's personality to the audience, and help actors transform into believable characters.


Makeup and hairstyles

While makeup and hairstyles can be included in costumes and design, they are often viewed separately as they can take hours to apply daily. Actors may wake up hours before shooting begins to get makeup applied, sometimes including prosthetics or even full-body makeup. Makeup and hairstyles establish periods, reveal character traits, and signal changes within a character.


Acting

There is enormous historical and cultural variation in performance styles in the cinema. In the early years of cinema, stage acting was difficult to differentiate from film acting, as most film actors had previously been stage actors and therefore knew no other method of acting. Eventually, the melodramatic styles of 19th-century theatre gave way, in Western cinema, to a relatively naturalistic style. This more naturalistic style of acting is largely influenced by
Konstantin Stanislavski Konstantin Sergeyevich Stanislavski ( rus, Константин Сергеевич Станиславский, p=kənstɐnʲˈtʲin sʲɪrˈɡʲejɪvʲɪtɕ stənʲɪˈslafskʲɪj, links=yes; ; 7 August 1938) was a seminal Russian and Sovie ...
's theory of
method acting Method acting, known as the Method, is a range of rehearsal techniques, as formulated by a number of different theatre practitioners, that seeks to encourage sincere and expressive performances through identifying with, understanding, and expe ...
, which involves the actor fully immersing themselves in their character. The art of acting uses movement, gesture, and intonation to realize a character for the stage, motion picture, or television. The acting, setting, themes, and other factors must align to fit the .


Film

The film medium itself affects the . The
film stock Film stock is an analog medium that is used for recording motion pictures or animation. It is recorded on by a movie camera, developed, edited, and projected onto a screen using a movie projector. It is a strip or sheet of transparent pl ...
may be
black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white to produce a range of achromatic brightnesses of grey. It is also known as greyscale in technical settings. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, ...
or color, fine-grain or grainy. Likewise, different aspect ratios yield different ways of looking at the world and the expressive meaning of the film.


Actor blocking

The terms 'blocking' and 'blocks' were both used as early as 1961. In theatre, blocking is the precise staging of actors to facilitate the performance of a play,
ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...
,
film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...
or
opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
; it is a set of instructions incorporated by the director to ensure the appropriate of the film. In contemporary theatre, the director usually determines blocking during the rehearsal, telling actors where they should stand for the proper dramatic effect, ensure sight lines for the audience and work with the lighting design of the scene.


See also

*
Choreography Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A chor ...
* Montage * Filmmaking technique of Luis Buñuel


References


Further reading

* *


External links

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mise en scene Lighting Concepts in film theory