Coursework: Mise-en-scene planning

Now that we have developed a script for our Science Fiction TV drama, we need to plan the mise-en-scene.

Remember, mise-en-scene is a French term meaning, ‘what is in the scene’ or, literally, 'putting on stage'. It refers to everything you see within the frame in film and television.

The mise-en-scene sets the mood of the scene and offers clues to character and theme. Audiences have certain expectations of mise-en-scene depending on genre - which means we need to plan it carefully to show our extract is Science Fiction.

We use the mnemonic CLAMPS to remember mise-en-scene:

• Costume
• Lighting
• Actor placement and movement
• Make-up
• Props
• Setting

This video goes into A Level or Film School depth but is well worth 10 minutes to understand the power of mise-en-scene:

Blog task: Mise-en-scene planning

Create a blogpost planning everything that will appear in front of the camera in your two-minute Science Fiction TV drama extract. Remember CLAMPS: Costume, Lighting, Actors (cast, placement and movement), Make-up, Props, Setting. 

The following suggestions should help you:

Costume
What will your characters wear? What is the costume supposed to communicate to the audience? (E.g. a school uniform quickly and easily tells the audience that the character is high-school age etc.)

Lighting
How will you light your scene? Is it day or night? Interior or exterior? If outside, can you use streetlights, shadows, reflected sunlight or other creative techniques to achieve the lighting style you want? If inside, experiment with blinds up and down, room lights on and off etc.

Actors
The first thing you need to plan is your cast - who will be in your production and which character will they play? Try and cast people who are reasonably similar to the character they are playing (both in age and personality). Next, plan their placement and movement in key scenes from your script. Do you want them to appear trapped in a claustrophobic close-up? Or isolated as a tiny person in a wide shot? 

Make-up
Plan any make-up you require - for example, coloured contact lenses can immediately create a Science Fiction feel.

Props
What props will you require? Remember, you can't use anything that might resemble a weapon in a public or school location (this is VERY important) so instead be creative with phones, messages and anything else that communicates the Science Fiction genre. Technology or science lab chemicals will effectively communicate the genre without getting you arrested.

Setting
This should already be largely planned using your script. However, now is the time to specify exact locations - if a science lab, which one? How will you arrange it with the teacher? When will you film there? Try and take pictures of locations or use Google Maps and Google Earth if you're using locations outside of school.

Here's an example of planning locations for a music video using images and notes:



Your mise-en-scene planning should all be on ONE blogpost and is due next week.

Complete for homework: due Thursday 27 September