Mis-en-Scene (Updated)

Mis-en-Scene is a French expression used in the study of film that refers to everything that appears within the frame of the camera to tell the story. This includes all art, like scene design and construction, makeup and wardrobe, illumination, even action within the scene.

For this assignment, select a scene/sequence from a film such as the one depicted above from The Martian.

For example, there's much that comes into play to pull this off, from creating the physical context of the greenhouse within a Martian observation station, including the dirt, furrows and potato plants, the clear plastic, the background behind the plastic, the source of illumination, the actor's placement with the composition, even the the focal length of the wide angle lens from the GoPro camera from which this was shot. All the elements are here: contrast, balance, harmony, texture, line, shape, color, figure/ground, pragnanz, proximity, similarity and closure.  Who were the designers and what did they have to do to pull this off? This is what I'm asking you to do with your selected scene.

Decide which production design role you wish to analyze within this scene for this assignment - director, director of photography, art director, production designer, makeup/wardrobe. Break the scene down in terms of production design, identifying the artists involved in the credits for your selected film. Looking this up on IMDB.com will be very helpful for you.

Define the stewardship of the role you selected, their job description for your selected film and sequence, and identify which, if any, previous roles contributed to the execution of the scene and how they reached visual communication objectives in terms of design principles. (These principles include both the vocabulary and grammar of design along with Gestalt influences.) 

Post your analysis on your blog with either a frame from the scene or an embedded clip, along with the production's credits for production design, art direction and principle photography. 

Conclude with your individual analysis of how these elements effectively came together.

Have your Mis-en-Scene posted to your blog by class time, November 10th if the world hasn't ended, and be ready to present to the class.

Read your peers' posts and comment as well.