ABSTRACT
PURPOSE The French term mise-en-scène (literally, “putting into the scene”) is usefully holistic and describes the aspects of directing that take place during shooting. It includes:
Blocking, which means planning the positions of:
high, low, etc.)
Camera
Use of color
Dramatic content
Sound Design
• Whether sound is diegetic (native to the situation) or nondiegetic (added by the Storyteller)
All this must be planned in practical rather than intellectual terms. You will have to make an overall mise-en-scène design for the whole script, and thereafter fit each scene into the intentions of the larger structure. Develop clear ideas about what options exist and how you will discuss them with the director of photography (DP) and sound crew. The DP is the most important collaborator during the shoot, and this is a time when an underprepared director can fall under the spell of a strongminded DP. American Cinematographer contains excellent descriptions by renowned cinematographers of the lighting and camera equipment they used to create specific aesthetic effects for a particular production. (www.theasc.com/magazine). It’s surprising how often they have to invent their own solutions.
