This past week’s reading on Mise-en-Scene was a revealing explanation of the components that are brought together in film. While it may seem common sense that there is thought put into costumes and makeup, setting, lighting, and staging of a scene, it is fascinating to read how they all intertwine to set a tone for the audience. Mise-en-Scene can also be utilized to contribute to the form of a film, such as when a film’s motif is seen through Mise-en Scene. An example of this would be the red coat in Schindler’s List (1993), a film otherwise entirely in black and white. It is up to the viewer’s interpretation of how the Mise-en-Scene can be used to shape the form and meaning of a film, but it still does have a large impact.
One example of Mise-en-Scene that came to mind when reading was the monochromatic color design of But I’m a Cheerleader (1999). Throughout the film, which takes place at a fictional conversion camp, the set and costumes are obnoxiously pink or blue.
The perfectly pink world of this conversion camp filled with bright props of common chores of a stereotypical mother in a nuclear family. It looks nothing like a real household, and the design of it contrasts the hair and makeup design of the women living in it. Furthermore, the brightly lit rooms of the camp, likely created by a key light and fill light, are starkly contrasted when the members of the camp leave and go to a bar where they can be their truest selves.
In this bar scene, the stark change in costuming and lighting is immediately noticeable. The use of low-key lighting highlights how different this setting is from the uncanny conversion camp, and reminds the viewers that this is a safer, quieter space for the characters on screen. There is no pink to be seen, the characters are able to be their truest selves in this scene. Mise-en-Scene is a vital tool throughout But I’m a Cheerleader to satirically comment on the construction of gendered norms in society and call attention to the artificiality of conversion camps.
Has anyone else who read about Mise-en-Scene thought of a film they had watched in the past that utilized excellent Mise-en-Scene that they may have overlooked beforehand? I also wonder if there is a scene that comes to mind that could have been enhanced with a better concentration on Mise-en-Scene?
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