Mise-en-scene: How meaning is made on the screen

Philosophy and film do not mix. This is the impression one has when one sounds out the literature in both fields. Therefore it is with some surprise that one reads that Ludwig Wittgenstein, the renowned Austrian philosopher, was an avid viewer of cowboy movies (Carver, 1995). However, even Wittgenstein did not say anything substantial about the relationship between film and meaning, a relationship which is critical to the understanding not only of film but also of meaning constitution itself and its relevant theories (Ruthrof, 2002).

To make light of meaning on screen, this essay shall consider how screen mediated meaning is achieved through ‘mise-en scene’ on film and/or television.

‘Mise-en-scene’ is sometimes used as a straight-forward descriptive term but it is actually a concept, which is complicated, yet central to a developed understanding of film. This term is used in film studies in the discussion of visual style (Gibbs, 2002).

It is historically to do with directing plays and later became to do with film to express how the material in the frame is directed (imperica.com, 2002). To put it simply, it means staging an action. It refers to the décor, props, costumes

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The different elements of ‘mise-en-scene’ work together to give meaning on screen. , staging, location, lighting, camera movement, the actors, and so on (which shall later be discussed in detail). As the audience sees these astonishing parallels, they look back to the many visual motifs that signal coincidence, chance, and fate. An example is the performance of Martin Landau as Leonard in North by Northwest (by Alfred Hitchcock in 1959). Conclusion

Examining the different aspects of ‘mise-en-scene’ shows the numerous variables there are at filmmakers’ disposal. She plays the slot machine and wins, showing three red cherries. The shot is actually from a position a few steps to the side of Mulwray as can be deciphered from the original framing of the shot as a close-up of Mulwray that pans and tilts to look at what he sees. The way he moves his eyes is calm and deliberate and his eyes travel without pause to new position. There is actually only one shot which ever begins to take on the low angle shot from a position somewhat parallel to that of Mulwray’s. However, even here the shot is clearly not from the point of view of Mulwray, which lessens his overall impact in the shot.

Approximate Word count = 3023
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page double spaced)

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