1. Recap
• You have 10 minutes to take a low, mid or high
key portrait of one other student
• In this time you must set up the camera, flashes,
find a suitable location and shoot
• Your portrait must aim to show the persons true
character
• Come back and show your portrait to each other.
How has your choice of lighting impacted the
communication of personality? Rate out of 10

2. Today
Understand the concept of mise en scene
Apply to two scenarios
Apply to your own draft designs

3. AS Photography
Introduction to
Mise En Scene

4. Session Aims
By the end of the session you will be able to:
• Understand the concept of ‘mise en scene’
• Apply the concept to your own shoot plans

5. The 5 Elements of Mise en Scene
• Settings & Props
• Costume, Hair & Make Up
Each aspect of mise-enscene has hidden
meanings and sends
signals to the viewer
about how we are
supposed to feel
• Facial Expressions & Body Language
• Lighting & Colour
• Positioning of characters/objects within the frame

6. • Settings &
Locations
play an
important
part in
photography
and are not
just
backgrounds.
Props can
add meaning
or help to
tell a story
Herb Ritz

7. Gregory Crewdson

8. •
Costume,
Hair & Costume,
2.
Make Up
act as an
instant
indicator
to us of a
character’s
personality,
status (&
job) or
they help
us link to
style and
theme
Rankin
Hair & Make Up

9. William Klien

10. David Lachappele

11. Man Ray

12. 4. Positioning of Characters & Objects
• Positioning
within a
within a frame
frame can
draw our
attention to
an
important
character/o
bject
W Eugune Smith

13. IMAGE 1
Mario Testino

14. • Facial
expression
s and body
language
link to a
characters
style, job,
position
and can
really help
to tell a
story
Rankin

15. Irving Penn

16. Edward Weston

17. 5. Lighting & Colour
Lighting & Colour can
be used to achieve
a variety of effects
Colour carries
certain
connotations
which may add
meaning to a
scene (i.e. Red =
Danger/Passion)
Black and white
carries with it
overtones of
professionalism,
reality and fine art
state/hidden emotions (i.e.
bright = happy, dark = disturbed,
strobe effect = confused
Mario Sorenti

18. Paolo Roversi

19. Tim Walker

20. Types of Lighting
• LOW KEY LIGHTING:
• Created by using only the key &
back lights
• Produces sharp contrasts of
light and dark areas
• Deep, distinct
shadows/silhouettes are formed
Mario Sorenti

21. • MIDKEY LIGHTING:
•
Types of Lighting
Created by using only the key
& back lights
• Produces sharp contrasts of
light and dark areas
• Deep, distinct
shadows/silhouettes are
formed
Mark Selega

22. Types of Lighting
• HIGH KEY LIGHTING:
• More filler lights are used.
Lighting is natural and
realistic to our eyes
• Produces brightly lit sets or a
sunny day (right)
Rankin

23. Task
• Sketch (or make collage) out one of the following
scenarios paying close attention and annotating with
the mise en scene elements. This needs to be
completed and added to your folders AO1 =
research/showing knowledge of mise-en scene AO2 =
planning of shoots
1. A fashion shoot; Target Audience of 16-25 year olds,
male and female, mid to high end designer labels e.g.
Diesel, G-Star. Aspirational (audience wants to be like
the models/have same lifestyle). Full page advert in
Vice or Billboard
2. Editorial; Story about internet use/misuse by young
people aimed at their parents. two page spread with
text in Sunday newspaper lifestyle section

24. Homework
• Create a similar set-up based on your current
ideas taking into account all appropriate mise
en scene
• Come to the next class ready to shoot or
ideally book studio time and shoot before.
This is development of ideas
•

25. Summary
• On a post-it list all the elements of mise en
scene
• Pass to a partner for checking. Your partner
cant give you the answer and you cant say
anything other than 1 or more elements are
needed. You can only mime to give clues!
• You cant leave until you have them all