Since studying the different elements of media so far I’ve seen how camera framing and mise-en-scene can represent individuals, groups, events or places. We studied two videos and looked into both the camera framing and the use of mise-en- scene which were combined for representing the elements. We looked at a scene from Downton Abbey to see the different uses of Mise-en-scene and created an essay to analyse each element which helped develop our understanding and consideration for how important these aspects are.

Mise En Scene is an essential element of how meaning is made in Media.  Every costume, hair style, lighting state, location, prop, accessory, posture, gesture, facial expression is there for a reason – to tell a story, convey an idea and an image. The essential components for Mis-en-scene are:

• Costume
• Lighting
• Acting
• Make up/Hair
• Props
• Setting

I discovered how important these elements were when portraying the individuals, groups, events or places because without them the emotion and story would be hard to follow and unclear to the audience. Each of these aspects work together to portray the intended narrative, such as if the character was smiling and in bright clothing it would have the connotations of a happy individual. However if the character was dressed in dull clothing and within a dark environment, as an audience we would assume the character is sad. From studying this and seeing how effective mise-en-scene is, I’ve seen how they all link to create a successful story and represent the characters as well as conveying the setting and place.

The camera framing is also essential when representing the individuals and event to convey the intended narrative of the scene. Examples of these angles, distances along with their roles are:

• an extreme close up of a tear stained eyes could underline a character’s sadness and vulnerability.
• an extreme long shot of a man standing alone on a deserted beach might portray his isolation and solitude.
• a two shot of a two people, with one in the foreground looking away from the camera and the other slightly out of focus in the background could add an enigmatic, mysterious feel to the scene as well

These elements portray that it is important to plan and keep in mind different angles and distances because it helps to represent different meanings to the audience. This also clearly shows the denotations as well as the connotations to the audience from the camera framing to portray a clear story and narrative to the audience.