Mise En Scene and Wes Anderson
Mise-en-Scene and Wes Anderson
In my opinion, when I think of mise-en-scene, I think of Wes Anderson. His films have such a particular style and aesthetic, and everything in the scene is well-balanced with the colours blending in beautifully. Below, I've attached a video link to 'Mise-En-Scene & The Visual Themes of Wes Anderson'. In this video, Anderson talks of how he plays to the idea that audiences will have preconceived expectations of certain pieces of music, or colours (elements of the mise-en-scene), and how he uses these expectations to his advantage when creating his films.
It's interesting how certain directors can use and manipulate their mise-en-scene in such an exaggerated way, that they create a specific style which is recognised across the globe. Moreover, there have been many spoofs which have taken Anderson's distinct use of mise-en-scene, and played with our expectations of these elements. I wanted to attach a link to a SNL sketch which showed a Wes Anderson horror movie, but it seems to have escaped YouTube. Instead, I've attached below a Wes Anderson-style retelling of the recent folk horror film The Witch. Whilst it's made for comedic purposes, it's great to see how the tone of a film can be changed insantly just by changing one element of the mise-en-scene - in this case, the music.
Love the Anderson/Witch example - very good for demonstrating the power of music (and silence), but also editing, which really tries to refigure a very differently paced film into the rhythms of a Wes Anderson film.
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