MISE-EN-SCÈNE ANAYSIS:
WHAT IS MISE-EN-SCÈNE?
Mise-en-scène is a name for how a scene is put together. In other words , in order to fully understand a scene it is important to understand mise-en-scène. It can be understood as setting the scene. For film in particular, it is everything that can be seen by the viewer, that includes; lighting, set, actors, foreground, background, angles, framing, and etc. It is important to understand because these simple adjustments and details transform a video into an artform and a story. Visual elements are vital to an end product, they are telling a story in itself without the use of diagouge. Using frameworks to help analyze media is very helpful for analysis. I used Considine and Haley's 4P framework focusing on posture, props, point of view and position. Posture focuses on body language and posture to read a characters mood and reaction, props focuses on the use of props and how they “promote awareness of metaphors and symbolism”, point of view focuses on the framing of the camera and how the viewer sees the imagery helping define what needs to be seen and what doesn’t, it can also be “understood as the perspective the camera and director give us on a character, location, or object.” Lastly, position refers to “placement within the frame and is usually considered in conjunction with other elements” (Considine, D., & Haley, G).
For my analysis I will be reviewing clips from one of my favorite shows, “Wayne”. Premiering on Youtube Premium in 2019, “Wayne” was “created by Shawn Simmons and produced by the “Deadpool” team of Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, the half-hour black comedy follows Wayne (Mark McKenna) as he takes and doles out beatings, each delegated by his sense of duty” (Travers). Ben Travers, writer for IndieWire says it best, this is “‘Bonnie and Clyde’ for the younger generation” (Travers). This story is about the rebellious teenagers Wayne and Del stuck in broken homes in Boston, Massachusetts and their journey to Florida to find Wayne’s late father’s ‘97 Trans Am. The clips I will specifically be referencing are from the two last episodes of the first season. To give a little bit more context to the video clips below, Wayne is being tracked down by the police throughout the entire season as they think he has kidnapped Del. Del willinging left her neglectful Dad and brothers to go with Wayne on his journey to find his Mom, who abandoned him, and his father’s car as that is the last thing he has from him. Wayne and Del finally think they are home free after a brutal fight with Wayne’s step brother but are shockingly hit by Del’s father’s truck and she is then taken away and Wayne is sent to jail.
SCENE 1: BLACKMAIL AND COOKIES
At the beginning of this scene we are met with an angle picturing three characters, Del (left) and, Orlando and Principal Tom Cole (right), at a diner. Taking note right away we can visually see one the the 4 P’s in Considine and Haley's 4P framework, posture. Del is sitting with a slouchy posture, back pressed against the booth, her arms folded, and zoned out eyes showing us an unwelcoming body language (0:08). In comparison, the men sitting across from her showed opposite postures, leaned forward or sat up straight with open arms. Del has just made a hard decision to leave Wayne in Florida and go home without him and just by her posture alone we are able to see she is struggling with the decision. We then meet Wayne’s friend Orlando as he scoots over and leans in to start an engaging conversation with Del. As he references Wayne and how he has always had his back, for the first time in this clip, we see a slight smile from Del (1:11). Then the viewer is brought back to a past event. The viewer is now in a completely different world, a set change, music change, but most notably a new color filter has been put on the scene to allow the viewer's mind to acknowledge that a time jump has taken place (1:16). We are then able to visualize another P from Considine and Haley, position. In this callback not only are us as a viewer unaware of Del being the kid nicknamed “Blackmail” but neither is Del or Orlando. The viewer is invited to connect the dots almost at the same time as Del and Orlando are. The “kid” in the video is shown from the back and out of frame, not allowing the viewer to see Del until (2:20) only a few seconds after Del has realized herself that she was being looked out for by Wayne (2:08). The camera was purposely positioning her blurred, to the side, from the back all until we were ready for the reveal. At this time we are also seeing another important framing and positioning decision. Orlando is now realizing Del is the girl that Wayne has been looking out for this entire time with his famous line “You’re Blackmail and Cookies? Damn, Wayne’s been looking out for you for like, years!”. This line is so powerful yet we do not see Orlando deliver the line. The camera focuses on Del and her strong emotions following the information she's just received (2:26). Next shows another moment from Del’s past the camera follows her in this heated moment but then centers on a person in the background, which reveals to be Wayne. This event in the school gym was shown earlier in the season going into detail about Del’s past but not until now did we know that Wayne was also there (2:39). We can see in this scene another good demonstration of posture. Wayne is happily eating a cookie from the blood drive as he watches Del in mass destruction while next to him you can see terrified students screaming and hiding behind tables or running away as if they are in danger.
SCENE 2: I LOVE YOU, DEL
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This scene is happening towards the very end of the show. It features Del and Wayne in the ‘97 Trans Am, the camera shakes as if we are with them in the moving vehicle. We are given a point of view from either directly in front of the characters or a point of view of Del looking at Wayne and vice versa, never seeing the road in front of them. In this scene a tough conversation is taking place for Del and we can understand this from analyzing posture and body language. She is wanting to tell Wayne that she loves him and she is doing this by keeping her eyes anxiously directly in front of her on the road. Scared to look him in the eyes and admit her strong feelings, she is nervously fidgeting and jumbling her words mustering some courage (0:32). All of us, including Del, are shocked by Wayne cutting her off and saying “I love you” for her. As Del is in shock, she immediately looks over to him with a calmness of breath (0:35). As Wayne looks to her for the first time in the scene, he is alert with urgency as he sees a truck about to hit them. He hasn’t shown emotion like this since being in the car injured and unable to move (0:41). We are then shown Del from Wayne’s point of view as a car blurred in the background is approaching (0:43). As the wreck happens the viewer is given multiple different angles to show the accident. Notably a perspective from Wayne inside the car (0:45). The camera is blurred when we see Wayne’s POV to show his disorientation from the wreck. Men are shown blurred in the distance coming closer as Wayne’s vision comes in and out of focus and voices are echoing (0:54-1:00). All of this to show how injured Wayne is, he then falls out of the car to the ground and is barely able to move but still showing as much urgency as he can to get to Del. He is approached by Del’s father looking for revenge. The camera is positioned upward so we see Del’s father at a more powerful position over Wayne’s body, this also being Wayne’s point of view. We can easily compare this angle to the last one of the scene with Wayne on the ground helpless as they drive off with Del (2:11).
SCENE 3: LOCKED UP
We pick up right where we left off in the last clip. Wayne is still on the pavement injured, but awake and a major difference is in the time of day. It was still light out in the clip before this but now we are in the nighttime. We also have a drastic music change as well. The last 4P framework that I have not mentioned yet is Props. Props can hold such a powerful control over the viewer's understanding of a scene. This is why I wanted to analyze this clip in particular. After seeing Wayne, the next thing that the camera leads up to is Del’s gold name necklace that was left on the pavement (0:10). This is a necklace that we have seen throughout the entire show but not much emphasis has been put on it until now. We see a top down angle of the necklace and Wayne’s hand approaching from the corner as he tries to grab it (0:16). He is unsuccessful in his attempt to grab it but like in the last clip Wayne has been using his last bit of energy continuously trying to grab ahold of Del. His last words were Del, his last sentence was I love you Del and his last action before being taken in was reaching out for her necklace but really symbolizing him reaching out for her. This necklace meant a lot to her as her mom was the one to give it to her before her passing so the viewer can interpret this as him saving it for her or he is going to do whatever he can to get back to her. The last position of his body was him on the ground fully extended in the act of reaching out for Del’s necklace (0:33). Next, the scene changes, we see Wayne is alive, then we see a guard behind him letting us put the pieces together that he has been arrested (0:46). Wayne throughout the season has always given us posture and body language that shows he isn't intimidated by anybody and this clip is no different as a prison mate walks by taunting him. We see Wayne unfazed and maybe even more determined (0:54-1:04). A top down angle shows the entire perimeter of his cell, such a small confined cold place allowing the viewer to understand the set (1:07). Wayne sits on the bed as the camera changes to a front facing frame, he is sat straight and confident, as the camera slowly zooms in on his mouth inferring that there is something we weren't expecting. A quick cut to an extreme close up of Wayne's mouth as he drops the focal point prop out of his mouth, Del’s necklace, which we viewers thought he failed to grab.
CONCLUSION
I’ve watched this show twice before even knowing what mise-en-scène was, and after completing this project, I realized just how deeply the director had influenced my perception without me being aware of it. Watching it the second time, I almost tuned out, thinking I already understood everything, but I was wrong. Discovering mise-en-scène allowed me to experience the show from entirely different perspectives and interpret scenes in ways I hadn't before. The three clips I analyzed in depth revealed just how much more I now understand and allowed me to pick up on the subtleties that directors use to guide the viewer's attention and emotions. It’s like watching a whole new layer of the show unfold. It's not just about absorbing the plot anymore; it’s about experiencing the art of filmmaking itself.
It’s not only important for viewers to grasp these concepts but also essential for anyone involved in creating visual media. Without an understanding of techniques like how angles shape point of view, or how body language conveys a narrative without dialogue, the deeper artistic layers of film and video are often missed. These techniques aren’t just tools—they are the very essence of the storytelling craft, subtly manipulating how we experience and interpret the narrative.
REFERENCES
Considine, D., & Haley, G. (1999). Visual messages: Integrating imagery into instruction (2nd ed.). Englewood, Colorado: Teacher Ideas Press.
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Travers, Ben. “‘wayne’ Review: It’s ‘the End of the F***ing World,’ but This YouTube Original Is Better than Fine.” IndieWire, IndieWire, 16 Jan. 2019, www.indiewire.com/features/general/wayne-review-youtube-series-deadpool-end-of-the-fucking-world-1202035444/.
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Photo Background:
“Watch Wayne Season 1.” Prime Video, www.primevideo.com/detail/Wayne/0P0YE2NZC28RLCAD6IIZD5ET1Z. Accessed 20 Oct. 2024.
Videos:
​“Wayne.” YouTube, YouTube, www.youtube.com/channel/UCp4a8s794oJ25AY1XVvJOfw. Accessed 20 Oct. 2024.
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“Media in this analysis has been compiled for educational purposes.”
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