Mise-en-scéne

This is a French term meaning “placing on stage” it is the arrangement of everything that appears in the frame of a shot. This includes set design, and any props, actors, spacing, lighting and even costume. Even what is put in or left out of a scene can make a difference. Set design can amplify a characters personality, help tell a story and set a scene. Different props can mean different things, and the way they are perceived can affect a scene. Using a prop or setting a scene correctly can be critical to getting your message across during a scene. 

Lighting is another critical aspect of filming that can affect a scene. The intensity, direction, and quality of lighting have a big effect on the way an image is perceived. Light and shade can emphasize texture, shape, distance, and mood, time of day or night and seasons. It affects the way colours are rendered, both in terms of hue and depth, and can focus attention on particular elements of the composition.

Spacing in a film can be important. The proximity between characters can help the audience distinguish relationships, and the emotions. Also the size and proportions of objects and characters can have an effect. If it is a close up or long shot, it can all affect the mood of a scene.

Depending on what costume a character is wearing, the audience can tell who they are, or what part they may be playing in the film. For example a homeless person wouldn’t be walking around in a suit, or a rich person in rags. Also colours in costume can make a difference. For example in a horror, the murder wouldn’t be taken seriously wearing bright clothing.

A simple scene can be the setting for two completely different genres. If you change the lighting or the way an image is perceived, then it can have a drastic effect on the mood and atmosphere of a film.

For example a house:

 This could be the setting for a romantic style film. The placing of the trees and other plants give it a homely feel, and the use of bright colours sets the right mood. The sky is blue and bright, giving the impression it is a clear sunny day. The house also has bright colours that makes it more inviting.

Where as in this picture, there are dead trees, and much darker colours that give it a more sinister feel. The sky is dark, giving the effect of night time which is a time most people associate with bad things happening. Also the house is tinted a darkish, unattractive colour. The angle of the shot also makes the house look more intimidating, like it is towering over you. 

Narrative Theory

Todorov - This is theory explains that a story line may be structured with a pattern, that pattern is this: Equilibrium, dis-equilibrium, equilibrium. this means that the media text, such as a moving image production, will start off with a state of equilibrium, balance, and everything will be okay. then the dis-equilibrium, when a problem, arises, the equilibrium is threatened and the characters may be in danger. a new state of equilibrium is then found when the problem is solved and the danger has been overcome. For example in the film Avatar, there is a state of equilibrium at the beginning before any major fighting starts, then Colonel Miles Quaritch attacks and disrupts the equilibrium, but a new state of equilibrium is found at the end when the hero Jake Sully defeats him.

Levi -Strauss This theory explains how each media text may have binary opposites. for example the most common would be good vs evil or hero vs villain. however more simple examples may be male vs female or young vs old. in the Avatar example this can be shown between the hero Jake Sully and the villain Colonel Miles Quaritch. however there are other binary opposites that can be found in this film.

 Propp - This narrative theory explains how most media text have the typical fairytale characters, or a variation. These character are:

• The Villain - who opposes or actively blocks the heros quest 
• The Princess - acts as the reward for the hero, may be the object of the villains plot
• The Princesses father - who acts to reward the hero for his efforts 
• The Hero - a character who seeks something, who tries to stop the villain 
• The Helper - who aids the hero
• The Donor - who provides an object with magical properties 
• The False Hero - who disrupts the heros success by making false claims 
• The Dispatcher - who sends the hero on his quest

These character can be found in the Avatar example:

• The Villain - Colonel Miles Quaritch 
• The Princess - Neytiri
• The Princesses father - Neytiris father
• The Hero - Jake Sully
• The Helper - Norm Spellman
• The Donor - Grace

You may not always find every character in a media text, or you may find that some characters are doubled up, for example although colonel Miles Quaritch is seen as the villain, you could also say he was the dispatcher. 

Barthes - barthes described five codes which are woven into any narrative. here are two of the most important codes 

• The hermeneutic code - this refers to any element of the story that is not fully explained and hence becomes a mystery to the reader. the purpose of the author in this is typically to keep the audience guessing, arresting the enigma, until the final scenes when all is revealed and all loose ends are tied idd and closure is achieved.
• The proairetic code - this code also builds tension, referring to any other action or event that indicates something else is going to happen, and which hence gets the reader guessing as to what will happen next.

The hhermeneutic and proairetic codes work as a pair to develop the story's tensions and keep the reader interested.