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CHAPTER 3
MISE-EN-SCÈNE: EXPLORING A MATERIAL WORLD
MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS
1. Mise-en-scène includes
2. The function of costumes and make-up in films is
3. Character actors are
4. Naturalistic acting requires an actor to
5. Aspects of nineteenthcentury visual culture that influenced the staging of early films included all of the following
EXCEPT
6. Chiaroscuro lighting has been used in films
7. A fantastical environment that is obviously artificial and even bends the laws of nature is an example of a/an
8. An example of a cultural prop is
9. What is a McGuffin?
10. A set designer
A. scouts for realistic locations.
FILL-IN-THE-BLANK QUESTIONS
1. A term meaning literally “placement in a scene” or “onstage,” _____________ refers to those elements of a
2. Large soundproofed buildings called _____________ were designed to facilitate the construction and movement
The answer can be found on p. 105.
4. Actors are frequently cast for parts precisely because of their association with certain _____________ that they
SHORT-ANSWER QUESTIONS (3–4 SENTENCES)
1. How do different approaches to and cultural contexts for mise-en-scène help us identify and assign meaning?
What effects might be created for the film viewer through sets, props, acting styles, blocking, lighting, and other
elements of mise-en-scène?
2. How can the arrangement and movement of actors in relation to each other within the physical space of a mise-en-
scène be deployed to accentuate relations among them?
3. What are the effects of directional lighting in conjunction with the narrative and other features of the mise-en-
scène? Give two examples of directional lighting that elicit certain responses.
4. What is a metaphorical prop? Give two examples of what one might convey in a film.
5. Explain how characters attract or repulse us through the clothing and make-up they wear.