The first lesson of AICE Media Studies AS is one of the most important: analyzing mise-en-scene. This refers to essentially everything that is in frame of the camera, such as the costumes, makeup, props, the set design, the lighting, and much more. Learning about this really fascinated me since I never realized the multitude of ways that filmmakers can convey various messages to the audience, whether it be through the different shot types used or the various props, costumes, and makeup. Now when I watch a movie or a TV show I've started to notice so many more details and messages that have given me a deeper understanding of the film and also a greater appreciation for all the clever and hard work that is put into making every frame a glorious portrait of information.
In addition, I learned about the process of storyboarding and the role it plays in the production of a film. It is essentially when a director will sit down with artists and plan out the entire film with still photos or sketches. This also accounts for the way the camera will move and operate along with other details such as what is happening in the scene and how one scene transitions to the next. It was very interesting seeing this process which essentially acts as the blueprint for the movie. Similar to mise-en-scene, it enlightened me about how much of the movie is planned out in advance. For our first assignment, our teacher made us make a storyboard for a short film. I did mine using pictures of my dog while I was taking her on a walk. I had to utilize various types of photos with several different camera angles and I gave notes on what is happening in each scene. It was an overall fun assignment that gave me a greater understanding of both mise-en-scene and the prodcution of films as a whole.
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