Mise-en-scene

Mise-en-scene is a French term meaning what is put into the scene or frame. It is the visual information in front of the camera and it communicates essential information to the audience. Each aspect of mise-en-scene has hidden meanings within a film and sends signals to the audience about how we are supposed to feel at a certain point. I am going to keep the mise-en-scene within my music video consistent throughout, as I want them to feel the same vibe through the entire video. The five areas of mise-en-scene I am going to be looking at are settings & props, costume, hair & make up, facial expressions & body language, lighting & colour and the positioning of characters/props within the frame.

Settings & Props

From looking at different hip hop videos, I have noticed that they are all situated outdoors to create a street vibe. Some are literally filmed in a street and others are filmed in what looks like basketball courts etc. The images below shows shots of different hip hop videos with these settings.

Pete Rock & CL Smooth - T.R.O.Y. (1992)

My research has shown me that the backgrounds of hip-hop videos show either bricks, pavements, wired court walls or simply the sky. This is because the artists have not come from wealthy backgrounds and they want to represent where they're from. As these scenes can be found anywhere and don't have to be made or hired, like in high budget music videos, I will be able to replicate these settings.

I am also interested in filming in corner shops, as I found in my last post 'Shot Inspiration' that it can work quite effectively. As I know the owner of an off-licence in Tottenham, I have been able to get permission to film at this location.

In addition to this I think filming in record shops would add a sense of authenticity - records were much more commonly used in the 90s. This setting can be seen in hip hop videos such as:

Dilated Peoples -
Worst Comes To Worst (2001)

Having been inspired by those that I have seen in hip hop videos, I am thinking of including many different props in my music video, such as:

A vinyl record/record player

A Tribe Called Quest -
Oh My God (1993)

Gangstarr - Above The Clouds (1998)

Speakers

Skee-Lo - I Wish (1995)

A basketball

Facial Expressions & Body Language

Hip-hop artists create casual and positive vibes through their facial expressions & body language. They are often seen smiling or laughing, and always move freely with their bodies.

Lighting & Colour

The colours are very bright and there is a predominant use of highlighting to evoke the positive and fun atmosphere.