This week’s class looked at how visual language works in film and animation. We focused on mise-en-scène, composition, and staging, and how these elements affect the way a scene is understood.
In the lecture, we talked about mise-en-scène as everything placed in front of the camera. This includes the setting, props, costume, lighting, and where the characters are positioned. These elements can already give the audience a lot of information about the scene, even without dialogue.
We also spent time on composition and screen direction. Seeing the examples in class made it clearer why movement direction and spatial consistency matter so much. If screen direction changes unexpectedly, it can be confusing to watch. In animation, this needs to be planned early through storyboards and layout, because it is difficult to fix later.
Staging and blocking were another important part of the session. The idea that stayed with me is that every movement should have a purpose. Characters do not move randomly. Their position in the frame and their distance from each other can show relationships and emotions quite clearly.
This week made me more aware of how scenes are constructed. Small decisions in layout, lighting, and movement can change how a scene feels and how the audience reads it. It was useful to think about these elements as part of storytelling, not just technical choices.