Best "Mise-en-scene" in Games

[BloatedGuppy]

[HEADING=2]Mise en scene[/HEADING]

Mise-en-scène (French pronunciation: [mizɑ̃sɛn] "placing on stage") is an expression used to describe the design aspects of a theatre or film production, which essentially means "visual theme" or "telling a story" ? both in visually artful ways through storyboarding, cinematography and stage design, and in poetically artful ways through direction. Mise-en-scène has been called film criticism's "grand undefined term".

Layman's explanation...give an example, through text or screenshots, of games you feel "tell a story" VISUALLY. I think this is an underrated art in video game design, and a prime culprit in leading people to praise the likes of Half Life 2 as having a strong "story", even though the more traditional storytelling elements are thin on the ground.

Some examples:

Spoiler: Bioshock

Spoiler: Fallout

Spoiler: Half Life 2

 

[Some_weirdGuy]

Your layman's explanation is slightly misleading (if what i've come to know as the meaning of mise-en-scene is correct).

Mise-en-scene is more of the 'theme' being conveyed than something which tells a story visually. Less the story itself and more the 'vibe' or 'feel'. For example an indiana jones game, with those temples and so on, gives this context of adventure, discovering, ancient danger. It sets up your expectations and the feeling of the environment. Would you agree or does that explanation differ from what you know it to mean? (it's a fairly tricky term to get a straight answer about XD)

What you're describing is more the environmental narrative, the story conveyed by a scene or setting, hinting at past events (or indeed present and future events) that take place there through the environment, though mise-en-scene definitely plays a big part in establishing that kind of contextual story.


As for my example, i'd say Portal:

Spoiler

And those 'ratman dens' as they were nicknamed.

Portals sterile laboratory asthetic also invokes the kind of lab-rat mentality which establishes well the games puzzle solving premise

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Even though it isn't from the game, this sets the scene for Dawn of War 2 quite well.

That's what you're up against. Have fun.

 

[HardRockSamurai]

"mise-en-scène" might not be the right term to use. Granted, the term is infamously undefinable when used in criticism, but I'm not sure it applies to video games, since, in most cases, a game's audience is in complete control of what they see and how they see it, which means you can't really properly "stage" anything in a video game that's not in a cutscene or at a fixed camera angle.

I'll shut up now.

Spoiler: Dark Souls

Spoiler: Fez

Spoiler: Shadow of the Colossus

 

[Twilight_guy]

The phrase you're looking for is 'good level design'. Any good level tells a story. I'm not going to post one here since this thread strikes me as patting each other on the back for no good reason since levels that tells story are a baseline not a goal.

 

[HardRockSamurai]

but I'm not sure it applies to video games, since, in most cases, a game's audience is in complete control of what they see and how they see it, which means you can't really properly "stage" anything in a video game that's not in a cutscene or at a fixed camera angle.

It could be argued that it still applies so long as the environment is designed in such a way that the message still comes through.

It could, but I'm still not sure if it applies when there's player control - you can't really "stage" an environment, because the viewer stages it as he or she experiences it. I'm not saying you're wrong, just that neither of us really knows for sure. That's the problem with "mise-en-scène" - it's vague as hell.

And while I'm here:

Spoiler: Limbo

Spoiler: Catherine

 

[Some_weirdGuy]

"mise-en-scène" might not be the right term to use. Granted, the term is infamously undefinable when used in criticism, but I'm not sure it applies to video games, since, in most cases, a game's audience is in complete control of what they see and how they see it, which means you can't really properly "stage" anything in a video game that's not in a cutscene or at a fixed camera angle.

It could, but I'm still not sure if it applies when there's player control - you can't really "stage" an environment, because the viewer stages it as he or she experiences it. I'm not saying you're wrong, just that neither of us really knows for sure. That's the problem with "mise-en-scène" - it's vague as hell.

What makes you say you need a fixed or uncontrolled camera to 'stage' something? You're listing off all these games that you think are good examples, are you honestly saying they never staged anything outside of a cutscene? they never created a scene without taking away your agency?... were there no levels in these games? a level is a scene

Take half life 2 for example:

Spoiler

You exit the train station and are greeted by this:

it's not a cut scene, and sure i'm free to glue my eyes down to my feet and suffle past without looking up at the scene around me, but that doesn't change that they staged that scene there, in exactly the same way you stage a scene in a play or movie.

Camera angles and position are but one of the many aspects of mise en scene. Just because you can explore the environment doesn't suddenly make mise en scene non-applicable. Otherwise films or plays wouldn't count either because the audiences eye can wander around the screen/stage, or exactly like my Half Life 2 example, the audience member could chose to look down at their feet the whole time the movie/play is being presented.

Even if constrained camera position/angle was a key part of what defines mise en scene, games still have this. In a film the camera is constrained to where it is placed/moved by the director. In a game it is still constrained by the creators of the game, it simply allows the watcher a greater level of agency within this scene they have presented.

mise en scene is definitely, 100% applicable to games.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Hey sweet. My Mise-en-scene thread got necroed!

Those are some good examples. I wish I'd thought of Portal.

 

[Serving UpSmiles]

L.A Noire?

 

[SPARTANXIII]

Spoiler: Halo

Spoiler: Red Dead Redemption

Just adding my bit here, see what fits well with people.

 

[HardRockSamurai]

"mise-en-scène" might not be the right term to use. Granted, the term is infamously undefinable when used in criticism, but I'm not sure it applies to video games, since, in most cases, a game's audience is in complete control of what they see and how they see it, which means you can't really properly "stage" anything in a video game that's not in a cutscene or at a fixed camera angle.

It could, but I'm still not sure if it applies when there's player control - you can't really "stage" an environment, because the viewer stages it as he or she experiences it. I'm not saying you're wrong, just that neither of us really knows for sure. That's the problem with "mise-en-scène" - it's vague as hell.

What makes you say you need a fixed or uncontrolled camera to 'stage' something? You're listing off all these games that you think are good examples, are you honestly saying they never staged anything outside of a cutscene? they never created a scene without taking away your agency?... were there no levels in these games? a level is a scene

Camera angles and position are but one of the many aspects of mise en scene. Just because you can explore the environment doesn't suddenly make mise en scene non-applicable. Otherwise films or plays wouldn't count either because the audiences eye can wander around the screen/stage, or exactly like my Half Life 2 example, the audience member could chose to look down at their feet the whole time the movie/play is being presented.

Even if constrained camera position/angle was a key part of what defines mise en scene, games still have this. In a film the camera is constrained to where it is placed/moved by the director. In a game it is still constrained by the creators of the game, it simply allows the watcher a greater level of agency within this scene they have presented.

mise en scene is definitely, 100% applicable to games.

You make some good points, but I think you missed a couple of mine:

A: I listed those games precisely BECAUSE they managed to "stage" something outside of a cutscene; I picked them because they were good examples of video games taking "mise-en-scène" into consideration.

B: When I said that you can't really "stage" an environment, I wasn't really talking about the way in which it is presented; "mise-en-scène" also refers to the tone of a "stage". While I agree that being able to explore a scene doesn't necessarily mean that it's un-staged, it does mean that the tone of the scene can't be controlled. For example, an in-game haunted house may intend to have a scary tone, but it won't if the player decides to spend his/her entire time staring into a light-bulb.

Again, this is why I listed games like Dark Souls, Fez, Limbo, etc...because I thought they did a good job effectively staging their levels while keeping a consistent tone - one which couldn't be easily altered through player mischief.

I'm glad that you think "mise-en-scène" is applicable to games; I don't think you're entirely wrong, I just think that none of us can be entirely sure.

 

[Halo Fanboy]

Yeah, no need to abscond movie terms. Video games have design but not directing. Haven't heard of a director who gave instructions like "you can point the camer over there if you want, do whatever action you feel like." I guess you can only say that about fixed camera angles like RE.

 

[esperandote]

Spoiler: Silent Hill 2

 

[The Wykydtron]

Oh goodie! I can shout PERSONA 4 at people some more!

Yeah need I say more? Everything from the dungeons to the boss fights to the designs of the Personae all relate to character flaws, motivations, the central theme of mystery, truth etc etc

For example I was thinking over the designs of some Personae when I noticed that Yukiko's Persona has no feet

"That's odd" I thought "it has legs but why no feet?"

Right, slight Social Link spoilers here so if you're in the middle of a playthrough skip the rest of my post kthx

Then boom, Yukiko's Shadow is a desire to escape from the trappings of her personal responsibilties, yet she feels powerless to do so, if you have no feet you can't run. Hence the Persona design.

Then the evolved version of her Persona still has no feet. Then it's not that she can't run away. It's that she doesn't want to run away anymore. You don't need feet if you're not going anywhere right?

HNNNGH PERSONA 4 IS SO FUCKING AWESOME

*ahem*

Quite.

 

[Alssadar]

A rather large image, but this feels to me like a good depiction of the STALKER series.

Spoiler

Chaos and darkness surrounding you, and all you have is yourself and the ruins.
Captcha: Science class. No, silly, I did my report on Chernobyl for English

 

[Halo Fanboy]

Yeah, no need to abscond movie terms. Video games have design but not directing. Haven't heard of a director who gave instructions like "you can point the camer over there if you want, do whatever action you feel like." I guess you can only say that about fixed camera angles like RE.

A director does more than tell the cameraman what to do.

What's your point?