Mise-en-scène in the Piano

 ‘Mise-en-scène’ are all the things on the screen that create a message and a vibe. It is the arrangement of everything on the screen that help the director communicate their ideas. Aspects of Mise-en-scène include lighting, costume and setting. In the film The Piano, director Jane Campion uses the narrative feature of Mise-en-scène very effectively to create powerful meaning and feelings. One of the most prevalent scenes Campion used this in, is the scene where Alistair cuts off Ada’s finger. 

Lighting

Lighting was used extremely effectively in the scene where Ada’s finger gets chopped off, and throughout the whole movie. When Alistair confronts Ada in the house, (97:13), the lighting is warm and homely. This makes the audience feel conflicted and confused. The warm lighting looks normal, and this makes the the audience really focus in on the fight that is unfolding. The normal lighing is contrasted with the abnormal scene. However, as the couple move the fight to outside, (97:37) the lighting changes dramatically. It suddenly becomes dark and gloomy. Everything looks bleaker and scarier. This sends a negative feeling to the audience, and the audience feels more scared and worried. The dark lighting in this scene helps to raise the intensity, and also is used to surround the characters in gloom and despair. the dark lighting makes the audience feel more uneasy, and really reflects Adas feeling at the time. She feels scared, a colur which is often shown in dark, black colours. Lighting is also used very well in the rest of the film. One other example is the way Campion uses lighting to reflect how Ada feels. For example, in Baines house, when Ada realizes she loves him, there is light shining in the window, and Ada is illuminated. This shows the audience that she feels happy and finally has a place she can belong. Another example is when Ada plays the piano on the beach. Sunlight streams onto Ada’s face and she smiles. To the audience she looks brighter and happier. Campion shows, through the lighting that Ada feels happiness when she is playing the piano and expressing herself.

Setting

Setting is a big part of Mise-en-scène which helps evoke a feeling in the audience. The Piano was shot on location on the rugged west coast of the South Island of New Zealand. The setting is dark, cold, harsh and scary. The setting made Ada feel isolated and scared, in what should  have been her happy home. The woods are wet,muddy and filthy, and it is a very unpleasant place. The grim setting gives the audience a miserable feel, and scenes in the harsh environment feel more desperate and cruel. In the scene where Ada’s finger is cut off, at 98:31 there is torrential rain, dark lighting and mud. These combined give a horrible feel to the scene. It feels cold, sad, hopeless and desolate. The thunder storm also helps add to the intensity. There are also fallen trees spiking out of the ground. These give the feeling the setting is unforgiving and scary, and makes the setting look more brutal and violent. The harsh setting of this particular scene helps reflect the violence the Alistair is showing and also helps make  the scene the terrible climax it is. The terrrible setting of the entire movie reflects Adas emotjions, and shows how she is sad and lonely, and not happy in her home. The film is also set in a historical period  which is very important to creating the character of Ada. Because of the time and place, Ada is forced to do what she is told, and is oppressed by Alistair. She is supposed to stay at home and be the perfect wife to Alistair, but she chooses not to.      

Costume

Ada's costume is very important in the movie. It symbolises her oppression, as she is forced to wear the large uncomfortable thing by society. It represents her being held to what society tells her to do, and what she supposed to be. she feels trapped, both by the cage-like dress, and by societies rules that she is supposed to follow.  However, Ada also uses the dress as protection, both on the beach and from Alasdair advances.  Ada always wears dark colours, blacks and browns. This makes her look sad and unhappy all of the time, as she is surrounded in a colour that evokes sadness in the audience. However, we see this change at the end of the movie. Adas new dress is not as big, and a blue floral pattern. This shows she is opening up, and becoming happier. She no longer feels uncomfortable, and can now express herself, and love who ahe wishes. 
Another character who's costume was important was Flora. She is not yet condemned to wear the burdens of being a women in that time period, so her costume changes throughout the movie. In the scene where Ada's finger is cut off, her costume is very important. She is dressed in white with angel wings, showing she is innocent and pure, and tried to do the right thing, however, as soon as she make the decision to take the note to Alistair and not Baines, she becomes dirty and guilty. The storm and mud makes her covered in dirt, and then her mothers blood splatters on her and her clothes. This shows she has seen the consequences to her actions and that she has hurt her mother.