Let's Discuss - Environmental Storytelling

Using the environment to tell the story or evoke emotions is not just locked into visual media.

You've probably heard about Mise-en-Scenè from your old English or Drama teacher at school and the example they used was "It was raining symbolising the sadness of the main character in this moment" or "the paint on the house is yellow, this symbolises happiness". Let's talk a little more about Mise-en-Scenè and why it's such a useful and beautiful tool to employ.

Mise-en-Scenè is employed both on stage and in writing and they both follow five core columns to achieve a stagecraft to move the audience.

The five columns are:

- Setting -> Where is the stage? Is it in a farmer's field? A high-rise apartment? A castle dungeon? What about the time period? Medieval? Renaissance? Futuristic London? Place your stage.

- Props and Objects -> What do the characters interact with? Are there tools, weapons, any symbols of the world's gods they fiddle or fuss over?

- Costumes and Appearance -> How is a character dressed? Is it neat, or dishevelled? How is their hair looking in this moment? Do they have any adornments or are their usual pieces of jewellery missing?

- Actor Placement and Movement -> How a character interacts with the stage you've prepared. The spatial relationships between characters and props. Gestures. Pacing of dialogue and feet.

Now that you have all of that information, it's time to move onto the allegorical sense of Mise-en-Scenè.

Mise-en-Scenè is a heavy-weight champion of symbolic storytelling and can shape narrative depth:

- Metaphor and allegory can shape the narrative depth of a character during the scene. E.g. A cracked mirror can symbolise fractured trust, a hatred of ones own self, or the character falling apart to be put back together later (or not).

- Evoking emotion (or creating mood) can be achieved with lighting, weather, or colour, or a combination of all those things. E.g. A golden sunrise brings forth feelings of hope, whereas an impenetrably dark corner of the hallway evokes fear.

- Narrative rhythm which can be achieved through spacing of the characters, especially if you choose your "camera angle" to tell the scene. E.g. A tight cluster can heighten tensions, whereas a wider look can slow the narrative.

Sensory details too can add to the effect of your Mise-en-Scenè elements, scents, sounds, sights, taste and touch. These can enrich the environment that your characters are in.

However you choose to employ Mise-en-Scenè, you should be aware of the balance of your scene. Action and description need to be used together in harmony to create a pacing that is rewarding and hooking.

How do you avoid the pitfall of over-description? That depends on the scene you are portraying. A good quote I like to remember, is from Richard Price: You don't write about the horrors of war. No. You write about a kid's burnt socks lying in the road. Don't write the whole picture, give us snapshots: if you were to walk into that stage, what would you take photographs of to tell the story? That's what you give the audience.

In short, your English and Drama teachers were correct. Rain and blue curtains are brought to the attention of the reader deliberately, to show the feeling of the stage and characters. It really was that deep.

Keep writing, stay weird, and stretch every once in a while.