A short summary of Mise-en-scene

Derived from the French language meaning “putting into the scene”, Mise-en-scene refers to the specific elements that appear in the frame of the film that the director has control over. Mise-scene is based on the visual components of; lighting, costume, make up, props and the staging of the movement/ performance of the actors, arranged by the director for the camera.

Either existing or constructed settings are an important component of mise-en-scene. The design of a setting can shape how the audience understands story action. Things such as color, props and the size are important factors of settings. Much like setting, costume and makeup have specific functions within the film, which can be either realistic or stylized. Often costume is designed and coordinated with the setting of a film, which can assist the characters to stand out or assimilate with their environment. Lighting creates a composition of the shot and guides our attention to certain actions and objects, as well as creating shape and texture through highlights and shadows. Highlights and shadows are also able to assist our sense of a scenes space within the setting. Lastly, staging refers to the director’s control of the movement and performance of figures from human actors to objects either stylized or individualized. These aspects of mise en scene are arranged to create the notion of various effects from a specific imaginary style to realism, depending on the films intent.

Essentially the components of mise en scene such as lighting, costume, make up, props and figure placement/movement produces a three dimensional environment for the action of a film. As the director has power over each element on frame, sometimes stylistic choices, regarding mise-en-scene, precludes realism.