Mise en scene refers to all the visual elements within a scene that help tell the story, including props, settings, costumes, positioning of actors, lighting, color, and facial expressions. It has five main components: 1) props and settings provide authenticity and influence mood; 2) costumes convey character details like era and personality; 3) facial expressions and body language reveal feelings and relationships; 4) lighting and color set tone and highlight importance; and 5) there are two main lighting techniques - low key creates shadows and contrasts while high key is bright and naturalistic.

1. Beginners Guide to Mise en
Scene
Lily Saunders

2. What is Mise en Scene ?
• This comes from the French
term, what is inside the scene
or frame.
• It is the visual information in front
of the camera, telling the audience
information about the scene.
It is made up of five different things...

3. Props and
Setting
Costumes
Positioning
Lighting and
Colour
Facial
Expressions

4. Props and Settings
• The setting of a scene plays an important part
in film making.
• A set could be built from scratch or time is spent
searching for an already existing setting.
• Settings can build up certain expectations
before taking a surprising turn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J38H3xnvgiQ
Props give the setting authenticity, these are
particularly important in settings of a
different era.
• The weather also falls under this category, it can influence
the mood and atmosphere of a scene for the audience.

5. Costumes
• Costumes, hair and make up are important
to show us the personality, status and job
of the character.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYR9aKt
Cuek
• Tells us the era, society and culture
that the show or film is based around.
• Certain costumes are significant
of certain types of people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q17DwQ4

6. Facial Expression and Body
Language
• This can tell us how someone is feeling.
• It can play together with the music in the
background to project someone in a way
that might not be obvious to the eye – for
example if someone is smiling but there is
dark and sinister music, they turn from
being someone happy, to perhaps being
someone scary.
• This can also indicate the feelings that one
character has to another, or reflect the

7. Lighting and Colour
• Colour can add meaning to a scene as it gives it a
particular feel, look or mood.
• It can create a dramatic effect.
• Lighting can highlight objects or characters that might
be important within the frame.
• The lighting can be manipulated to make characters
look mysterious by shading sections of the face or the
body.
• The lighting can show us a character’s mental state
and hidden emotions.
• There are two main types of
lighting…

8. Low Key Lighting
• This is created by only using key and back
lights. It creates sharp contrasts between
the dark and light areas. It produces
distinct shadows or silhouettes.
• This is appropriate for filming scenes that
are of a horror or ghost genre…

9. Low Key Lighting Examples

10. Low Key Lighting in Batman

11. High Key Lighting
• High key lighting uses more filler lights and
the lighting is natural and realistic to our
eyes as it produces sets that are brightly lit
or a sunny day.

12. High Key Lighting Examples

13. High Key Lighting in Iron Man

14. Guess What Lighting is Being
Used… ?