Mise-en-scene refers to all the visual elements that a director can control within a frame, whether planned or not. It includes setting, costume, lighting, staging of actors, and movement. Early filmmaker George Méliès had near-total control over mise-en-scene elements through building one of the first film studios. Mise-en-scene guides audience attention through composition and uses of space, time, color, and movement to shape understanding of narrative and add meaning to scenes.

1. Chapter 4
The Shot: Mise-en-Scene
1
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2. What Is Mise-en-Scene?
• Elements that appear in the frame that the
director has control over, whether they are
planned or not.
2
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3. The Power of Mise-en-Scene
• Notions of realism vary across cultures, over
time, and among individuals.
• Sometimes style precludes realism.
• Evaluation should involve function,
motivation, and the element’s relation to the
rest of the film.
3
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4. The Power of Mise-en-Scene
• George Méliès built one of the first film
studios.
• This allowed him total control over every
element in the frame.
4
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5. Components of Mise-en-Scene:
Setting
• Design can shape how we understand story
action.
• Choices can involve color, existing or
constructed locales, use of props, and overall
size.
5
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6. Components of Mise-en-Scene:
Costume and Makeup
• Can have specific functions in the causality of
a film’s events.
• Can be realistic or stylized.
• Interacts with setting.
• Digital technology also plays a role.
6
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7. Components of Mise-en-Scene:
Lighting
• Creates a composition and guides attention.
• Creates shape and texture through highlights
and shadows.
• Features include its quality, direction, source,
and color.
• Computers aid filmmakers in creating lighting
schemes in films with simulated figures and
settings.
7
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8. Components of Mise-en-Scene:
Staging; Movement and Performance
• Involves the placement and movement of figures, as
well as the actors’ performance.
• An actor’s performance is individualistic; it can be
realistic, or highly stylized.
• Motion and performance capture allow for realistic
CGI characters.
• Is best evaluated in terms of functions and
motivation within the film as a whole as well as in
the context of other techniques.
8
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9. Putting It All Together: Mise-en-
Scene in Space and Time
• In L’Avventura, the filmmaker guides the
audience’s attention through juxtaposing
physical shapes with surroundings, position,
movement, and use of props.
• This adds to the meaning of the scene.
9
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10. Space
• Screen space refers to the overall composition
of the shot. This can guide the viewer’s
attention and create meaning.
• Scene space refers to the depth and volume of
the depicted space. It is especially affected by
movement.
10
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11. Time
• Involves the speed and direction of movement
within a shot.
• Our eyes are drawn to movement, and so it
guides our attention.
• Frontality can also guide attention.
11
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12. Narrative Functions of Mise-en-Scene
in Our Hospitality
• Settings divide the film into scenes and create
contrast between them.
• Settings have important narrative functions.
• Costumes highlight plot points and differences
between characters.
• Lighting has both general and specific
functions.
12
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13. Narrative Functions of Mise-en-Scene
in Our Hospitality
• Acting supports the narrative.
• In-depth staging allows for narrative
economy.
• Motifs are used to both unify the narrative but
also function as motivation.
• Mise-en-scene is also used for comedic effect.
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