This document provides an overview of the film analysis concept of mise-en-scene, which refers to everything visible within the frame of a film including settings, props, costumes, performance, and character positioning. It defines these five elements of mise-en-scene and provides examples to illustrate how each element can be used to convey meaning and influence audience understanding. The document aims to teach students to apply mise-en-scene concepts to analyze short film clips by considering how these elements work together to communicate information visually.

1. A Level Film Studies
Induction
Mise en scene

2. Session Aims
By the end of the session you will be able to:
• Understand the concept of ‘mise en scene’
• Apply the concept to a film extract

3. Definition: Mise En Scene
• A French term meaning what is put into a scene
or frame
• Visual information in front of the camera
• Communicates essential information to the
audience
• Made up of 5 elements: Can you guess what
they are?

4. The 5 Elements of Mise en Scene
• Settings
• Props
• Costume, hair & make up
• Performance, facial expressions, body language.
• Positioning and movement of characters/objects
within the frame
Every aspect of mise-en-
scene has specific
connotations which will
influence our
understanding of the text.

5. 1. Settings
• Settings & Locations play an important part in film-
making and are not just ‘backgrounds’.
• Settings can manipulate an audience by building
certain expectations (these expectations can then be
played with!).
• TASK: What settings might you find in:
1. A Science Fiction Film?
2. A Romantic Comedy?
3. A Horror Film?
4. A Western Film?

6. 2. Props
• Props build on the setting to create a believable ‘world’.
• Props can be used to establish character.
• Props can be used as symbols to connote additional
meanings over and above their material presence.
• ‘At their simplest, props work to give an authentic sense of place,
but can also be used in more complex ways to suggest important
characteristics of particular individuals or even key themes for the
whole film.’
(Benyahia, Gaffney & White, 2006)

7. Devdas (Samanta, 2002)
Possible connotations:
Strong flame = Strong character presence/full of life
Shaky flame = problems with character relationships/health
Dim flame/going out = Character leaving/dying

8. 3. Costume, Hair & Make Up
• Costume, Hair & Make Up can act as an instant
indicator of a character’s personality and status.
• It can tell us immediately whether the film is set in the
present and what society or culture it will centre around.
• Certain costumes can signify certain individuals (i.e.
black cloak of a vampire, Spidey’s Spiderman suit)
• Costumes are used to show difference or similarity
between characters, changes in an individual’s
character or mood as the film progresses and whether
or not they fit in within the setting.

9. Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet (1996)

10. 4. Performance, Facial
Expressions & Body Language
• Facial Expressions provide a clear indicator of how
someone is feeling.
• If someone is smiling broadly, we assume they are
happy but we may get a different feeling if this is
accompanied by scary music.
• Body Language may also indicate how a character
feels towards another character or may reflect the state
of their relationship
• TASK: What meanings/emotions do the following
images convey:

11. Spiderman (Raimi, 2002)

12. The Shining (Kubrick, 1980)

13. 5. Positioning of characters & objects
within a frame
• Positioning within a frame can draw our attention
to an important character/object
• A film-maker can use positioning to indicate
relationships between people
• TASK: What does the positioning in the following
images reveal about the characters/film?

16. Mise En Scene Analysis
• Now, watch the following short clip from 10 Things I
Hate About You (Junger, 1999) and write a short
analysis of the sequence considering the elements we
have discussed…
• Settings
• Props
• Costume, Hair & Make Up
• Facial Expressions & Body Language
• Positioning and movement of characters/objects within the frame