Mise-en-scene refers to everything visible within a single shot, including colour, costume, props, set/location, blocking/performance, and lighting. It provides clues about characters and situations through deliberate creative choices. Analysing mise-en-scene relies on understanding how these elements use signs/codes to communicate meaning. Colour, costume, props, and location/set are dressed purposefully to provide symbolic meanings and cultural context. Blocking and performance cover actor positioning and movement in relation to other actors and the camera. Lighting can be high-key or low-key, using contrast between light and dark for dramatic effect.

1. MIS-EN-SCENE
Mise-en-scene is French for ‘placed in the scene’. The term was first used in theatre and referred to the
way in which a director organised the stage. However, in media or filmstudies, it is used to describe
everything that can be seen in a single shot. Analysing mise-en-scene relies on the understanding of
semiotics.
Semiotics is the study of signs, and has the basic principle that all communication is made with a
combination of signs (aka codes). Our understanding of any communication is related to our ability to
decode these signs
Colour
Symbolicuse of colourcan appearinseveral places – the set,the lighting,
the costumes/make upetc. Connotationsof colourare generallysowell
understoodthattheyare evenusedinchildren’stexts.Also,certaincolours
can make an objector personiconic- theyalsocan produce a psychological
reaction.
Costume
Costume can be consideredtoinclude clothes,hairandmake-up.Itcreatesan
identityandpersonalityforthe characters.Itformsa cultural code – the
audience understandhowcostume etcprovidesclues/codesaboutpeople and
situations.The selectionof costumeswill be deliberate,inkeepingwiththeir
character on the one handand the designconceptforthe textasa whole
Props
Propsare any objectsusedwithinthe frame.Theymaybe usedtodressthe setor
be usedby the actors. Theycan have symbolicsignificance –expressingmood,
character traitsetc.
Set/Location
A setwill have beenbuiltforfilmingandismostlikelypart of a studiocomplex.
Locationshootinginvolvesleavingthe studioenvironmentandfilminginexisting
locationsthathave been‘scouted’assuitable. Whateversettinghasbeenused,it
isimportantto rememberthatithas beendressedpurposefully.

2. Blocking/Performance
Blockingreferstothe positioningandmovementof actorswithinthe frame,
bothin relationtoeachotherand inrelationtothe camera(whichrepresents
us,the audience).Performance coversall aspectsof the actual acting –
gesture,expression,accentetc.
Lighting
There are twomainapproachesto lightingascene;high-keylightingandlow-keylighting.High-keylightingensures
evenlightacrossthe frame withlittle ornoshadow or dark areas – it has little dramaticeffect.Low-keylighting
allowsforhighcontrastbetweenlightanddarkwithinthe frame,withshadow oftenbeingusedfordramaticeffect
(eg:horror films).Anotheruseful termisambientlighting –thismeansthat a scene hasbeenlitusingavailable light
(or perhapstolooklike natural light)