Mise-en-scene is a French term that refers to everything visible within a single shot or scene in a film. It includes six key areas: color, costume, props, set/location, blocking/performance, and lighting. Color, costume, and lighting can be used symbolically to convey meaning and mood. Props are any objects used on screen that can have symbolic significance. The location is either a purpose-built set or real location that has been chosen and dressed deliberately. Blocking refers to the positioning of actors, and performance covers aspects of acting like gestures and expressions.

1. Mise-en-Scene Summer Roberts-Nicholas
What does Mise-en-Scene mean?
Mise-en-Scene isaFrenchwordand whentranslated,means‘placedinthe scene’.The termwas
firstusedintheatre andreferredtothe way inwhicha directororganised the stage.Inmediaor
filmstudies,itisusedtodescribe everythingthatcanbe seenina single shot.AnalysingMise-en-
scene reliesonsome understandingof semiotics.
What are the 6 key areas of Mise-en-Scene?
The six keyareas of Mise-en-Scene are;colour,costume,props,set/location,blockingand
performance,andlighting.
Colour:
How iscolourusedinthe 2 belowpictures?
Colourisverysymbolic,itcan appearinseveral places –the set,the lighting,the costumes,the
make-up,etc.Connotationsof colourare generallysowell understoodthattheyare evenusedin
children’stexts.
In the firstpicture,CruelaD’evil iswearingawhite longcoatwithredon the inside.Thisconnotes
the deathof the puppieswiththeirwhitecoatandtheirbloodonthe inside.The differencein
colouron herhair alsoconveysthatshe has a splitpersonalitybecauseof the use of two
completelycontrastingcolours.The coloursredandblack(whichcanbe seenonherdress) also
have connotationswithevil anddark characters – andare stereotypicallywhatanantagonist
wouldwear.
In the thirdpicture of Cinderella,itusesvery conventionalcolours.The darknessinthe
background,conveysanideathatshe may be surroundedbydarknessandbecause of the bright
coloursof her dress,itgivesthe impressionof herbeingthe lightinthe middle of the darkness.
The blue at the bottomof the image portrayssadness,because she livesahardlife.

2. Mise-en-Scene Summer Roberts-Nicholas
Costume:
What can we interpretfromthese costumes?
Costume can be consideredtoinclude clothes,hairandmake-up.Itcreatesanidentityand
personalityforthe characters.Itformsa cultural code – the audience understandhow costume
etc. providesclues/codesaboutpeople andsituations.The selectionof costumeswill deliberate,
inkeepingwiththeircharacteronthe one hand andthe designconceptforthe textas a whole.
The use of costume inimage one,verystereotypicallyshowspovertyandthattheyare extremely
chavvy.The use of pufferjacketsandbomberjacketsshowsthattheyare lowerclassbecause
thistype of clothingischeaperthanin the clothinginpicture twofor example.Inimage two,
comparedto image one,theirhairisperfectlybrushedandtheyare stoodupmore straightthan
the familyinimage one.Inaddition,the manonthe lefts scarf is perfectlyplacedaroundhis
neck.
Props:
Option 1 - You have to provide propsfora tense police interview betweentwoofficersandone
suspectedmurderer.Decide whatpropsyouwouldincorporate andhow the actorsshouldbe
directedtouse them.
Option 2 – You have to provide propsfora romanticmeal betweentwocharactersontheirfirst
date.Decide whatpropsyouwouldincorporate andhow the actors shouldbe directedtouse
them.
Propsneeded:
Propsare any objectsusedwithinthe frame.Theymaybe usedtodressthe setor be usedbythe
actors. They can have symbolicsignificance –expressingmood,charactertraits,etc.Anexample
of thiscouldbe doctor whowithhissonicscrewdriver,orstarwars withtheirlightsavers.
Location:
Can be a purpose builtsetora real location
A setwill have beenbuiltforfilmingandismostlikelypartof a studiocomplex.Locationshooting
involves leavingthe studioenvironmentandfilminginexistinglocationsthathave been
“scouted”as suitable.Whateversettinghasbeenused,itisimportanttorememberthatithas
beendressedpurposefully.InJune 2011, Brad PittspenttwoweeksfilmingforWorldWar Z in
Glasgow…whichwasdressedtolooklike wartornPhiladelphia!

3. Mise-en-Scene Summer Roberts-Nicholas
Blocking/Performance:
• Blockingreferstothe positioningandmovementof actorswithin the frame,bothinrelationto
each otherandin relationtothe camera (whichrepresentsus,the audience)
Performance coversall aspectsof the actual acting – gesture,expression,accentetc.
Lighting:
How islightingbeingusedtocreate moodinthe followingexamples?
There are twomainapproachesto lightingascene:high-keylightingandlow-keylighting. High-
keylightingensuresevenlightacrossthe frame withlittle ornoshadow or darkareas – ithas
little dramaticeffect.Low-keylightingallowsforhighcontrastbetweenlightanddarkwithinthe
frame,with shadow oftenbeingusedfordramaticeffect(e.g.horrorfilms)anotheruseful term
us ambientlighting–thismeansthat a scene hasbeenlitusingavailable light(orperhapstolook
like natural light)