Mise-en-Scene

Mise-en-Scene

Mise-en-Scene is the French term meaning for "What is put into the scene or frame". 

The main elements of Mise-en-Scene are :

• Settings and props
• Costume, hair and make-up
• Facial expressions and body language
• Lighting and colour
• Positioning of characters and objects in the frame

Settings are where the media text takes place and props are the objects we see in the setting. For example in a Western film , the setting of the film would be set in Western America. The props that would be used are cowboy hats, pistols, spurs on the backs of their boots and waistcoats. 


Costumes are very important as it instantly sets the character. This is because the costume shows what kind of person they are. Revealing, close-fitting clothes look sexy, while clothes that hide the body could make a character seem conservative or shy. Makeup is an extremely important aspect of that because they help establish the film's overall look. In its most extreme form, makeup can be used to convey traumatic wounds or even transform an actor into an alien or inhuman creature.

Facial expressions and body language are very important within the media industry. Facial expressions show a big impact on the emotion of the character. Also body language also can tell whether people are lying, nervous, excited or scared.  For example a person crying instantly shows that the person is upset and to show that someone is scared their body language may be shaky or covering their face. 

Colour and lighting shows a specific mood, emotion and atmosphere to the overall film viewing experience. Without light, it is not possible to see anything, and it is not possible to shoot a film. Lighting set ups can also show different moods. For example putting the light behind the person would create a silhouette which can be shown as mysterious. Without colour it will not set any atmosphere, mood or emotion. For example the colour red can highlight danger or love. Without being able to see this colour, it will be very difficult to be able to work out what may happen next. 

The positioning of actors on stage in one scene will usually affect the possibilities for subsequent positioning unless the stage is cleared between scenes. A different positioning of shots conveys different ideas to the viewer. For example, a montage containing a negative theme followed by a positive theme may give the viewer the idea that the positive theme is the main theme of the montage.