Some description of some of the main aspects of Mise en Scene.

1. Mise En Scene
Mise-en-Scene is the arrangement of everything in a scene:
-Actors
-Lighting
-Décor
-Props
-Costume
-Make-up
The term Mise-en-Scene is taken from a French theatrical expression
meaning roughly, ‘’put into the scene’’. So simply put it describes the
stuff that is in a frame and how it is arranged.
It is made up of the visual information which you are able to identify
in front of the camera.

2. Setting & Props
The setting and the location play a very important role when making a film, they are part
of nearly every scene you will see and it gives the audience a sense of the atmosphere,
they aren’t just backgrounds.
Sets are either built from scratch or a lot of time is spent searching for an ideal setting
which already exists it film in. This is maybe one of the most important aspects when it
comes to film-making because this will give the audience a sense of what kind of film it is
which they are watching.
For example, if there are characters travelling through a dark and misty forest then you
know it is probably a horror film. The audience know this only because of the setting.
Settings can manipulate an audience
to make them feel something or build
up tension and then it takes a
different turn. All settings are thought
about for a long time to make the
atmosphere in a film perfect.

3. Costume, Hair & Make-Up
This immediately tells the audience when the film is set, whether it is in the past, present
or future and what society/culture it is based on.
It also acts as an instant indicator to the audience of a characters personality, status or job.
For example, if someone is wearing a suit you know they probably work in an office
whereas if someone is wearing a hard hat you know they are probably a builder.
Certain objects of clothing can instantly signify what group or background a person has.
(A black cloak of a vampire or a police outfit).
Furthermore it can tell us if a person has been injured or if they are in a rush.
If a women has messy hair you know she
is probably in a rush whereas if she has
neat hair you know she is organised.
Also, if someone has a cut on their head
you know that they have been injured.

4. Positioning of characters & Objects
within a frame
The positioning of something can be very important because this makes us draw our
attention to something which may be important in the scene. This could be an object like a
book or a person.
Positioning can be used to show a relationship between two people. If they are sitting close
to each other they are probably close friends or in a relationship whereas if they are sitting
far apart they probably don’t like each other or don’t know each other.
Also, where someone stands in a scene can represent someone's importance to society.
This can be useful if in a scene someone is trying to be belittled.
You would use a high and low angle shot to represent this.
If someone in the middle of the frame and
above everyone else this makes them look
more important. This is often used to show a
father figure or someone in charge.

5. Colour & Lighting
Cinematography
Lighting and colour can be used to achieve a variety of effects in a scene:
 To highlight how important a person or an object is within a scene.
 To make characters or objects look mysterious by shading sections of a face, body or
item.
 To reflect a characters mental state and hidden emotions.
Low Key Lighting
 Created by using only key and back lights.
 It produces sharp contrasts of light and dark areas in a scene.
 Creates deep, distinct shadows and silhouettes.
This is often used in horror films.
High Key Lighting
 More filler lights are used.
 It looks natural and more realistic to the audience
 Produces brightly lit sets or a sunny day.

6. Body Language & Facial Expression
Facial expression is used to show a persons feelings and mood in a film. It can be used in a
lot of different ways.
It can just be a close up of an eye staring at someone or it could be someone sobbing.
There are a lot of different ways in which facial expression could be used to manipulate the
audience.
Furthermore, body language and facial expression are usually used together and a mid
shot usually shows this. It can be useful to show body language and facial expression so
the audience can understand the mood and atmosphere of a scene and also to show a
relationship between two or more people.
For example, if someone has their arms open when
walking towards someone and they are smiling then
they are probably happy to see them and want to
give them a hug.
Whereas if someone is walking away from someone
slouched over and looking unhappy then they are
probably upset with the person they are walking
away from.