What is Mise en Scene?

Mise en Scene in translation from French is 'to put in the scene'.

This means that when we look at the mise en scene of a media product we analyse what is in the shot.

It's used to tell the audience essential information about what is happening without the use of a narrative.

There are 5 key elements when looking at the mise en scene of a shot these are:

• Setting and props used - this can help us to identify the genre immediately.
• Costumes - helps the audience discover the general culture of characters and the time in which the film/tv show is set. Costumes can also help us to identify the beliefs and class of each character (e.g. we would expect a stereotypical businessman to be wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase).
• Body Language - this can help us to discover the feelings and possible actions of each character.
• Lighting and colour - different types of lighting are used to distinguish important objects/characters in each shot.
• Positions within the frame - this element of mise en scene can be used to tell the audiences about the relationships between characters.