mise-en-scene
Scene's total design
Mise-en-scene is everything visible in a film frame—the arrangement of actors, sets, lighting, costumes, and props.
From French for "placing on stage," the term originated in theater but now belongs primarily to film criticism, where it describes how visual elements compose meaning: The director's mise-en-scene creates an atmosphere of claustrophobic dread.
Also spelled mise en scène.
Crafting theatrical environments
- propsTheater accessories or praise
- costumesClothes for assuming roles
- backdropRear stage scenery
- production designCreating a film's visual environment
art direction · decor · furnishings · dressing · palette · color scheme · period detail · location
Prevailing emotional condition
- ambiencePervading mood of place
- toneQuality of sound
- auraPerceived emanation surrounding someone
- feelPerceive by touch
vibe · ethos · climate · milieu · spirit · character · essence · tenor
Impeding forward progress
- compositionArranged elements forming whole
- framingStructural or contextual shaping
- tableauStriking pictorial arrangement
- choreographyDesigning performance movement sequences
positioning · arrangement · spatial relationships · movement · geography · depth · foreground · background
Art of illuminating spaces
- framingStructural or contextual shaping
- compositionArranged elements forming whole
- depth of fieldZone of acceptable sharpness
- camera anglePosition of the lens
shot selection · long take · tracking shot · panning · dolly zoom · aspect ratio · focus · camera movement
Theater production expertise
- prosceniumTheater's architectural frame
- wingsLimbs for flight
- curtainFabric hung for privacy
- spotlightsFocused theatrical lighting
footlights · scrims · flats · cyclorama · rigging · blackout · cue · prompt
set design
Crafting theatrical environments
production design · art direction · decor · furnishings · dressing · palette · color scheme · period detail · location · architecture
mood
Prevailing emotional condition
feel · vibe · ethos · climate · milieu · spirit · character · essence · tenor · quality
blocking
Impeding forward progress
- compositionArranged elements forming whole
- framingStructural or contextual shaping
- tableauStriking pictorial arrangement
choreography · positioning · arrangement · spatial relationships · movement · geography · depth · foreground · background · sightlines
lighting
Art of illuminating spaces
- framingStructural or contextual shaping
- compositionArranged elements forming whole
- depth of fieldZone of acceptable sharpness
camera angle · shot selection · long take · tracking shot · panning · dolly zoom · aspect ratio · focus · camera movement · color grading
stagecraft
Theater production expertise
- prosceniumTheater's architectural frame
- wingsLimbs for flight
- curtainFabric hung for privacy
spotlights · footlights · scrims · flats · cyclorama · rigging · blackout · cue · prompt · boards
- filmmovies, film, filmmaking, cinematography, film editing
- Filmmakingcamera, film director, camcorder, directing, script
- film termsfilm, auteur, genre, celluloid, 35mm
- stagingstaging, stage, set, set design, set dressing
- cinematographycamera, lens, shot, shots, lighting
- visual culturevisual communication, visual literacy, visual language, visual perception, visual narrative
mise-en-scenedialogue
Spoken exchange between parties
soundtrack · sound design · score · voiceover · audio
mise-en-scenecinéma vérité
Naturalistic documentary approach
found footage · raw footage · naturalism · improvisation · spontaneity
mise-en-scenemontage
Assembled sequence of images
editing · post-production · cutting · CGI · visual effects