mise en scene
Stage design collectively
Mise en scène is the arrangement of everything visible in a frame—sets, props, lighting, costumes, actor positioning.
The term comes from French theater, meaning "placing on stage." In film criticism, it distinguishes what's captured by the camera from how it's edited: The director's mise en scène creates an atmosphere of claustrophobic dread.
The term extends loosely to any carefully arranged setting or environment.
Motion picture visual craft
- compositionArranged elements forming whole
- lightingArt of illuminating spaces
- framingStructural or contextual shaping
- blockingImpeding forward progress
depth · focus · costume · palette · props · set design · art direction · production design
Rear stage scenery
- propsTheater accessories or praise
- costumesClothes for assuming roles
- lightingArt of illuminating spaces
- set piecesPrearranged tactical plays
stagecraft · blocking · director · proscenium · wings · flats · cyclorama · platforms
cinematography
Motion picture visual craft
- compositionArranged elements forming whole
- lightingArt of illuminating spaces
- framingStructural or contextual shaping
blocking · depth · focus · costume · palette · props · set design · art direction · production design · visual style
backdrop
Rear stage scenery
- propsTheater accessories or praise
- costumesClothes for assuming roles
- lightingArt of illuminating spaces
set pieces · stagecraft · blocking · director · proscenium · wings · flats · cyclorama · platforms · rigging
ambiance
Mood of surroundings
vibe · feeling · air · climate · spirit · character · quality · impression · milieu · temper
- Filmmakingcamera, film director, camcorder, directing, script
- French Loanwordsa la carte, ballet, a la mode, au revoir, bon appetit
- stagingstaging, stage, set, set design, set dressing
- art termspainting, sculpture, drawing, portrait, landscape
- cinematographycamera, lens, shot, shots, lighting
- Art Cinemaart film, arthouse drama, experimental film, French New Wave, nouvelle vague
mise en scenescreenplay
Film's written blueprint
script · dialogue · sound design · soundtrack · score
mise en scenemontage
Assembled sequence of images
cinematography · editing · camera work · post-production · cutting
mise en scenecinéma vérité
Naturalistic documentary approach
unstaged · found footage · improvisation · raw footage · unrehearsed