Mise-En-Scene basically means everything that appears on the screen. Things like the casting of the characters, their clothing, the details of the environment, props, decor etc.
It is a french term that means "placing on stage". The frame and camerawork also constitute the Mise-En-Scene of a movie.
Setting - location and environment where action takes place, colours used to light the action, exterior/interior, time of day.
Wardrobe - importance of costume for certain characters, make-up, hair.
Props - what is visible in the frame, where are they? (in or out of focus)
Acting - positioning of actors, interaction with each other, casting.
Placement - how all of these things are positioned within the composition of a shot.
Effect - on the audience. For example, the mood, tension, atmosphere, emotion, implicit/explicit meaning.
My Own Analysis of Mise-En-Scene (Notes)
These are the notes I made in class as the whole class watched the opening 20 minutes of a film. it is showing how I analyzed the clip and the sort of stuff I monitored throughout the clip.
- the music fits in with the images on screen
- jump cut from scene to scene
- mysterious music helps build tension throughout the scenes, misty background to add to the mysterious effect
- shouting aggressively down the phone
- silhouettes in the background get our attention
- sound effects of the flick knife make the movement of the knife more dramatic
- the noises that occur when he is being stabbed also add to the drama
- there was a moment of eye contact, where the characters were looking at each others reactions to what just happened
- sound of the bells introduces the funeral
- sound of seagulls and fairground rides shows they're at the seaside, and the beach in the background
- his body language changes; paranoid
- his reaction was not expected, and he flips the situation
- the music sets every scene
- steady cam shot and handheld shot (point of view)
