Mise en scène

Mise en scène has been called film criticism's "grand undefined term," but that is not because of a lack of definitions. Rather, it's because the term has so many different meanings that there is little consensus about its definition.

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The term stems from the theater where, in French, mise en scène means literally "putting into the scene" or "setting in scene." When applied to the cinema, then, mise en scène refers to everything that appears before the camera and its arrangement – sets, props, actors, costumes, and lighting. Mise en scène also includes the positioning and movement of actors on the set, which is called blocking.

Related Topics:
French - Camera - Actors - Blocking

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This narrow definition of mise en scène is not shared by all critics. For some, it refers to all elements of visual style ? that is, both elements on the set and aspects of the camera. And for others, such as Andrew Sarris it takes on mystical meanings related to the emotional tone of a film.

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It has also come to represent a style of conveying the information of a scene primarily through a single shot – often accompanied by camera movement. It is to be contrasted with montage-style filmmaking ? multiple angles pieced together through editing.

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In German filmmaking in the of the 1910s and 1920s one can observe tone, meaning, and narrative information conveyed through mise en scène. Perhaps the most famous example of this is The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) where a character's internal state of mind is represented through set design and blocking.

Related Topics:
German - 1910s - 1920s - The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

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The similar-sounding, but unrelated term, "metteurs en scène" was used by the auteur theory to disparagingly label directors who did not put their personal vision into their films.

Related Topics:
Auteur theory - Director

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Mise*En*Scene is also the name of a Belgian punk/ska group.

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