MISE-EN-SCENE

a french term meaning what it is put into a scene or frame, it is the visual information which is in front of the camera and communicates essential information to the audience.

The five elements of mise-en-scene:

• setting and props
• costume, hair and make-up
• facial expressions and body language
• lighting and colour
• positioning of characters/objects within the frame

These elements are all crucial to the making of a successful film because they help to establish a scene and they can portray different pieces of information to the audience which may have not been initially noted upon.

A brief extension upon two elements of mise-en-scene: 

 COSTUME, HAIR AND MAKE-UP

• act as an instant indicator to us of a character's personality, status and job
• depict the time period/setting and culture immediately

BODY LANGUAGE AND FACIAL EXPRESSIONS

• clear indicator of how someone is feeling (towards a certain person or situation)

Mise-en-scene is very important to the directing and producing of a piece of visual media because different settings, scene layouts and lighting all provide many connotations for the audience to decipher.