What the heck is mise-en-scène? Mise-en-scène is a French term and originates in the theatre. It means, literally, "put in the scene." For film, it has a broader meaning, and refers to almost everything that goes into the composition of the shot, including… •
the composition itself: shot framing, camera angle, position and focus
• movement of the camera •
movement of the characters, or position in the frame
• lighting, • set design and •
general visual environment, i.e weather, location and settings, dress codes or costumes, hair and makeup, props and décor etc.
Mise-en-scène can be defined as the articulation of cinematic space, and it is precisely space that it is about. Cutting is about time. Effective mise-en-scène provides the illusion of more space around it
Take a look at the shot from Lolita, and see what you know about the relationship between Hubert and Lolita from the position of the characters, the background details, the nature of the action.