
Mise-en-scène
Definition
Mise-en-scène refers to all the elements on the screen that reveal important information to the audience. The setting and props, costumes, hair and makeup, lighting design, movement of the actors, and everything else captured by the camera can be involved in the production of meaning.
The term comes from French theatre and means “the action of putting onto the stage”. A play is more than just the dialogue written the script – it is the spectacle of actors and scenery arranged carefully on the stage to engage the audience.
In filmmaking and other media forms, anything placed in the frame can reinforce character development and the themes of the story, such as costume designers carefully selecting clothes to suggest aspects of the character’s personality, status and how they feel.
It doesn’t matter if the story is set in ancient Greece or on a spaceship in another galaxy, set designers use locations and props to encode an appropriate sense of place and time and develop a world that looks convincing on the screen.
In his work on genre, Steve Neale described films as a “series of signifying processes” which create “meanings and positions”. Mise-en-scène analysis is a great approach to develop your knowledge and understanding of how filmmakers use signs to communicate their message to the audience.
Costumes
The clothing worn by the characters should be appropriate for the setting of the story. Costume designers strive for historical accuracy in period dramas and audiences demand attention to detail in war epics. If the narrative takes place in the future, we expect to see characters wearing technologically advanced outfits.
However, each character’s costume will be designed and arranged in a way that will influence our interpretation of their role in the story. For example, consider the representation of Han Solo in Star Wars: A New Hope (1977):

In terms of colour codes, white is often associated with good whereas black signifies evil. The audience are positioned to see Darth Vader as the embodiment of evil because his helmet, mask, armour and cape are all black. His reliance on technology, especially the breathing apparatus, suggests he has lost some of his humanity.
In contrast to the iconic villain, Luke Skywalker is wrapped in a loose, cream-coloured tunic and wears beige trousers and sturdy boots. His outfit is appropriate for working in the harsh desert environment of Tatooine, but the neutral colours also foreshadow his role as hero in the narrative.
Princess Leia is dressed in a floor-length white gown, evoking a sense of purity and royalty. The outfit symbolises her role as the leader of the Rebel Alliance against the tyrannical Galactic Empire.
Han Solo blurs this binary opposition between good and evil. His open collared shirt and unbuttoned vest encode a casual, rebellious and no-nonsense persona. Importantly, the deliberate use of black and white colours conveys the moral ambiguity of the character – he is the smuggler and reluctant hero.
This use of colour is similar to Walter White’s black hat becoming a symbol of his descent into power and corruption when he transforms from a chemistry teacher to a ruthless criminal in the Breaking Bad television series.
Willy Wonka is another obvious example of how dress codes help define character. While everyone else in the original film wears more conventional outfits, his appearance immediately establishes his eccentricity and charm.
The tailored coat, waistcoat, top hat and cane are inspired by Victorian fashion and evoke a sense of formality and tradition. The costume design makes sense because Willy Wonka withdrew from the modern world into his chocolate factory for years, but the theatricality of the vibrant colours suggests he is also a showman who embraces fun and creativity. The representation is a wonderful blend of precision and unpredictability.
It is worth noting costumes often take on further significance in the videogames because they can influence how players interact with the world. In Horizon: Forbidden West (2022), for instance, Aloy’s default outfit is inspired by her tribal culture and the natural world. Her tunic and trousers are made of dark leather with patches of fur and fabric for warmth, the lightweight pieces of armour are crafted from wood and metal scraps, and the decorative beads and feathers signify her connection to the Nora traditions.
As the game progresses, you can unlock other sets by completing quests or purchasing them from the Stitchers. Some outfits emphasise resistance to elemental attacks, while others will increase your concentration limit. You can then upgrade the outfits at workbenches to improve their stats. In this way, the costumes add another level of strategy to the game with players having to prioritise sets based on their playstyle and the demands of each quest.
A change of costume can also signal a change in fortune. According to Vladimir Propp, the hero’s transfiguration in Russian fairytales was often symbolised by new or special clothing, such as the hero receiving royal garments to mark their transition from an ordinary person to their new status as prince or king. This trope is certainly evident in filmmaking.
At the beginning of The Matrix (1999), for example, Neo is dressed in ordinary office clothes for his corporate job and casual wear at home. After taking the red pill, he adopts the leather trench coat and dark sunglasses worn by the other rebels in the simulation. This transfiguration represents his shift from self-doubt to self-actualisation.
Lil Nas X also experiences a transfiguration in his video for Old Town Road (2019) when he updates his traditional cowboy outfit to a more flamboyant version with studs and his name embroidered on the back. This change of clothing is bold expression of self-determination that challenges spaces historically dominated by white, straight masculinity. There is no doubt the rapper defies expectations with his unique sound and style.
Clothes are such an important aspect of our personal identity, it’s no surprise costume designers make sure characters are dressed in a way that supports their story and engages the audience.
Hair and Makeup
Hair and makeup artists will collaborate with the wardrobe department to deliver styles that work for the characters. For instance, villains are often dressed in black costumes to intimidate the audience, but their evil presence will be reinforced by exaggerated makeup. The green skin of the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz (1939) and the angular cheekbones of the eponymous villain in Maleficent (2014) are two good examples of this interplay between costumes and makeup.
Another archetype is the mad scientist with wild hair to convey their manic energy, such as “Fronkensteen” in Young Frankenstein (1974) or Doc Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy.
In the Hunger Games franchise, the elaborate wigs and extravagant makeup reflect the excess and artificiality of the elite which in stark contrast to the natural looks of the oppressed Districts. One of the most memorable representations has to be Caesar Flickerman and his teeth! The incredibly chic Effie Trinket epitomises the opulence of the Capitol, so it is particularly poignant when she appears in a drab grey outfit and more subdued makeup in Mocking Jay Part One (2014).
In Alien3 (1992), Ripley is forced to shave her head due to a lice infestation in the prison colony. Her long hair in the previous films signified her femininity and reflected her role as a maternal figure, especially in Aliens (1986) where she developed a mother-daughter bond with Newt. Her shaved head and gaunt appearance suggest a loss of that identity and her determination to survive in this hostile, masculine environment.

Of course, meanings do not have to be fixed or stable. In Legally Blonde (2001), for example, Elle Woods defies the stereotype of the “dumb blonde” when her pink outfits and perfect hair become a symbol of her intelligence and unapologetic femininity as the story progresses.
Props
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) is a good example of how filmmakers use mise-en-scène to establish characters because there are five winners of the golden tickets, and each one needs to be introduced quickly and efficiently to the audience.
The first lucky winner is Augustus Gloop.

The director, Mel Stuart, draws attention to the character’s gluttony by setting the scene in a restaurant – an obvious signifier of good food. His plates are piled high with pastries, sausages and other delicacies. When asked how he feels to be a winner, he replies, “Hungry.” This exaggeration of his insatiable appetite sets the stage for his downfall in the factory’s chocolate river.
The second winner is Veruca Salt. Her introduction takes place in a peanut factory owned by her wealthy father who has instructed his entire workforce to open candy bars in search of a golden ticket. The stacks of wrappers and boxes of Wonka bars represent the huge effort he is dedicating to fulfilling his daughter’s extravagant whim.
Her spoilt nature is clear from her performance, especially the demand that the “twerps” work nights until the ticket is found. In terms of props, look closely where she is sitting in the opening shot:

It’s her father’s chair with his jacket draped over the back. The way she swivels in the chair tells you everything you need to know about her sense of entitlement. She is the boss and her “bad egg” fate is a direct result of her greed and selfish tantrums.
In terms of Roland Barthes’ narrative codes, props can also be symbolic. For example, the floating feather at the beginning and end of Forest Gump (1994) which connotes the protagonist’s simple approach to life – he goes where the wind takes him.
The spinning top in Inception (2010) is another interesting structural device. Cobb carries the toy because it belonged to his deceased wife, and he is unable to let go of her memory. However, the protagonist also uses the top as his totem – an object to determine if he is in the real world or a dream. If the top falls, he believes he is free. If the top keeps spinning, he believes he is trapped in an illusion. By choosing to walk away from the spinning top at the end of the story, Cobb is rejecting his obsession with proving reality to focus on spending time with his children. The final spin is left unresolved, forcing the audience to question our own sense of reality.

Setting
Some settings are commonly associated with specific genres, but the locations are also used to communicate meanings. The dark alleyways and rain-soaked streets of film noir encode the moral ambiguity of the characters, the vast deserts and frontier towns in Westerns evoke themes of lawlessness and the desire for social order, and the haunted houses and isolated forests serve as warning to audiences not to stray too far from the comfort of their civilised worlds.
Charlie’s home is carefully designed to convey the family’s financial struggles: the walls are whitewashed and uneven, the ceilings are slanted, and all the furniture is simple and functional. The lack of space is emphasised by the fact all four of his grandparents share one bed.

Despite the signifiers of poverty, the Buckets’ home represents warmth and family unity. Of course, the bleakness of the setting contrasts with the magical colour of the chocolate factory and reinforces the story’s core message that goodness and humility will triumph over wealth and greed.
Hall and Whannel (1967) argued advertisers depict products in an “attractive and desirable social setting” so there is a “fairly simple transfer of feelings from one to the other”. In our analysis of advertising grades, we explored how an advertisement evoked desire for a new laptop by depicting it in a luxurious setting to encourage the consumer to transfer their feelings of aspiration to the product.
Consider this advertisement for J’adore perfume:
Released in 2021, the sequence features Charlize Theron walking through a magnificent hallway full of golden statues, crystal chandeliers and painted ceilings. It is a “beautiful” palace. After the actress ascends through the oculus, she claims she has left the extravagant past behind and entered a “a new world” of skyscrapers where the “the future is gold”. Instead of focusing on the benefits of the perfume, the advertiser is positioning the audience to desire the product by locating it in these fantastical settings.
Lighting and Colour
Lighting and colour grading are other aspects of mise-en-scène worth analysing because they are more than just technical choices. Low-key lighting is commonly used in horror and noir films because the high contrast and deep shadows make the audience question what is lurking in the shadows. The bright illumination of high-key lighting in romantic comedies feels more open and optimistic.
In terms of colour grading, horror films might use red tints to create a sense of danger whereas the science fiction genre relies on neon blues and greens to appear futuristic. If the American film or television show uses a yellow-coloured or sepia filter, the story probably takes place in Mexico.
It is impossible to ignore the shift from black and white to wonderful technicolour in The Wizard of Oz (1949) which remains one of the spectacular moments in cinema history.
Some contemporary films are shot in black and white to help support their intended meanings. For example, Schindler’s List (1993) uses high-contrast lighting to reinforce the bleakness of the Holocaust, making the vibrant red coat worn by a little girl a more powerful symbol of lost innocence. The Lighthouse (2019) features scenes with only a lantern to illuminate the space which adds to the claustrophobic and nightmarish atmosphere.
Sound Design
Mise-en-scène is normally associated with the visual elements in the frame, but sound design can also be involved in the production of meaning and the audience’s engagement with the story. Think about the pleasing sort of dread you experience when you hear the slow creak of a door opening in a horror film or the adrenaline of the car chase full of vrooming engines and screeching wheels in an action film.
Even detailed set designs will feel empty and artificial without appropriate noise. The audience would not be drawn into Willy Wonka’s world of sheer imagination if the machines in the chocolate factory did not beep, boop, clatter and clack. By contrast, the absence of sound in A Quiet Place (2018) and The Silence (2019) makes every noise feel dangerous and terrifying.
Perhaps one of the most immersive cinematic experiences is the opening sequence in Saving Private Ryan (1998) when the U.S. Army lands on Omaha Beach as part of the Normandy invasion. Their battle against heavy artillery and machine gun fire from German forces positioned along the coast is full of gruesome violence. The sound design enhances the harrowing realism of the scene, especially the muffled sounds of bullets ripping through the water or the high-pitched ring of shell-shocked soldiers. It’s no surprise the film won the Best Sound and Best Sound Effects Editing at the Oscars in 1999.
In sci-fi films, the audience are often positioned inside the helmet when a character journeys into the silent vacuum of space. The only sound we hear is their breathing, creating a strong sense of claustrophobia and isolation. It also makes the vast emptiness seem even more intense. This is used to great effect in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and, more recently, in the likes of Gravity (2013) and Interstellar (2014).
Non-diegetic sound can also influence our reaction to a scene. The piercing violin screeches intensify the terror of the shower scene in Psycho (1960) and the two-note “dun dun” in Jaws (1975) builds tremendous tension before the shark attacks. Both sounds are as iconic as the visual elements portrayed on the screen.
Performance (Blocking)
The positioning of characters and movement in the frame can reveal information about their relationships. A character standing over another character suggests dominance, two characters sitting on opposite sides of the room could signify the emotional distance between them, and a character surrounded by others might feel trapped.
The YouTube channel, Every Frame a Painting, did a fantastic piece of analysis of scenes from Drive (2011) which is definitely worth viewing:
We are going to finish with a look at the other ticket winners in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Violet Beauregarde is interviewed on television and immediately comes across as competitive and self-assured. She brags about chewing the same piece of gum for “three months solid” – a new world record.

When Violet grabs the microphone, it shows her desire to be the centre of attention. She now occupies the centre of the frame. The television format reminds the audience of the global media frenzy surrounding the competition, but it also positions her as someone who thrives on public validation. Her inflated ego results in her physical inflation into a giant blueberry in Wonka’s factory.
Mike Teevee is obsessed with television: “It’s what life’s all about”. The scene begins with a shot of a Western playing on the screen and cuts to his living room where he eats his TV dinners. His mother comments, “He’s never even been to the table”.
Despite the scrum of reporters demanding his attention, Mike refuses to be interrupted until there is a station break. He dresses like the cowboys he idolises in his favourite Westerns and the toy gun he brandishes adds a layer of aggression and recklessness to his character.

His performance establishes his addiction to television and disregard for consequences, leading to his inevitable punishment in the “Television Room”. Perhaps his transformation into a tiny figure symbolises the negative impact heavy media consumption can have on the audience.
Final Thoughts
Filmmaking is an incredible collaborative effort between the set designers, prop masters, the costume department, makeup artists, lighting team, sound engineers, and the various teams involved in post-production. However, everything in front of the camera needs to be carefully arranged to support the director’s vision.
Audiences don’t go to the cinema to watch actors reading a script. We want to experience the world of the story and connect with the characters.
Mise-en-scène is also useful for discussions on genre, especially the iconography associated with specific types of films.
The next time you are streaming a film, take screenshots and pick out elements of the mise-en-scène to analyse how the filmmakers are communicating their ideas to the audience. Don’t focus on single frames because signs often derive their meaning from their relationships to other signs in the sequence.