Mise-en-scène is a French phrase which means “the things in the scene.”1
This phrase is a classic part of film theory which emphasizes the importance of all the things that go into any shot in a movie. That includes the location and scenery, the actors, the lighting, the motion, etc.
The idea is that every element that you put in front of the camera should have a bearing on the development of the story. In theory, the more “things in the scene” are relevant to or representative of the themes of the film, the more impactful the film will be.
You don’t have to be Steven Spielberg to take advantage of mise-en-scène.
Before posting or recording any piece of content, simply take a moment to ask yourself two questions:
- How many of the things in this post could point to the value I am trying to communicate?
- Is there any minor or background element that was overlooked which might accidentally be detracting from the overall effect?
- If you are interested in cooking or baking, you may be familiar with a similar phrase, mise en place, or “everything in place,” which is used to describe the first step of collecting all your ingredients and tools in front of you before you begin. ↩︎
