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Make Your Point > Archived Issues > MISE EN SCENE

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"All the world’s a stage," says Shakespeare's Jacques in As You Like It, and "all the men and women merely players."

And all the set pieces, the props and the backdrops? Those are the mise en scene. 

The mise en scene is literally the "setting on the stage." Can you recall the literal meaning of a similar term: mise en place?

make your point with...

"MISE EN SCENE"

This phrase is French for "setting on stage."

Strictly speaking, in theater or in cinematography, mise en scene is the scene's appearance or setup: the stage settings, including the lighting, the backdrops, the furniture, etc.

And more loosely speaking, mise en scene is the setting or background of any event in time and/or space.

 
Pronunciation:
MEEZE on SEN

Part of speech:
Noun, the uncountable kind: "let's consider the mise en scene," "the mise en scene is complex."

Other forms:
The plural form is rare, but if you need it, use "mises-en-scène," and if you prefer, leave out the hyphens: "mises en scène."

How to use it:

Some writers use italics, hyphens, and an accent mark: mise-en-scène. Most today, though, leave out all three: mise en scene.

You might talk specifically about the mise en scene in a certain play, story, film, novel, television episode or series, etc. Or, you might talk more generally about the mise en scene of some historical or current event, especially when you need to emphasize how that event played out as if it were a story on a stage.

But it's such a fancy term. So stagey. It calls so much attention to itself. Maybe a more appropriate word for your idea could be milieu, landscape, or zeitgeist.

examples:

"Austrian cinematographer Christian Bergeruses utilizes the ambient light of his Maltese sun to create painterly compositions of astonishing beauty, bringing to full liveliness the European setting... As Miss Jolie ambles along the shoreline, it is one of the few moments of true losing oneself in the masterly mise en scene."
   — Eric Althoff, Washington Times, 13 November 2015

"The mise en scene: picturesque, woodsy Jackson Township, N.J., a rapidly suburbanizing municipality 40 miles from New York in the northern periphery of the state's vast Pine Barrens forest. The town is in the throes of a culture clash, with new residents tucking $250,000 houses deep into the woods, imposing suburbia on crusty Pineys (as some locals call themselves) who are struggling to maintain an individualistic way of life..."
   — Joe Sharkey, The New York Times, 7 February 1999

has this page helped you understand "mise en scene"?

   

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Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.




study it:

Explain the meaning of "mise en scene" without saying "backdrop" or "setting."

try it out:

Think of a book you read that got made into a movie. Fill in the blanks: "The mise en scene is (just right, nearly perfect, a little odd, or totally different from how I imagined it), with _____."

Example: "The mise en scene is just how I imagined it, with drafty castle hallways, walls crammed with enormous paintings, and endless stones and archways."




before you review, play:

Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.

Our game this month is "Inspired by, but in no way associated with, the game show Chain Reaction."

In each issue, try filling in both puzzles—the easier one and the tougher one—by supplying the terms to complete the chains. 

From the previous issue:


An easier puzzle:

   Advocate
   F__
   Rent

A tougher puzzle: 

   Manifest
   D______
   A_____
   Judgment

Answers:

   Advocate
   For
   Rent

   Manifest
   Destiny
   Awaits
   Judgment

Give these a try today:


An easier puzzle:

   Landscape
   S_____
   Chain

A tougher puzzle: 

   Inherent
   R___
   I_
   Kids

review this word:

1. MISE EN SCENE is a type of

A. STORY.
B. EXPENSE.
C. ATMOSPHERE.

2. MasterClass breaks mise en scene into ten components, including _____.

A. joy, nuance, and ambiguity
B. location, costumes, and depth of space
C. drums, chord progressions, and vocal samples



1. C
2. B



a final word:

Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From Liesl's blog:
   36 ways to study words.
   Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
   How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.

To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.


Disclaimer:
When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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