: Visual Design

Mise-En-Scene
French term that means...Placed onstage or for film...placed in the frame.

How does "mise-en scene" translate to film?

What is in the frame.
Objects that are placed in front of the camera before the camera rolls.
This includes the performers and things that pertain to their bodies, including costumes and props...Set Design...Lighting...pretty much everything excluding the camera and performance.

Who is responsible for creating the Mise-en-scene?
Director:

Production Designer: In film and television, a production designer or P.D. is the person responsible for the physical overall look of a filmed event such as a TV program, video game, music video, or advertisement. Production designers have a key creative role in the creation of motion pictures and television. Working directly with the director and producer, they must select the settings and style to visually tell the story. The term "production designer" was coined by William Cameron Menzies while he was working on the film Gone with the Wind.

Art Director: the art director is in charge of the overall visual appearance and how it communicates visually, stimulates moods, contrasts features, and psychologically appeals to a target audience. The art director makes decisions about visual elements used, what artistic style to use, and when to use motion. One of the most difficult problems that art directors face is to translate desired moods, messages, concepts, and underdeveloped ideas into imagery. During the brainstorming process, art directors, co-workers, and clients are engaged in imagining what the finished piece or scene might look like. At times, an art director is ultimately responsible for solidifying the vision of the collective imagination while resolving conflicting agenda and inconsistencies between the various individual inputs.
Art Department

What is the purpose of controlling the mise-en-scene?

Good art direction advances the following:
 $Themes and meaning
 $$Character psychology
 $Conducts our emotional responses--has an impact on what we feel and when we feel it. 
 $Supports the narrative by creating memorable characters
 $Provides balance within the frame using color, texture, and silhouette.
To discern Mise En Scene focus on the background patterns, symbols, colors, lighting, and  costume design to find meaning to enhance/propel the narrative forward.

1-Hour Film School w/ Sam Mendes and Conrad L. Hall Analyze the 'American Beauty' Storyboard
Search the above in YouTube