ABSTRACT
Most people who use screen media in their everyday lives for entertainment or information evaluate what they see largely in terms of the storyline and the personalities on screen. This chapter develops an understanding of the connection between a screen text's visual style and its meaning, mood and theme. Because style and content are intrinsically interconnected, it explores the relationships between subject matter and aesthetic components like composition, performance, costume, setting and lighting. In arguing that style can convey meaning, the chapter suggests that the fictional world constructed on the screen can express, dramatise, add to or distract from a story's atmosphere and thematic content. Mise en scène is a French theatrical term meaning to place on a stage, or to stage an action. It refers to everything that can be seen on the screen, including four key elements: costume, performance, setting and lighting.
