d since the beginning of movies. In Westerns, the good guys wore white while the bad wore black (Mogel, 2000). Details are important to the overall effect of a good film. 'Mise-en-scene' encompasses both what the audience can see and the way in which they are invited to see it. Some elements of 'mise-en-scene' shall be examined, supported by examples, to understand how they work to create meaning on screen.
             Notorious, by Alfred Hitchcock (1946), roped in the expressive power of lighting, particularly in the long take which begins the second sequence of the film. Alicia Huberman (played by Ingrid Bergman) is conducting a soiree. As she and her tipsy guests talk or dance, they are illuminated evenly and unremarkably. As the scene develops, Alicia directs her attention towards a guest in the background. This silent man (Cary Grant) sits with his back to the camera, at the edge of the light which falls on others. He remains silent when Alicia blames him for being a party-crasher, or even when she openly admires him.
             The organization of light, camera, and actors enables a series of suggestive reading. Grant's darkened silhouette makes it look as if he was sitting in the row in front of the audience in the cinema. The audience joins Grant in his observation and shares a similar perspective. Grant scrutinizes Bergman, as the audience does, but the audience is unable to scrutinize Grant. In retrospect, this can be viewed as an informing image for the film: Grant's character remains an onlooker for most of the movie and continues to view Alicia judgementally (Gibbs, 2002).
             In Red (1999) by Krzysztof Kieslowski, a piece of visual design that reveals meaning is the use of lighting. The strongest and most symbolic uses of lighting take place in the Judge's (played by Jean-Louis Trintignant) house and predominantly during the conversations between the Judge and Valentine (played by Irene Jacob). Most of the conversations between the Judge...