The Answer:

Mise en scène (mee zahn SEN) is a twenty-dollar phrase that means either "the process of setting a stage, with regard to placement of actors, scenery, properties, etc." or "the stage setting or scenery of a play" or "surroundings; environment." It generally means "the process of directing a play or movie," "the direction of a play or movie," "the setting of a play or movie," or "the whole, you know, the feel, man, the style."

You can find a more concise definition of this and other phrases on our Foreign Words and Phrases page.

—The Editors