Mise-en-scene deals with the elements that are displayed on screen. Background, props, acting, staging, and lighting all play a vital role in providing the viewer context for what is currently happening. On the other hand, cinematography enhances the emotions that the film evokes within us. Although many mechanisms such as lighting and framing fall under both categories, cinematography introduces a variety of methods that affect how a scene is shot.

There is a multitude of variables to consider when shooting a scene. For instance, changing the speed of motion to make a scene in slow motion is very common in action movies, and it often used to place emphasis on when something dramatic is happening. On the flip side, this effect can be replicated when a scene is sped up. In the climax scene of Rear Window, the speed is changed both ways; speeding up indicated urgency for when Doyle and others rush to catch Jeffries, but then slowing it down added suspense for when Jeffries was falling out the window.

Changing the camera perspective has a similar effect, however it is more commonly used to illustrate the dynamic between different characters. For example, placing a camera below a subject makes it seem imposing to the camera, and vice versa. Canting, or setting the camera angle at a tilted position, is used to induce a feeling of uneasiness.

Other factors such as color grading (changing contrast, exposure, saturation, etc.) and masking have traditionally been used for similar purposes, however, modern-day technology have made these practices more viable through digital postproduction.