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Sometimes we use words. Often, they’re made up. When we do make them up, you’ll find their definitions on this page.

Dehors de la Scène

The spiritual opposite of the term of art, mise en scéne, this term goes to describe the action implied though not explicitly depicted in the frame of film.

Origin: By focusing on a close-up of Indy’s face, the audience can’t see the German guards gathering just dehors de la scène. On the reveal shot, the audience can see the set-up that was taking place in hiding moment before.

Usage: Spielberg likes to trick us by playing dehors de la scène, revealing hidden action set-ups as he transitions from close-up to medium shots.

First Used: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

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