In theatre, cinema and television, staging is the organization of the different components that take part in the story represented, as well as its interpretation, allowing the narrative to not only be viewed but also comprehended by the spectators. The term itself comes from the word “stage”, so it can be seen, in a simpler form, as the way things are disposed in scene on a stage, being stage here a normal theatre stage or a studio or even outdoor set.
Staging encompasses all the required actions to interpret a scene, or a set of scenes, regardless if they occur live, as it happens in theatre, or if they are filmed, as is the case of movies and television series. In theatre, normally the director of the play is in charge of the staging, and in movies and series the different cores that are necessary in order to do a proper staging are commonly divided according areas of specialty, mainly because this productions are usually bigger.
Thus, staging includes all the elements that take part in the narrative; it starts with the selection of the script and its interpretation, followed by the creation of the scenarios, or selection of filming locations, the arrangement of all the props, selection of costumes and definition of scene movements or camera movements, and even of the positions and gestures of the cast. In its essence, staging can be seen as the creation of a scene that will transmit a story to the viewer, and it is an essential part of any sort of acting.
