Mise-en-scene is a French term meaning “placing on stage”. The actual meaning of it is anything that is seen on the screen during a film; anything visual. To break it down into more specific categories for visuals there is the setting, lighting, space, decor, and costumes or makeup. The purpose of taking mise en scene into consideration when analyzing a film is due to the fact that the proper imagery in a film is responsible for the mood it sets or the general vibe that it gives off.
The biggest theme in Pick Up on South Street’s mise-en-scene is the overwhelming closeness of everything. In the very beginning of the film they 
use close up shots of the actors on an overly crowded subway while Skip, the pick pocket, steals Candy’s wallet. The trend of claustrophobia continues as they introduce more characters and their homes. Skip lived in a very tiny and run down looking shack right on the water. Moe, the police’s informant, lived in just a small and dingy looking bedroom. Almost every scene is shot up close and personal. When Candy attempts to buy back the films from Skip but the end up making out instead (I found that to be a strange addition to the story line) the cameraman used a very close up shot of just the actors faces.
The use of decor in the movie also added to the cramped or run down feel of the characters lives in Pick Up on South Street. Moe’s small room was packed full of trinkets and the ties that she sells as a front to her business of trading secrets for cash. I believe they chose to make her home look as crowded and lousy as it did in an attempt to strengthen the character’s persona of not being 
the happiest old lady. In her last scene before she’s killed she gives one last heartfelt statement to Joey that he would be doing her a favor if he killed her because she was just too tired. That’s what her surroundings really seemed to represent to me as well. It didn’t look like a home I would be comfortable and happy living in.
An important part of mise-en-scene is the depth of space being utilized. This is when objects are placed in certain spots to give the appearance of distance or closeness. They also do this with camera location as well as the lens that they choose to use. A great example of when the directors switched up all the close up shots with a wide-angle shot when Joey attacks Candy. The purpose of this is to show the severity of the situation and to make it look less confusing. Joey was throwing Candy all around the room, breaking stuff, it was a big fight. If the camera had been too close for the shot there would have been a lot of damage left out of the scene. I think the director chose a farther back shot to incorporate all the destruction left behind as the fight continued.
There aren’t a whole lot of special effects in Pick Up on South Street. The main one used is the various fight scenes they have between characters. There are two basic techniques for filming a fight scene in a movie. There’s improvised fighting where the director gives a basic guideline of what’s to happen and then the actors just sort of wing it. And then there’s 
choreographed fighting where every move is planned out perfectly. Improvised fighting can end up looking more realistic than choreographed fights however it can be difficult for actors to come up with believable looking fighting without actually hurting each other. I believe that it was choreographed fighting used in Pick Up on South Street as the fight scenes weren’t all that intense or complex. Poor Candy seemed to take the brunt of it unfortunately but with there being only a few blows thrown I just think that it would’ve been simpler to plan them out ahead of time.
https://www.lightsfilmschool.com/blog/mise-en-scene-in-film-afk
https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/production-tip-film-fight-scene