In film, a scene can refer to either a single shot (interchangeable), or a consecutive series of shots that shows all the action in one place before the pace changes or even just all the related action. This second definition derives from the theatrical sense of the word, in which lighting changed, part of the stage was darkened, or aspects of a set had to be rearranged for a place to change. 

 

Scene comes from the term in theatre, as described above. In theatre the term came about because a scene on a stage is very much like a scene in real life: it is what a viewer is able to see from a single vantage point.