Mise-en-Scene

Planning Mise-en-Scene

Why is Mise-en-Scene important in a thriller film?

Mise-en-scene is very important in a thriller film as all of the aspects of mise-en-scene together make a sucessful thriller film. All of the elements play a role in creating a conventional thriller by bringing all of the esstienal structure/conventions of the thriller genre together. Some elements tend to create a connection between the audience and the character in the film. While other tend to make the thriller feeling and conventions the viewer expects to see when watching a thriller film.

What is the Mise-en-Scene of your thriller film? and Why?

• Setting and Iconography - The setting of our thriller opening scene is an industrial estate at night time. The setting is covered with lamposts at different intervals beaming dim light illuminating the path and some of the road. It is mostly dark so lots of shawdows are created creating the eerie setting that we want as the distance it barely visable with no help around as not many people go to this place at night. Creating a secluded setting that the audience expects to see in a thriller film.The audience properly have visited this setting before and can relate to it making it an ideal setting. Props that we will be using are a knife as it is a conventional killing weapon that is used widely across the thriller genre the knife will be stained in blood because blood is also a massive symbol in the thriller genre.
• Costume, Hair and Make Up - We have two characters in our narrative a blonde female and a man. The blonde female will be wear bed clothes that are ripped and blood stained. She will have a pale face with her hair in two plats. Whereas the man with be wearing typical clothes that the audience can relate to.
• Facial Expressions and Body Language - This element of Mise-en-Scene will be mainly focusing on the blonde female as she is an orphan her emotions will be unstable and the scene will contain lots of close ups of her to express her emotions. Her body language will be shown my a series of mid-shots and high angles etc.
• Lighting and Colour - Our filming will be taking place at night so the light we can use to our advantage will be the light produced by the lamposts. It will be Low Key Lighting as only the lamposts will be used. There will be many shadows that will be cast my the dim light so it will create an eerie setting. The colours that we will mainly use will be dark like the fake blood that will be on the blonde females costume and the blood on the knife as well.
• Positing of Characters/Objects within the frame - At the start of the scene the blonde female will be key to the film and will be central to the camera angles. This will until the blonde female meets the man and the film will change to the focus of him.

How is the Mise-en-Scene conventional to a thriller film

Set Iconography - A thriller film makes go use of this element as thriller film take place in a secluded location usually for example a house. The setting is usually linked with the audience so they can relate to the film and the character. This stands as well for the Iconography of the film. The typical props that the audience sees for example a knife can be seen across the whole of the genre. So it is important that the film contains a set of props which are conventional to the thriller genre.

Costume, Hair and Make up - Some thriller films contain very iconic figures which have very complex costumes and others contain more eerie character with costumes. This is also another important element as the costumes and features of the character need to be widely considered as they need to be relateable to the auidence so they can create a bond with the audience.

Facial Expressions and Body Language- Thriller films contain lots of the characters emotions throughout the film and they are expressed through many camera angles such as close ups. This element needs to be considered as the audience will not feel the emotions of the character and will not be able to create a bond with them during the film.

Lighting and Colour - Needs to be considered as Lighting is key to creating a suspencful thriller film. If the lighting is not considered the film will not have the same effect on the audience of suprise, tension and shock created by various lighting techniques such as Low Key Lighting. As the colour as well it can comminicate esitenial information to the audience such as blood can mean death.