Research into Mise-en-Scene - Miss Georgiou

Research into Mise en Scene

Mise-en-Scene is the french term for "put into the scene". In other words, Mise-en-Scene describes the stuff in the frame and the way it is shown and arranged. We have organised this page according to five give general areas: setting and iconography, lighting and colour, costume/hair and makeup, facial expressions and body language and positioning objects within the frame. 

The setting was essential of the opening scene of Scream 3. The sequence was based in two different locations which consisted of a house and a car. Both of these places are realistic so it makes it more believable for the audience. The house setting makes the audience feel comfortable as the characters are safe so shocks them even more when something bad happens. This is conventional to a thriller because the two settings are homely settings so the audience would not expect anything dangerous to happen and when it does it would engage them more. Iconography enables the audience to fully understand the narrative that is taken place. In this case the iconography used was a mobile phone. This iconography was a good one to use because it is something all the audience use daily therefore it made it realistic. Moreover, this item is a good item to start a murder mystery and begin the thriller in the film. This is conventional to a thriller because it helps the character contact the murderer in the most realistic way that would engage the audience and build suspense as the film goes on. The suspense built will also lead to them getting surprised and feeling shocked later on in the film which would make their experience of watching the film a good and joyful one.

Costume, hair and make up is essential in the film scream 3. The murderer in this film is dressed in a black cape and has his face covered in a spooky mask. This costume is black and covers all of the victim showing none of his skin. This costume is conventional to a thriller because it scares the audience even more as they have no idea what the villain looks like and the colour black automatically symbolises death and dark evil. The villain is also wearing a white mask to compliment the black cape and look more catchy to the viewers eyes and the mask hides the villains identity by not showing any of his face or even his hair. Therefore, the mask is also conventional to a thriller as it makes the audience more intrigued and would scare them even more when he pops up from the dark which makes the audience feel suspense throughout the film and a huge element of shock when the antagonist does jump out to surprise the character and the audience along with it.

Facial expressions and body language pays a key role in the film Scream 3. The man in the car that is on the phone starts of with a calm and smiley facial expression however towards the end of the film has the complete opposite expressions. In the first picture his facial expressions are flirty and smiley which shows he is innocent and not the bad guy. However, in the second picture the same characters facial expressions change to being scared and frowned which shows he is in danger and the victim. This makes the audience feel scared for the character as they see the sudden change in his facial expression. This is conventional to a thriller because it shows the audience how the actors are feeling and makes the audience more engaged when they see the change between the character before and after. The fact that his face went from cheerful and happy to sad and frightened shows the audience that he must be in danger and is a victim to a terrible tragedy to come which builds tension to the audience and a huge surprise when something does take place and someone does get hurt or killed.

 

Lighting and Colour is very essential to a thriller and especially in the film Scream 3. The serial killer suddenly pops up suddenly in the film to frighten the girl. The lighting used in the still image below is low-key lighting. This occurs when he pops up out of nowhere, the lighting and colour used is very dark so that the audience can feel as something scary is about to take place. This would mean that the audience would be more engaged waiting and looking out for something that's going to happen and they would feel anxious and panic-stricken for the character. This is conventional to a thriller films as it gives it a spooky and dark setting to make the villain more visible and frighten the audience more when they suddenly spot him/her through the dark. This would then lead on to the audience being shocked, surprised and going through suspense throughout the whole process of the dangerous character waiting to strike on the innocent woman. 

Positioning of characters and objects within the frame is also extremely essential to a thriller film such as Scream3. This happens when the serial killer turns up suddenly behind the innocent woman and kills her. The fact that the characters were positioned like that draws attention to the importance of the woman innocent face and the villain who turns up behind her without her knowing. This makes the audience feel scared for the women as they have built a relationship with the character and already feel sympathy for her however can see her facial expression and feel very frightened for her. This is conventional to a thriller as it indicates the relationship between the two characters and helps the audience understand it clearer and more building the elements of shock, surprise and suspense to the audience through the characters. 

In conclusion, Mise-en-Scene is used to create emotions of; shock, surprise and suspense to the audience throughout the film to engage them and make them feel more nervous and excited to see the rest of the flu . A type of Mise-en-Scene such as; lighting, is a key element when making a thriller films to improve the film and make it more thrilling and scary to the audience when they are watching. Researching Mise-en-Scene gave me ideas on what is needed to make a successful thriller that would make the film better for the audience to watch and be intrigued by. After researching i decided to include mainly settings, iconography, lighting and colour in my own thriller to improve it and make it better and more enjoyable  for the audience when they are viewing. The setting is very important as it is most likely the first thing the audience is going to see so if it is mysterious for the audience it will engage them more and intrigue them to wanting to watch the rest of the film. Lighting and colour along with iconography is also very important as it will affect the audiences opinion about how shocking, surprising and suspenseful the film actually is. If i have big and dangerous iconography along with low lighting and dark colours it will frighten the audience more and keep them looking forward to the rest of the film. Therefore, all the elements of Mise-en-Scene above would be used in my opening of a thriller sequence to entice the audience straight away and make them want to watch the rest of the film as they would like it because of all the thrills they face built up slowly by the shock, suspense and surprise.