Research into Mise-en-Scene
Discuss how the Mise-en-Scene of the film to provoke meanings and responses towards an audience?
Mise-en-Scene is essentially what is actually put into a scene of a film. It is literally all the visual information that the audience sees. But it also communicates essential information to the audience as well.
Mise-en-Scene is essentially what is actually put into a scene of a film. It is literally all the visual information that the audience sees. But it also communicates essential information to the audience as well.
The clip that I have chosen to use is a clip from the film Shutter Island. I have chosen this clip as I think it is a extremely good clip to analyse as it uses all the key features of Mise-en-Scene.
Settings and Iconography
Settings are not just the backgrounds of the film. Settings are a main element and need to be considered highly. Settings can be made or even found. Certain Settings can also manipulate the audience. Iconography is the term for props that are within the set. The props can be anything from toys to weapons and alike the setting they can also manipulate the audience.
In the clip from Shutter Island the setting has been manipulated. The setting is a flat, but this changes throughout the clip. It starts off as a flat high up as the characters are talking. But as the mood and the scene changes the woman walks over to another window in the set. The other window is a gateway to a previous time or previous memory. The audience feels this as a bad memory for the reason that the setting changes it once was a bright lit setting that used high key lighting to the same setting but with the change to low key lighting. This creates an effective thriller film as it twists the audiences feeling about the setting as it has been manipulated.
Iconography is also used throughout the scene in the form of confetti. The audiences reaction to the confetti positive but this changes alike the setting the iconography has been manipulated as the confetti turns to ash as the scene turns negative this has a prolonged effect on the viewer as the ash symbolizes the end of life. This creates an effective thriller film as it gives the audience an idea of what the scene is going to be about and what props are going to be used.
When I go to make my thriller opening I need to consider the Iconography and Setting that I will be using. I will have to set my thriller opening in a familiar setting that the audience can relate. I will have to research into different settings that are conventional to the thriller genre and what the audience feel is a setting they find eerie and scary.
Costume, Hair and Make up
Costume, Hair and Make up is another key part of Mise-en-Scene. The reason for this is it shows information about the film but also other key information as well. It can show where the film has been set for example a black suit could symbolize a person at a funereal if the setting is not clear at first. They can also show personality of a person (dark clothes, dark hair could symbolize a mystery as the identity has been taken away.), culture (religious clothing) and society. This can also be used to manipulate the audience.
In my clip from Shutter Island the male actor is wearing a suit with his tie not fully done up. This could symbolize that the man has a well paid job but is becoming frustrated or tired and just wants to relax. Meanwhile the female actress is wearing a brightly colored dress but this manipulates the audience as as she becomes upset and starts to cry. This creates an effective thriller film as it shows the audience importance of the characters in the film.
When making my thriller opening I need to widely consider the costumes and overall appearance of my characters. This is because I want my audience to be able to relate to my character my wearing clothes that they would wear so they can relate to the character into the scene therefore feel as if the narrative they are watching could be experience by themselves as well.
Facial Expressions and Body Language
Facial Expressions and Body Language is the third key part of Mise-en-Scene. This is of the main characters in the film. The facial expressions show the characters feelings and are a clear indicator. But alike the other features of Mise-en-Scene this can be manipulated by music. For example a funeral scene with a close up of a person that is sad could be accompanied by some en-lighting music to give a second meaning.
Facial expressions and body language in the clip from Shutter Island is constant throughout the whole of the scene as it is quite an emotional scene as the male actor is visiting his wife in a dream. He is questioning and as the audience I can tell from his facial language that he is surprised to see his wife and also as we reaches out for his wife as well to see if she is real. By this facial expression and body language the audience can tell that he is deeply in love with his wife. In addition at the end of the scene. This creates and effective thriller film as it shows all the emotions of the characters up front and in the audiences face so they know the mood of the scene.
When I go to make my opening scene I will have to consider how I want the characters in my scene to express there feelings through different facial expressions and body language. I want my audience to be able to relate to the feeling of my character because they can recall events where they have been through the same feelings as the character.
Lighting and Color
Lighting and color is the fourth key part of Mise-en-Scene. Lighting is a main feature of all films. It can change the mood of the scene and the audience feelings as well. There are two main types of lighting. High Key Lighting and Low Key Lighting. High Key Lighting is created by using only the Key and Back Light. This creates sharp contrasts and shadows. While Low Key Lighting is created by using filler light and natural light. Color can also communicate essential information to the audience as well for example blood. Color can have a Denotation (first meaning) but also a Connotation (the implied meaning which effects mood.)
In my clip from Shutter Island Lighting is used to create and effect mood. At first in the scene the lighting is quite bright which uses High Key Lighting. This creates a happy/relaxed mood for the audience which reflects what is going on in the scene as well. As the scene progresses the mood of the scene changes to a sad depressed mood this is created by Low Key Lighting. The lighting has a dramatic effect as soon as it changes on the audience as they start to feel for the characters. This creates an effective thriller film as it creates emotion in the scene that is related back to the audience.
Color is also used in my clip from Shutter Island. As the vision of the women is slow disappearing she starts to bleed the Denotation of this is she is bleeding to death. But the Connotation is that she is becoming distant from her husband as she is only a vision.
When creating my opening scene I will have to put large thought in the lighting and colour motifs I want the audience to see. I will mostly use Low Key Lighting as it create a dark, eerie location at which the audience can relate to, which creates shadows that the audience will be scared by as they cannot see the settings features in full. Also I might want to consider motifs that are specific to the thriller genre like blood as it is a symbol of the thriller genre and also the audience can relate to it through injury or other thriller films.
Positing of Characters/Objects within frame
Positing of Characters/Objects within frame it the fifth key and final part of Mise-en-Scene. It is the positioning of characters in the frame to draw attention and also to show relationships etc. One example of this is a family sitting at a table and the mother and father are sitting at opposite ends. As they are not in the center of the frame and they are distance this suggest to the viewer that there relationship is weak./
In my clip of Shutter Island at first the characters are distance to each other suggesting to the audience that there relationship is at a weak/distant stage as they are not together but separated slightly. As the scene progresses they start to become intimate as they get closer and start to hug this suggests to the viewer that they have gotten over there problems and become close once again like previous times as she is only a vision in a dream. This creates an effective thriller film as it shows the importance of certain characters with the film itself which is easily understandable for the audience.
The positioning of character in the frame are very important because it shows the audience what character are important to the scene and what characters they should be focusing on. So when planning my thriller opening I need to consider where I place the characters in the scene so the audience know there importance.
Summary
In summary I will take Mise-en-Scene into great consideration when I am planning to make my Thriller film. For the reason that it makes up the basis of all films using all of the five key features that I have explained. Mise-en-Scene creates/shows all of the major features that a film needs/requires and it is what makes an effective scene/film, (like my clip from Shutter Island) ,when you combine all of these features together. This is why I will be thinking of this technique when I am confronted with the making of my thriller scene as it gets to the audience what I want them to know and feel in their emotions about characters etc and get all the essential information that they need to know.
I need to consider when planning my thriller opening all the elements of a mise-en-scene because it makes up the foundations of any film. It plays a massive roll in communicating information to the audience that they need to know in order to have an understanding of the film.
So when I am planning I will lay down all of the elements and plan mise-en-scene of my opening around the basis of my group narrative.
Mise-en-Scene is made up of 5 different elements these elements are...
Settings and Iconography
Settings are not just the backgrounds of the film. Settings are a main element and need to be considered highly. Settings can be made or even found. Certain Settings can also manipulate the audience. Iconography is the term for props that are within the set. The props can be anything from toys to weapons and alike the setting they can also manipulate the audience.
In the clip from Shutter Island the setting has been manipulated. The setting is a flat, but this changes throughout the clip. It starts off as a flat high up as the characters are talking. But as the mood and the scene changes the woman walks over to another window in the set. The other window is a gateway to a previous time or previous memory. The audience feels this as a bad memory for the reason that the setting changes it once was a bright lit setting that used high key lighting to the same setting but with the change to low key lighting. This creates an effective thriller film as it twists the audiences feeling about the setting as it has been manipulated.
Iconography is also used throughout the scene in the form of confetti. The audiences reaction to the confetti positive but this changes alike the setting the iconography has been manipulated as the confetti turns to ash as the scene turns negative this has a prolonged effect on the viewer as the ash symbolizes the end of life. This creates an effective thriller film as it gives the audience an idea of what the scene is going to be about and what props are going to be used.
When I go to make my thriller opening I need to consider the Iconography and Setting that I will be using. I will have to set my thriller opening in a familiar setting that the audience can relate. I will have to research into different settings that are conventional to the thriller genre and what the audience feel is a setting they find eerie and scary.
Costume, Hair and Make up
Costume, Hair and Make up is another key part of Mise-en-Scene. The reason for this is it shows information about the film but also other key information as well. It can show where the film has been set for example a black suit could symbolize a person at a funereal if the setting is not clear at first. They can also show personality of a person (dark clothes, dark hair could symbolize a mystery as the identity has been taken away.), culture (religious clothing) and society. This can also be used to manipulate the audience.
When making my thriller opening I need to widely consider the costumes and overall appearance of my characters. This is because I want my audience to be able to relate to my character my wearing clothes that they would wear so they can relate to the character into the scene therefore feel as if the narrative they are watching could be experience by themselves as well.
Facial Expressions and Body Language
Facial Expressions and Body Language is the third key part of Mise-en-Scene. This is of the main characters in the film. The facial expressions show the characters feelings and are a clear indicator. But alike the other features of Mise-en-Scene this can be manipulated by music. For example a funeral scene with a close up of a person that is sad could be accompanied by some en-lighting music to give a second meaning.
Facial expressions and body language in the clip from Shutter Island is constant throughout the whole of the scene as it is quite an emotional scene as the male actor is visiting his wife in a dream. He is questioning and as the audience I can tell from his facial language that he is surprised to see his wife and also as we reaches out for his wife as well to see if she is real. By this facial expression and body language the audience can tell that he is deeply in love with his wife. In addition at the end of the scene. This creates and effective thriller film as it shows all the emotions of the characters up front and in the audiences face so they know the mood of the scene.
When I go to make my opening scene I will have to consider how I want the characters in my scene to express there feelings through different facial expressions and body language. I want my audience to be able to relate to the feeling of my character because they can recall events where they have been through the same feelings as the character.
Lighting and Color
Lighting and color is the fourth key part of Mise-en-Scene. Lighting is a main feature of all films. It can change the mood of the scene and the audience feelings as well. There are two main types of lighting. High Key Lighting and Low Key Lighting. High Key Lighting is created by using only the Key and Back Light. This creates sharp contrasts and shadows. While Low Key Lighting is created by using filler light and natural light. Color can also communicate essential information to the audience as well for example blood. Color can have a Denotation (first meaning) but also a Connotation (the implied meaning which effects mood.)
In my clip from Shutter Island Lighting is used to create and effect mood. At first in the scene the lighting is quite bright which uses High Key Lighting. This creates a happy/relaxed mood for the audience which reflects what is going on in the scene as well. As the scene progresses the mood of the scene changes to a sad depressed mood this is created by Low Key Lighting. The lighting has a dramatic effect as soon as it changes on the audience as they start to feel for the characters. This creates an effective thriller film as it creates emotion in the scene that is related back to the audience.Color is also used in my clip from Shutter Island. As the vision of the women is slow disappearing she starts to bleed the Denotation of this is she is bleeding to death. But the Connotation is that she is becoming distant from her husband as she is only a vision.
When creating my opening scene I will have to put large thought in the lighting and colour motifs I want the audience to see. I will mostly use Low Key Lighting as it create a dark, eerie location at which the audience can relate to, which creates shadows that the audience will be scared by as they cannot see the settings features in full. Also I might want to consider motifs that are specific to the thriller genre like blood as it is a symbol of the thriller genre and also the audience can relate to it through injury or other thriller films.
Positing of Characters/Objects within frame
Positing of Characters/Objects within frame it the fifth key and final part of Mise-en-Scene. It is the positioning of characters in the frame to draw attention and also to show relationships etc. One example of this is a family sitting at a table and the mother and father are sitting at opposite ends. As they are not in the center of the frame and they are distance this suggest to the viewer that there relationship is weak./
The positioning of character in the frame are very important because it shows the audience what character are important to the scene and what characters they should be focusing on. So when planning my thriller opening I need to consider where I place the characters in the scene so the audience know there importance.
Summary
In summary I will take Mise-en-Scene into great consideration when I am planning to make my Thriller film. For the reason that it makes up the basis of all films using all of the five key features that I have explained. Mise-en-Scene creates/shows all of the major features that a film needs/requires and it is what makes an effective scene/film, (like my clip from Shutter Island) ,when you combine all of these features together. This is why I will be thinking of this technique when I am confronted with the making of my thriller scene as it gets to the audience what I want them to know and feel in their emotions about characters etc and get all the essential information that they need to know.
I need to consider when planning my thriller opening all the elements of a mise-en-scene because it makes up the foundations of any film. It plays a massive roll in communicating information to the audience that they need to know in order to have an understanding of the film.
So when I am planning I will lay down all of the elements and plan mise-en-scene of my opening around the basis of my group narrative.
This post demonstrates some understanding of how mise-en-scene is used within your chosen clip. You have made a start in identifying the different points and you have started to consider some of the codes and conventions of a thriller film. Also the screenshots that you have included also help to support some of the points that you have made.
ReplyDeleteTo develop this post in more detail you need to-
1) Include your video from youtube
2) Expand on the points that you have made on the conventions
3) Follow the PEER format for each paragraph in more detail
4) Which elements from your analysis will you consider for your own thriller?
This post now demonstrates a proficient understanding of how mise-en-scene is used within your chosen film sequence. You have analysed the sequence well and have referred to some good examples throughout. You have also reflected on your analysis well and have considered some inspirations.
ReplyDelete