Mise-en-scene Research #1

 Hello!

Today my partner Mariah and I have decided to focus on the mise-en-scene of thrillers. The mise-en-scene is very important to set the tone of the story.

Lighting

The lighting is essential in setting a thrilling tone. The low-key lighting emphasizes shadow, making the scene darker. Lighting can also say a lot about a character. A PowerPoint I found, "Mise-en-scene in the mystery-thriller genre" claims "Low-key lighting is also used to play on peoples primitive fears of the dark and the unknown". This is very true - as the example they provided was "Dark Knight Rises" directed by Christopher Nolan - the dark lighting on Joker's face makes him even more evil. A shadow covering most of a character's face makes them mysterious or even sinister. High-key lighting aids in contrasting the shadow and make it stand out even more.

Props

Props can be a defining thing for a character, especially the ones around them. A lot of times thrillers utilize weapons like guns and knives, as a way to tell that they are a bad guy. But it isn't so black and white in thriller movies. It can be a way to mislead you about who truly is the bad guy. A lot of times people use weapons to defend themselves from antagonists. 

Sound

Sound in a film can be a soundtrack, non-diegetic sound, diegetic sound, etc. Sound can elevate a scene and change or alter the mood. A chilling noise can change the scene from a comfortable environment to a suspenseful scene. According to the mise-scene-scene powerpoint "

Setting

The setting of a film can affect the story. Most thrillers are in small towns to make the problem of a killer grand. It can also happen in big cities like in "Scream 7" where the killer still chased the main character throughout the city. It can make it even scarier since the city is so big that the killer can be anyone. For my film opening, I will attempt to replicate the squid game set design, with bright colors and symbolism.

Costume

The costumes in "Squid Game" are essential to the story since the plot is about people being trapped on an island participating in a game. The clothing needs to be the same color, with no makeup and undone hair to simulate how trapped they are.

Reflection

For the next blog, I will be studying camera shots. Camera shots are crucial for the mood of the story. I already took some notes on camera shots and angles, so I will study them to ensure I understand them.

Sources

https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/mise-enscene-in-the-mysterythriller-genre/55798524

https://infocusfilmschool.com/what-is-mise-en-scene/