Planning Mise-en-scene, Miss Georgiou

Why is Mise-en-scene important within a thriller film?:

Settings and iconography are very important within a thriller film because props use in the setting of a thriller film can give the audience insight on what may be due to occur in the film for example if the opening scene of a thriller movie is set in a forest, then it is likely that a murder, kidnapping or something negative is going to take place and this can be enhanced by the setting and iconography. In Media Studies we see iconography as part of genre, and particularly film genre. Students need to know the term and how it is used. It is quite a complex concept, that informs image analysis and the deconstruction of genre. Iconography originates from the study of art. 

Costumes and make-up are equally important because in a thriller film, the villain is usually identified by make-up used and the costume that they are in for example a vampire would have pale make-up and would usually be wearing dark colours such as black, grey and also red at times, this is conventional to the thriller genre because the audience immediately senses that the character dressed and made up in this way will commit a murder or something else negative.

Costumes are part of the visual composition of each frame of film. Just as the elements of a painting work together to create a harmonious image, costumes must work with the lighting and sets. Colour, shape, line, and texture are all considered when designing costumes for a movie. Colour, one of the most important elements in the designer’s tool kit, suggests the mood and atmosphere of a story. Warm reds produce a different effect from subdued blues, for example.

Facial expressions and body language are important within a thriller film because they provide an indication of how someone is feeling which causes the audience to begin to identify with way they may be feeling a particular way by looking at their facial expressions.

The positioning of characters and objects are also beneficial to a thriller clip or film because positioning of characters or objects within a frame can draw attention to an important character or object; this makes it easier for the audience to recognise the main character or characters of a particular film.

Lighting and colour are equally as important to the thriller genre because denotation carries certain connotations which may add meaning to a scene, connotation can also be used for dramatic effect in order to put fear into the audience. Low key lighting adds a sense of mystery to the film, the effect this has on the audience.

My thriller Film:

In my thriller film the setting will be in a bedroom, using low key lighting that will be created by using a lamp in order to create mystery throughout the audience.

The aim of the use of low key lighting in this scene is to cause uncertainty within the audience of exactly how the film is going to develop whether in a negative or positive way.

From the use of low key lighting in this scene of the film, the audience are immediately given the impression that something negative is due to occur in the film.

Because the characters in my thriller clip are based on two sisters, they will be dressed in casual clothing to give the audience the impression that what may happen as the scenes progress in the film can also happen in reality which enables the audience to feel more connected to the two sisters as they relate each scene to reality.

Face paints and food colouring will be used to create artificial blood which adds depth to the scene as well as realism, also conventional to the thriller genre and the colours in the clip will be  varied in order to attract the audience more to the film.

The audience can build relationship with my film because they are given the indication that it is very normal for siblings to have a close bond, but to their surprise, one of the siblings will become the villain suspect as she is the closest person in the clip to the younger sister which will cause a lot of suspense within the audience about who the killer really is, the low key lighting that I will use will add emphasis on the purpose of the clip which is to create a sense of fear, suspense and panic through the use of camera angles, low key lighting and diegetic and non-diegetic sounds.