Mise-en-scene - Miss Georgiou

Mise-en-scene

Settings

Settings can cause some of the biggest impacts on scenes as it can creates feelings of uncertainty and isolation.

Settings such as a dark forest, can create an atmosphere of complete suspense, and mist will often help shroud mysteries that may lay within the unfolding plot. Being in a forest may also represent isolation, as they usually are in the middle of nowhere and will have nowhere to go for help.

Good unconventional settings could be places such as the one displayed in The Coen Brothers' 'No Country for Old Men'. It starts with many different vast landscapes, showing the idea of no escape, and isolation of the small population being seen in the film.

But a good conventional thriller setting could be the one featured in the opening of the film 'The Book of Eli'. This shows a darkened forest, with some hazed light coming through, and with the dead body on the floor, it creates the feeling of isolation, creating perfect thriller suspense.

Iconography

Props play a great role also in thrillers, but usually the main props will appear at the peak of the moment. A big fear in thriller films is not knowing the capability of the menace, so once a weapon is identified  the character and the audience understand how to react and what to do to avoid the criminal.

There are also very minor props that may play bigger roles than we realise. Simple things such as a lamp can play a big effect in the on screen lighting. Everyday items are also used which helps make everything more realistic, and helps the audience to connect and relate to whats on screen.

Props such as rope and cable ties could be used very effectively, as they could be used to hold a victim in captivity, to also give off the sense that there is nothing a victim can do if they are trapped by a villain - they are physically trapped, rather than just being unable to move due to fear.

A great example of iconography is used in sinister. When the main character is looking through his study at the books and films. These are labelled as appropriate, and add suspense when they are put in the classic typed film player.

Costume, Hair and Makeup

Costumes do a lot to represent the realism of characters, and the class they may live in. Be it a working class, the clothes wold be the sort of things we and others around us wear, making the story a little more relatable. They also help us define whether it may include some science-fiction because they may be wearing 'out of this world' clothes. This may also linked with messed up hair, if the clothes are ruined or ripped in anyway, that shows they may have dealt with a confrontation, or something to do with the evil part of the thriller plot.


Hair is also another key factor, as it proves to the audience, what sort of mood the film may be. If someone's hair is elegant, and perfect, then it shows that the scene is usually calm and peaceful. But the main feature of it in a thriller is showing its contrast, and showing distress, fear, and maybe a physical encounter due to how their hair is.

Makeup, or the lack of it can also show a characters emotions. Sometimes a characters makeup may have run, showing they dont care about their image, which represents something of higher importance happening  or it may simply be that they are so scared, that it has gotten in this state, and is an unimportant part of the plot itself. Special effects make up will also be used for things such as blood, and 'surreal' characters.

A great representation of costume, hair and makeup is footage from the film 'The Village'. This is set in an 18th century Pennsylvanian village, where costumes represent the times, and so does hair and makeup. Older costumes help to emphasise the feeling of mystery and prevent the audience from understanding too much in this film as it is hard to relate to, which leaves the audience wondering.

Facial Expressions and Body Language

Facial expressions can be used as a very useful technique when filming close ups or extreme close ups. This is one way to show a characters emotions, without showing the setting around them. Again a good example of this is 'No Country for Old Men'. The villain dressed in all black (linked with costume) strangles the police sherriff to death with the handcuffs he is bound by. Whilst on the floor struggling to kill him, his facial expression is far from human, and creates a very disturbing atmosphere.

Body language is a good method to use from a mid shot or further, it will show how someone may be feeling either anxious or confident etc. The body language of 'Norman Bates' Mother' in the Hitchcock classic 'Psycho' is a key example of this. When the killer (Bates' supposed Mother) is behind the shower screen, they slowly walk up to it to help create suspense.This was done as speech or facial expression would have ruined the suspense being created by the techniques being used in this thriller.

'The Shining' shows a great representation of facial expressions and body language, as it is the perfect way to show how psychotic the main character has become. Its greatest aspect in the film is probably in the most iconic clip from the film, as he sticks his head through the door. The womans facial expressions and body languague show complete dispair and Johnny's facial expressions show how psychotic he his, and the childish way in which he is chasing his wife.
Lighting and Colour

Lighting has a bigger effect in films than most things, its a key element that very often is not noticed by spectators. When the lighting in a scene is dark, it will create a shroud of mystery, which could also be linked to any digetic/non-digetic sounds being used. A good example of using lighting is in the film 'Sinister'. The children are running around the house haunting him without his knowing in a slow motion montage. They become visible on screen to us, when they appear out of the dark/shadows, and are revealed in small amounts of light, keeping the audience watching on the edge of their seat.

Low key lighting: This is a small amount of light created simply by only using the key and back lights. This is usually used in thriller films when there is a dark atmosphere/situation

High Key Lighting: This uses more filler lights than low key lighting, this sort of lighting is natural and realistic to our eyes.


The lighting and colour in 'Insidious' is a great example of contrast. When the father passes into the other world, the air becomes fogged and creates a different level of brightness and visibility