Mise en-scène
- 1. MISE-EN-SCENE of 3 Thriller Trailers
- 2. SETTINGS The setting in the trailer of ‘Shutter Island’ shows a mental asylum on a isolated island. From the screenshots of the trailer you can see that place looks cold, damp and dark – it doesn’t look like a very nice place to be. The composition of these images are balanced and almost symmetrical. There is a lot of blank space which may be used to show the emptiness in the patients mind who are present at the asylum. The lighting is dark and looks slightly cloudy making the images look emotionless and cold. The main colours are cold colours such as blue, black, brown, greys, this also adds to the emotionlessness of the trailer. The coldness shown in the trailer could also depict the ‘coldness’ of the film storyline.
- 3. SETTINGS The settings in this film trailer show a destroyed city. There are aerial shots showing that its just a normal town yet something extremely bad has happened due to the rubbish a debris everywhere. The setting are shown in very long shots to show the whole picture as there is a lot to be shown. The first and third screenshot show the disastrous sight although the second screenshot shows a lovely quiet neighbourhood. These settings give connotations of destruction and disaster and basically gives away the plot of the film to show that something dreadful has happened here. Yet we can see that there are no people present in this vast setting, this make give the idea that there may be hardly any if not no people left.
- 4. SETTINGS The settings shown in ‘The Purge’ trailer are similar to ‘The 5th Wave’ trailer. The second screenshots shows a nice looking neighbourhood. Again, all the settings show that no-one is present in the image. The first and last frame are set in darkness which gives off connotations of evil and mystery, as its supposed that evil come out at night. The first image shows a very rich looking house with a nice car outside showing that someone very high class lives here, the image of the neighbourhood also looks rather rich. the third image shows an empty street, this is abnormal as this looks like the type of street that looks like it is often busy, yet it looks eerie and odd.
- 5. PROPS Many props have been used in this trailer to show the importance of the characters an what roles they show. My first example out of the three is a ‘Deputy Marshall’ badge this shows that the character is high profile and an important person. He should be respected. The second example are handcuffs, these are worn by one of the patients in the asylum and show that they are under control by someone else, it could also show that they are dangerous and give connotations of crime, this links with the Marshall Badge. The third example are guns, these are carried by four guards in this scene and are shown behind a wire fence to show that they are protecting something and standing guard for it. guns are a dangerous object and give a person more power when they are seen with one.
- 6. PROPS The first image shows food as the prop. The food is splattered about along a shop shelf which shows something has been in the shop and messed it about. This is used as it shows that the character is trying to survive and will take whatever is left in need to survive. This links with the setting of destruction and the ideology that there are not many people left. The second image shows many different flags which shows that the building is multi-cultural. It also may show that the building is important. The final image shows a gun which is a very strong prop used in trailers, it gives the character control and the power to end someone's life. It also creates fear within the trailer and may make the viewer fear for the characters life.
- 7. PROPS The first prop shown are the masks. These add mysteriousness to the trailer as the viewer does not know the true face behind the mask. It hides the identity of the character. It gives the audience the fear of the unknown as with the face covered the audience doesn't not know anything about that character. The second is showing a gun, this represents violence and foreshadows death. A gun also gives the character control and power over life and death of another character. The third props I have shown is a mobile phone, this is being shown with a teenage girl, this shows the stereotype of teenage girls not being able to be separated from their mobiles and also represents this character as the stereotypical teenager.
- 8. COSTUME, HAIR & MAKE-UP The costume, hair and make-up tells a lot about the character and what role they play in the film. The first image shows someone who looks like a nurse, she is wearing a white collared dress which gives off connotations of purity, her make-up looks natural and her hair looks neat which gives off a professional persona. The second image shows a man with a scar across his face along with other cuts and scars. This mans face looks dirty and makes him look lower class, his large scar across his face with his white eye makes him look like some sort of criminal or he may have been in an accident. His persona matches the fact that this trailer is set in a mental asylum. The last image shows a well dressed man in a suit. He looks important and a higher class. He looks well groomed and like he plays an important role.
- 9. COSTUME, HAIR & MAKE-UP The first image shows a girl wearing normal everyday clothes, yet her hair looks slightly messy and her face looks dirty, this shows that she is just an ‘ordinary’ girl yet something has happened out of the ordinary. The second image shows a large amount of people all wearing the same clothing. This shows they are all together in the same society as each other. other groups such as prisoners and school children all wore the same outfit as they were all part of the same society which links with this image. We as an audience do not know if they have done something against the law or are there for another reason. The final image shows a man in an army uniform. He looks very well groomed and quite important. This uniform he's wearing gives him authority and puts him higher up in society, it also shows power and courage and this uniform makes him out to be the hero of the film.
- 10. COSTUME, HAIR & MAKE-UP The first image I have chose shows a man who looks very oily and has grease on his face, this makes it look like he has been active lately and sweating, yet because he looks dirty he has been not taking care of himself or doing something recklessly. The second image shows a teenage girl who is wearing a white shirt and a skirt, this looks like a school uniform showing that she is young enough to go to school. Her hair is neat yet not overdone, her makeup is also natural. As she is portrayed young she is also portrayed innocent, this is a usual portrayal in a thriller film. The third image shows a well groomed man in a suit, he also has very groomed hair. He looks professional and sophisticated and adds an element of business. It also represents that he takes things seriously.
- 11. FACIAL EXPRESSION Although all these examples are from the same character it shows how many emotions he shows throughout the trailer. The first facial expression shows that he is extremely upset. You can really see the pain in his face. This makes the audience feel empathetic for the character. The second emotions looks like he is angry, you can see the frustration developing in his eyes. His mouth is slightly open which shows how frustrated he is and it looks as if he is about to explode in rage, this makes the audience fearful of the character. The last facial expression is showing confusion and scared which would create fear and curiosity for the viewer as they do not know what the character is fearful of.
- 12. FACIAL EXPRESSION The first facial expression looks sad and forlorn, even though you cannot see the character’s mouth you can see the sadness in her eyes. Her eyes look as if she's searching for something. The use of direct address makes it look like she is looking at the audience making us feel more engaged with her emotions. It makes the audience feel empathic for her, makes them feel sorry for the character. The second looks like the character is confused but also frustrated. She is looking down on something which makes her more dominant so she could be angry. This may make the viewer fearful but also curious about what the character is confused about. The last one looks like she is concerned and scared, it looks like she's expecting something yet in anticipation to what it is. This also makes the audience anticipate what will come next.
- 13. FACIAL EXPRESSION The first facial expression shows that he looks worried, scared and slightly unstable. Something has obviously happened that he cant deal with yet he's scared about it and doesn’t know what to do. This makes the audience feel empathic for him and want to help him. The second facial expression shows that she is either terrified or in excruciating pain. The audience would feel sorry for the character and fearful for the fate of them. She looks very distraught. The last facial expression looks very smug, he looks very proud of himself. He has someone behind which would back him up. He looks quite sinister yet he's smiling making him look slightly friendly though he looks untrustworthy. The audience may feel uneasy round this character and may not trust him.
- 14. BODY LANGUAGE The first image shows two men shaking hands which is a formal greeting. The man on the left looks friendly, yet the one on the right looks less welcoming as he shakes his hand. The body language of the man on the left shows he may not be interested in this man. This may make the audience less trustworthy of the man on the left and see him more of a shady character. The second image shows that he is clearly in love with this woman a lot as the way he is holding her. This may make the audience feel warm that he is showing this love, yet they may feel empathic for this character as he looks sad. The final image shows that the character looks confused, he is staring down at his hands almost to look for an answer. The audience will feel sorry for this character as he is in despair.
- 15. BODY LANGUAGE The first character looks intimidated and scared. The camera angle of this suggests that he is inferior and with him putting his hands up to surrender supports this idea. This may make the audience feel sorry for the character and want to help them. The second image shows a couple hugging each other and embracing each other, the man looks protective over the women by the way he is holding her. This will make the audience happy and warm inside and trust that man as he is protecting other people. The third image shows a young girl who looks quite in despair. She is reaching out for something which she possibly loves by the look on her face. The audience will feel sorry for this character and want to help them.
- 16. BODY LANGUAGE The first still is showing a man attacking another man. The man attacking looks very angry and the man on the floor looks worn out and in pain. This may make the audience feel the anger of the man attacking yet they may feel angry and fearful of the man. The audience may also feel sad for the man being attacked and would want to help him. The second image shows a girl hiding with her hand in her mouth. She looks terrified and you can see the leg of another character standing in front of her which shows she could be scared of them. The audience will feel sympathetic for her and also fearful. The last image shows a character wearing a mask cocking his head to the side. He is standing in a power stance which shows he wants authority. This may make the audience feel intimidated and scared of this man.
- 17. LIGHTING In the first image low-key lighting has been used to create dramatic effects it also sets a low tone on the scene. The contrast ratio on this image is balanced as the character is wearing white which makes the scene seem brighter. The light is used to make the character the key feature of this scene and is also down the middle of the frame to add emphasis. In the second image shows a red incident light, the red of this light symbolises blood, death, anger and danger. This may make the audience wary when seeing this scene. The third image uses natural lighting from the moon. Key lighting is also used to highlight the characters leg making this the key feature. The moonlight shows its night time which generate fear as stereotypically all the bad stuff happens at night.
- 18. LIGHTING In this first image the light to dark ratio is very unbalanced as there is more darkness in the scene. Natural lighting is used as the light is only from the fire below, the fire gives of connotations of anger and destruction. The darkness may gives the audience an uneasy feeling as the darkness gives the sense of not knowing. The second image shows a very hard light which is from an explosion that happened behind the characters. This will trigger thoughts of chaos and confusion. Again, like the first image the light to dark ratio is very unbalanced yet this time too much light is shown which could also represent that the light is heavenly which also links with death which would fit more into the scene. The third image shows a few characters with the light shining behind them, giving a sense of mystery as you cannot see their facial expressions which may make the audience wary around these characters.
- 19. LIGHTING The lighting on the first image looks warm and welcoming, it also only shows the sky and makes all other foreground objects into silhouettes, the only lighting shown is the natural light of the sun which gives a representation of a beautiful ending to the day. This will give the audience a nice, happy feeling. The second image shows a dark scene with few beams of light in the middle of the frame, it shows an ambient light from two lamps which are pointed just in front of the two characters, the ratio of light and dark is unbalanced and the frame is darker which gives a sense of menace and mystery. This may make the audience frightened and uneasy. The third image is also lit by an ambient light as it shows a well lit house in the darkness, it makes the house look welcoming. It is also the key lighting of the shot as it highlights the house in the darkness.
- 20. COLOUR The colours in all three of these stills are cold colours such as blues, greens and greys. This gives the images a cold feel about them and may affect the audience into feeling cold, isolated and uncomfortable. The first and last image also shows the sea which is open and cold and may make the reader feel uneasy. The fog in the third image also will make the audience feel cold and isolated. The first image shows a cliff surrounded by the sea, a lot of natural colours are used as there is no real man made object in the shot, although the sky is a dull blue, grey colour where pathetic fallacy is used to show the coldness in the storyline. The third image is also using pathetic fallacy showing a boat emerging out of an icy fog, the main colour used is grey. There is a lot of dark, cold colours used within this trailer to represent the storyline as dark and cold.
- 21. COLOUR The first image is showing a lot of earthy colours like brown, greens and yellows. This scene makes me feel warm but also gives of representations of dirt and filth as most of the image is filled with brown. As it shows the outside nature I would expect it to show these colours. The second image is the total opposite of the first and shows mainly buildings, although these buildings show most grey and brown colours, it gives a fake earthy feel still. It also makes the buildings looks old and faded. The final image shows mainly white and blue which contrast against each other very well to give a mysterious feel about the scene. Blue connotes coldness yet is also represents loyalty and trust which encourages that the audience should trust the silhouettes shown in this scene.
- 22. COLOUR The first image shows a family sitting in what looks like the lounge. The main colours shown are greys and beiges, these symbolise that the family are upper class and better off than most others. Although, the colour grey represents emptiness and dingy yet in this case it is shown with a very high class family. The second image is the title of the film, the title is slightly transparent, and white symbolising purity, its shown over the American flag, the red and blue represent bravery, strength, justice and perseverance and the white symbolises peace ad honesty, from the idea and plot of the film it completely contradicts the meaning of the flag colours. the last image shows a bluish wall smeared with red writing. The red writing connotes danger and also represents vigour, rage, anger malice and wrath.
- 23. COMPOSITION The first shot is shown almost perfectly symmetrical. This gives a sense of perfection. It is also a good effect that the gates are opening up the shot. This makes the audience look in the middle of the frame first and as the gate opens up they open their vision of the scene. The second frame shows an extreme long shot of two men dressed in white in a very dark room, the long shot allows to show the empty space in the frame which represents loneliness and isolation. This may make the audience feel empathic for the character and also feel their pain. The third show is a long shot with shows a man in a caged off area. Most of the shot shows the empty space symbolising isolation. The rule of thirds is used which helps show the audience how trapped the character is. The character is shown to look like he is hiding as he is presented small and helpless.
- 24. COMPOSITION On the first image the camera is based behind the character in this shot. This makes it seem like the audience is following this character and makes them more involved with the scene. It also shows where the character is heading and gives the audience more of a view to what is ahead. The second image shows a very long shot with the light coming through the middle lighting the path for the two figures. You cannot see the two figures in so much detail you can only see the outline, this gives a mysterious effect to the shot. Also the figures are positioned in the centre of the frame which gives emphasis as it shows all the empty space around them symbolising the emptiness in the world or the emptiness of their mind. The final image is using rule of thirds to show a scared looking man. From the positioning of the camera he looks inferior and intimidated and the high camera angle suggests he is weak. Half of the frame is pure darkness showing the emptiness in the world or even suggesting the emptiness in the characters mind. This makes the audience nervous and empathic for this character.
- 25. COMPOSITION The first image shows a long shot of a family eating dinner and the table. This is to show the whole family and the activity they are doing to suggest they live ‘normal’ lives. The camera looks like it has been hidden on a nearby surface. This may give the impression that they are being watched. The audience will feel relaxed when seeing this shot as everything seems ‘normal’ and calm. The second image the camera is shown at a slight canted angle to suggest instability, it is also used to show all of the characters expressions and how panicked they are. This camera angle could also suggest the power of the house as the man is standing closest and looks larger as the young girl is at the end looking smaller and less in focus. The last shot is using a high angle shot, usually this is to show that someone is intimidated yet this shows that the character is completely opposite and looks more intimidating, it also helps make the character stand out from the setting. They are both set in the centre of the shot to make the viewer look directly at them.