MISE-EN-SCENE.By Harriet Bibby.

INTRODUCTION. Within our film opening we will have to

consider which areas of mise-en-scene will benefit our film and why!

Within this PowerPoint I will use ‘CLAMPS’ to determine what type of costume, lighting, actors, make-up, props and setting will be effective within our film opening.

COSTUME.

COSTUME. (THE KILLER).

Shirt and tie.

We aim to create a reasonably likeable killer who is casual about the murder he is committing.

To do this, we will dress the killer in a normal suit and tie. This creates a ‘normal’ effect but also creates enigma for the audience, as he will seem like a normal guy, yet he is committing this crime.

This character will also be wearing dark colours, to connote death, destruction and danger.

COSTUME. (THE BODY).

Jeans and jumper – generic clothing.

As this character is completely innocent and neutral throughout the opening, we will dress her in simple, everyday, generic clothing.

This will connote to the audience that she is innocent and normal, making them sympathise with the character more!

We may also make this character wear something white to accentuate the purity and innocence she maintains.

LIGHTING.

LIGHTING. (THROUGHOUT)

Bright/foggy/neutral.

Throughout the majority of the opening, we will have bright/neutral lighting as we will be filming in the morning.

This will create juxtaposition between the bright lighting and the dark happenings taking place.

Because we are filming in the morning, it is also very likely to be reasonably foggy. This is an advantage for us as although the lighting is bright, the fog will create an undertone of darkness within the opening.

However, we will need to judge the time we film very well as if it is too foggy, it will obstruct the vision of the camera.

LIGHTING. (KILLER’S FACE).

Blue/cold lighting on face.

At some points when we have close ups on the killer’s face, we may also use blue lighting.

This not only signifies to the audience that it is very cold (much like the almost dead body) but also accentuates the killer abnormality.

This technique alienates the killer making the audience feel even more uneasy about his disturbing character.

ACTORS.

ACTORS. (THE KILLER).

Casual/likeable/creepy.

Using this actor, we aim to create a causal, likeable but creepy killer.

To connote that the killer is casual and calm about this murder, the actor we use will have to move at a consistent pace, with no sudden movements.

His facial expressions will also usually have to be neutral – this doesn’t show any fear or panic of the character. (which is what we want.)

This character will also be reasonably likeable. To achieve this, our actor will have to have a slight hint of humour. He will hopefully achieve this when telling the body to “Shh” and patting them patronizingly, as this is very odd behaviour for a killer.

This actor will also have to come across as creepy. To do this he will have to smile contently at some points. This will make not only the character of the body feel uneasy, but the audience as well.

ACTORS. (THE BODY).

Scared/nervous.

This actor will have to be extremely frightened and scared by the killer and also her future.

To show this she will have to use nervous, anxious and petrified facial expressions that will express her emotions to the audience.

However, because this character is so close to death and has been previously hurt by the killer, there will be limited gestures used. Therefore, we will be heavily relying on the facial expressions of this actor.

MAKE-UP.

MAKE-UP. (KILLER).

Neutral.

As we are attempting to make the killer very casual, we thought it would be more effective if he had neutral or no make-up on.

This makes the audience initially view him as completely normal however, he is later revealed to be a murderer.

MAKE-UP. (BODY).

Neutral/bruising/blood.

Again, with this character we thought that it would be more effective to use neutral make up. This would accentuate this character’s innocence within the opening.

However, we also thought that this character could have some bruising/blood on her face to suggest that she had previously been hit by her killer.

PROPS.

PROPS.

Shovel/bag/twigs.

The killer will have to use a shovel, to dig the grave for his dead wife. This prop also gives the killer more power, as the audience could question whether he will use the prop as a weapon.

The body will also have to be laid on a bag/material. This is mainly for practicality as we don’t want the actor to be hurt whilst being dragged through the woods. However, it also may inform the audience that this murder was planned, as the killer obviously had all the equipment for the crime. This creates enigma as the audience begin to wonder why he would plan to kill his wife.

We also thought that it would be effective to create a cross using twigs within the last shot. As this is where the killer creates a ‘funeral’ for his wife, we thought that it would create an even more disturbing atmosphere for the audience as he had made her a ‘headstone’.

SETTING.

SETTING.

Willingham Woods.

We have chosen to set our opening in Willingham Woods (as seen in the pictures) as although it is slightly cliché for this genre, it is a perfect setting for a murder – being very large, solitude and difficult to run into people.

The trees also create an eerie, disturbing tone which fits very well within our storyline and also the genre that we have chosen.

The trees will also effect the lighting (the sun shining through) which will also create an abnormal setting.

CONCLUSION. To conclude, through using ‘CLAMPS’ I

believe we can create an eerie, disturbing atmosphere for the audience and also bring out the characterization of the actors through their costumes, make-up and acting skills.

I also believe that the setting, props and lighting add to and set the tone of our film opening as they fit the conventions our genre and also create a distressing atmosphere along with the other elements of ‘CLAMPS’.