Research into Mise En Scene- Miss Georgiou

Research into Mise-En-Scene

Mise-en-scene is a French terminology meaning what is out into a scene, it is the visual information which is shown in front of a camera in a film, there are 5 elements to mise en scene which are; setting and iconography, costume, hair and make-up, facial expressions and body language, lights and colouring and the positioning of characters and objectives within the frame. 

The film I done for my research into Mise-en-scene was Prom Night. The setting for the film, prom night was at a hotel, this is not a typical location for a thriller film to be set because everyone seems happy and like their having a good time. It is an unusual for the location to be set here and it isn't very conventional to a thriller film because in a hotel everyone is partying and having a good time but it could be seen as conventional to a thriller film because it is a open space and the killer can see his victim and also the killer can hide from his victim, which makes the thriller more realistic and relatable because the characters are in a  natural setting, which makes the thriller more enjoyable for the audience.

The iconography that was used in the thriller is a variety because it was glasses and wine bottles at the beginning of the clip that represented that the characters were having a party and having a enjoyable time but when the killer was trying to attack the girl he used a fire extinguisher to break through to the door to get to her. Once the killer broke through the door he took a knife out of this pocket, which is conventional to a thriller film because it shows that he is going to try and kill her. The weapon itself is conventional because knives can cause a lot of damage and pain, things that are conventional to thrillers. It also gives the killer a sense of power because he has a weapon and no on else in the film does, which makes him even more scary.
The costumes that are used are prom clothes, suits and dresses, but the killer is wearing dark clothes and hat this is to represents he is mysterious and he is trying to hide his identify. This shows that the killer wants to hide his identity, which is typically found in a thriller film because the audience do not know whom the killer is at the first stage of the clip because there is also a flashing light covering his face. Because the killer's identity is hidden, it builds tension because it could be anyone and the audience doesn't know so they become more involved in the film.


The facial expressions that are used in the thriller are different in the situations because they go from a fun and happy party, where the girl that is going to be attacked is happy and dancing but when is she hiding from the killer there is a nervous and frightened look in her face. The killers face however is completely different, he is very concentrated and looks angry in a way because it isn't as easy as he thought it would be. The girl is hiding and running away from him and in the end she finds the police and is safe from the killer. This is conventional to thrillers because it usually takes a little while for the killer to get to his victim because then the struggle between the two people builds the tension within the film and draws the audience in. This would make the audience feel relived because she is safe and the killer didn't get to her.
The main character positions when she is looking for her mother scarf is central to the camera shot, the light is flickering and the killer is directly behind her. This is conventional because it makes the audience think that something is going to happen to the girl, which would be very conventional to thrillers because it is typically girls that are the victims. But in fact nothing does because just as the killer is going to stabs her she ducks down.


The colouring that was used in the thriller prom night was different throughout, when everyone was out side it very dark and flashing lights were used (police cars) but inside the room where the attack is taking place the lights are flashing and the colours are dark, it shows that something bad is going to happen and gives the audience a feeling that something bad is going to happen so it puts the audience on edge. The lighting that is used in the hotel room was low key but the main lighting came from light above them but this light was flashing on and off and the back lighting came from the small lamps that were positioned on the wall, there wasn't no real filter light used except a window that was allows some moonlight in. The low key lightening creates shadows and this helps hide the identity of the killer, this keeps the audience into suspense. This is all conventional because the dark lighting hides parts of the scene which creates suspense within the film and creates a sense of mystery and the darkness is conventional because it creates an eerie atmosphere.
This analysis has helped me understand what mise-en-scene is because I would except to see in a thriller film, for example I would use props to show the weapons that have been used in a thriller film. also I would used conventional colour of clothing, white for the victim and black for the attacker.

From the researching of mise en scene I think that it will help me to be able to plan my own thriller as I know now how to create the five elements of mise en scene and will be able to use ideas from the thrillers I have seen to make them seem more scary. From watching this clip I have got many ideas to help make my own thriller, such as having low lighting and a main focal point as this draws the attention towards one thing. Allowing me to create unexpected things happen, which will create the surprise factor.