Insidious
The Mise-En-Scene in a film is the visual aspects of a film,how it portrays a story to an audience and how it manipulates them to feel things that would otherwise not be apparent. Mise-En-Scene includes five things which are setting and iconography,costume, facial expression and body language,lighting and colour and the positioning of objects and characters in the scene.All these can completely influence a viewers ideas of the film.
Throughout the film Insidious there are frequent light and dark contrasts that happen. An example is when the woman is retelling her story of when she went into the boys bedroom and sees the demon in the corner by the light of a table lamp. Only the back light is on so many places have dark patches then others have light patches this creates shadows. This is significantly important in Thriller films as often shadows are used to emphasis fear and the unknown and not being able to see which is a fear for many people. This is stereotypical of the thriller genre as it builds suspense and excitement with the unknown of what will happen next,this is a crucial part of the film as it otherwise would not be as scary as it is.The shadows also give us a sense that something bad will happen even before we get into the room,so the audience is already prepared for either a scary or gory scene.
Secondly another way that a director can make sure to thrill a audience is using a normal background in contrast to the events that are to unfold.In this particular case it is a family home which differs from the usual scene of a thriller film.It is a normal family home that a family live in.This really makes things more scary as the scene is familiar with your own surroundings and this makes the film seem more real than at an unknown set and the audience can relate to the characters in the scene. This relates back to the thriller genre as it does exactly what it is meant to do which is make it that little bit more unsettling due to the audiences familiarity with the scene.Although it still is not the same as an example of a normal thriller scene would be in a warehouse or an alley which the audience will find unsettling but hard to relate to.
The look and costume of the characters is not as traditional as other thriller but the director does it for a reason.In Insidious the look of the people is very normal for example the man is wearing a shirt the girl is wearing a jumper. This is to try to make the characters more believable as if they were a part of the audience and to normalize them as much as possible, this makes it easier to connect with the characters and therefore care about them.Also it again makes it more scary as it brings familiarity toward the scene. Also it contrasts again with the unusual events happening to the main character so when things happen they make it seem a small amount more unsettling. This keeps people entertained and holds the suspense built up by the rest of the scene while still making it believable.
Facial expression and body language is also a key aspect in mise en scene.They can convey meaning and emotions without saying them and it is very prominent throughout the scene.When the woman is talking to the others around the table she is opening up her body and we can see she is trying to help them understand.Then when the head pops out she closes up as she is terrified and we didn't need the sounds to see what is was.This helps the audience connect with the characters as when she is open we feel sorry for her and she is open.When she is huddled and closed we can tell she is frighted and shocked.This can help the audience feel sympathy for the characters or make them dislike the character.
A last way the director build tension and makes it better viewing is making the film have conventional scenes.An example of this is when the boy is in bed but the demon is in the corner.This scene is contrasting on a big level by having a surreal picture with a completely ordinary one.Although at the start of the scene we cannot see the demon so the scene has normality to it which puts us at ease.This normalizes as scene then making it suddenly change is another way that is make it more exciting to watch.This make viewing the scene much more enjoyable for the audience as it is very familiar but then very different at the same time.This makes it believable as if it could happen to them.
In conclusion Insidious shows many ways that it connect with the thriller genre but also some points that contradict it.Overall many of these ways build lots of tension and it makes the film much more enjoyable for the thrill seeking viewer.This will help me in my clip as now I know what works well in a successful film which I can incorporate into my own. Also I can use the analysis as I know what an audience wants and can now comply with that to make my clip the best it can be.
Throughout the film Insidious there are frequent light and dark contrasts that happen. An example is when the woman is retelling her story of when she went into the boys bedroom and sees the demon in the corner by the light of a table lamp. Only the back light is on so many places have dark patches then others have light patches this creates shadows. This is significantly important in Thriller films as often shadows are used to emphasis fear and the unknown and not being able to see which is a fear for many people. This is stereotypical of the thriller genre as it builds suspense and excitement with the unknown of what will happen next,this is a crucial part of the film as it otherwise would not be as scary as it is.The shadows also give us a sense that something bad will happen even before we get into the room,so the audience is already prepared for either a scary or gory scene.
Secondly another way that a director can make sure to thrill a audience is using a normal background in contrast to the events that are to unfold.In this particular case it is a family home which differs from the usual scene of a thriller film.It is a normal family home that a family live in.This really makes things more scary as the scene is familiar with your own surroundings and this makes the film seem more real than at an unknown set and the audience can relate to the characters in the scene. This relates back to the thriller genre as it does exactly what it is meant to do which is make it that little bit more unsettling due to the audiences familiarity with the scene.Although it still is not the same as an example of a normal thriller scene would be in a warehouse or an alley which the audience will find unsettling but hard to relate to.
The look and costume of the characters is not as traditional as other thriller but the director does it for a reason.In Insidious the look of the people is very normal for example the man is wearing a shirt the girl is wearing a jumper. This is to try to make the characters more believable as if they were a part of the audience and to normalize them as much as possible, this makes it easier to connect with the characters and therefore care about them.Also it again makes it more scary as it brings familiarity toward the scene. Also it contrasts again with the unusual events happening to the main character so when things happen they make it seem a small amount more unsettling. This keeps people entertained and holds the suspense built up by the rest of the scene while still making it believable.
Facial expression and body language is also a key aspect in mise en scene.They can convey meaning and emotions without saying them and it is very prominent throughout the scene.When the woman is talking to the others around the table she is opening up her body and we can see she is trying to help them understand.Then when the head pops out she closes up as she is terrified and we didn't need the sounds to see what is was.This helps the audience connect with the characters as when she is open we feel sorry for her and she is open.When she is huddled and closed we can tell she is frighted and shocked.This can help the audience feel sympathy for the characters or make them dislike the character.
A last way the director build tension and makes it better viewing is making the film have conventional scenes.An example of this is when the boy is in bed but the demon is in the corner.This scene is contrasting on a big level by having a surreal picture with a completely ordinary one.Although at the start of the scene we cannot see the demon so the scene has normality to it which puts us at ease.This normalizes as scene then making it suddenly change is another way that is make it more exciting to watch.This make viewing the scene much more enjoyable for the audience as it is very familiar but then very different at the same time.This makes it believable as if it could happen to them.
In conclusion Insidious shows many ways that it connect with the thriller genre but also some points that contradict it.Overall many of these ways build lots of tension and it makes the film much more enjoyable for the thrill seeking viewer.This will help me in my clip as now I know what works well in a successful film which I can incorporate into my own. Also I can use the analysis as I know what an audience wants and can now comply with that to make my clip the best it can be.
This post demonstrates a basic understanding of the conventions of a thriller film and this is because you have not identified the five elements of mise-en-scene in enough detail. Also you need to remember that sound is not an element within mise-en-scene!
ReplyDeleteHowever, the examples that you have included, helps to demonstrate your understanding of the codes and conventions of a thriller film. To develop this post, you need to-
1) Refer back to your class notes and ensure that you have included the correct points and terminology
2) Include screenshots to support the points that you have made
3) Include a summary to explain how your analysis will assist you with planning your own thriller film
this is crap
ReplyDeletethis is crap
ReplyDelete