Planning Mise-en-scene - Miss Georgiou

Planning Mise-en-scene

Setting and Iconography

My group and I have decided that we would like to incorporate a forest setting into our thriller opening sequence. We think this setting would be most appropriate and effective if we film during the evening as we believe this will generate a eery atmosphere which will cause the audience to feel anxious and unnerved which would fit conventions of the thriller genre. 

As a group we also have decided that we wish to use the iconic image of a knife within the murder scene as we believe that the use of this iconography is a classic convention of the thriller genre. The effect of using this iconography we hope will produce typical audience responses such as shock and fear. 

Also, myself, Chloe and Miranda have decided that we will include iconography of a car that breaks down, a mobile phone with no signal and a radio that produces static noises. We have decided to use these three aspects of iconography as all together they present the audience with an insight that events have taken a sudden turn for the worst and the unlikelihood of the situation getting any better for the two characters Holly and Gemma.  All three accumulate tension as the opening sequences progresses and highlights that the girls are vulnerable as they are stranded in an unfamiliar place making them susceptible to any danger that may be lurking, this produces a build up in apprehension prior to the the dramatic climax where Gemma is killed.

Costume and Hair & Makeup

My group and I have decided that the character Holly who is the driver will be dressed similarly to Gemma, they will both be wearing party clothing as in the opening sequence they reveal to the audience they are making their way to a friends house party. This will remind the audience that the girls are on their way to a party, making the girls intention of driving about clear for the audience. The girls will also have typical make up party e.g. red lipstick and sparkly eyeshadow to again reinforce the idea that the girls are on their way to a party.

The identity of the antagonist in our opening sequence will remain hidden. Therefore the antagonist is never shown from the front. The only time the audience see the antagonist is after he/she has killed Gemma. He/she will be seen from the back, slowly walking away from the crime scene. He/she will be wearing a long dark trench coat with a hoodie underneath (hood worn), grey jogging bottoms and black army boots. The use of dark clothing that doesn't reveal any aspect of the killers identity produces enigma, the audience are left wanting to know who the killer is and why he/she has murdered Gemma, this is a very typical convention of the thriller genre. 

Positioning

My group and I have decided on the  positioning of the characters that we will use. Taking into account our antagonist has a hidden identity and will not be seen by the audience, the position of him will be technically behind the camera as if the audience are literally looking through his eyes for some of the scene. The positioning of the antagonist will behind the girls and places where he can't be seen lurking around. This would be conventional to the thriller genre because the identity of the antagonist is hidden.  The purpose of positioning  the antagonist in areas where he can not be seen makes it easy for the audience to feel apprehensive and in a shocked state in regards to questioning  whats going to or what might happen next.  Therefore, the audience are enabled to create a relationship with the antagonist as they are viewing things from his perspective.

Lighting and Colour

We as a group thought that it would be a good idea when the car breaks down on the abandoned road to use low key lighting through the settings natural lighting e.g. lamp posts and the headlights of the car will beam on surrounding objects to create shadows and make the audience feel tense, as they feel uneasy not being able to view the whole picture due to the lack of lighting. The use of shadows within the scene, we hope, will make the audience feel nervous for the characters as it will be dark and and quiet in a secluded area, highlighting the girls vulnerability. 
As my group and I have decided to film in a forest during early evening, there will be limited lighting. The lighting will become darker once Gemma enters the forest. The use of dark shadows and shades of black that will be seen in the forest we hope will produce suspense for the audience and the use of limited lighting, dark shadows and shades of black will highlight the idea that anything or anyone that may be there in the forest with Gemma which is unknown to both Gemma and the audience generating enigma.

Facial Expressions and Body Language

There is a range of various facial expressions that are going to be used within our thriller opening sequence. At the beginning of our opening sequence where Gemma's car has broken down, both girls facial expressions will be depicted as annoyed, angry, upset and scared about the situation as they soon become aware that they are on an abandoned road in the dark, late at night and that they could be in danger. This would be conventional of a thriller  because the two girls are clearly portrayed as being vulnerable as they usually are in thriller films. Also, they are shown to be stuck on an abandoned road which would also be conventional to a thinner film.  These use of facial expressions within our opening sequence will help the audience to establish a relationship with the two female victims as the audience feel sympathy towards them as  they are  shown as feeling scared and as the audience are informed that the antagonist that is stalking them to the party the audience question whats going to happen, therefore suspense is generated.