Film Opening Research- MISE-EN-SCENE, Genre, and Conventions

Film Opening Research: Mise-En-Scene, Genre, and Conventions

 

 



Mise-En-Scene ,the image caught within the frame of the camera is important for this coursework piece and one of the most difficult task(s) to accomplish. The basics aspects of Mise-En-Scene includes: settings and props, costume hair and make up, positioning of characters/objects within a frame, lighting and colour, and finally facial expression and body language. In order to make this film opening work, we must also focus on the genre and its' conventions. Now the film opening for the coursework has been decided to be given the genre of horror and/or possibly its' sub-genres, therefore we must follow the conventions to have the mise-en-scene fit. Example: the image here is from the film "The Strangers" (2008), this scene takes place when the three intruders have captured two of the main characters. In this shot the audience are facing the back of the captives as the three strangers look down on them preparing to stab them over and over again; this puts the audience in the captive's perspective.

Genre is basically the style or category of a literary piece, music, art, etc. Horror is a strong feeling of shock, fear and disgust; it is the aftermath of being terrified. The horror genres' purpose is to arouse fear within the audience in simple or elaborate ways and can follow dark themes that will overlap with other genres. The plot in a horror genre always has conflict between the characters and the evil force, monstrosity, villain, or event; depending on the setting and sub-genre the antagonist can be a villain/force of the supernatural, science-fiction, etc. Such as the vampire in "Dracula" (1931) or a deceptive human being that is mad and murderous like the character Norman Bates in  Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" (1960).

 Conventions are the recurring elements that appear in films and can vary depending on the genre. By applying the conventions of the horror film genre, my partner and I can better understand how to enhance the impact of mise-en-scene in our opening. The setting of a horror film could be applied to almost any location as long as the area has a dark history and typical horror themes are added e.g. the theme of isolation in the Overlook Hotel, the setting of "The Shining" (1980). The props in the frame or the props the characters interact with can convey what they truly are, stereotypically the villain of a slasher film would have a gruesomely intimidating weapon e.g. "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (1974) and the representation of a chainsaw as a weapon and tool for butchery.


Costumes, hair, and make-up can help identify the time period of the setting and location of the horror film as well as the characters' emotions and who they are. Such as the this image from Tim Burton's "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"(2007); with this lighting, dark colours, costumes, hair styles and buildings it projects the setting of a miserable 19th century London. Low-key lighting can be used to create a scene that isn't well lit and long dark shadows, useful in adding a sense of foreboding and danger. Colour conventions in a horror film seem to be recurring symbols, red for blood, black for darkness, etc. Facial and body expressions in a horror film can be depressing or simply casual until the threat/ villain is made known, characters' previous expressions and movement can vary depending on their role. As for the threats, they would appear as intimidating and fierce as possible but an unsettling calm expression is equally terrifying, physical movements of the threat are also variable depending on who or what they are. Another example: this shot is part of the opening sequence of "Zombieland" (2009), notice the terrified facial expression of the woman running away from the zombie. The zombie's facial expression is menacing and hungry, the movements of the zombies in this film or abnormally fast and awkward making it more creepy.


Unfortunately, through the years the narratives of the horror genre and its' sub-genres have become more and more predictable, a prime example would be "the slasher" sub-genre. The murderous villain (possibly a supernatural villain as well) is utterly insane because of past traumatic experiences or born insanely cruel. The villain slays  stupid and morality-lacking adolescents one by one in sinister and gruesome ways for reasons depending on the scenario. Most of the time there will be a survivor who succeeds in stopping or escaping the malevolent force, most often female or 'final girl', a recurring cliché.

Characters are becoming repetitive in the horror genre, some either plot driven or character driven. The conventions include a protagonist (male or female) is the victim/hero of the conflict against the opposing villain and threat(s) which could be anything depending on its' sub-genre, a possible love interest. Secondary characters that have little or major importance through the course of the plot that may effect the protagonist and antagonist to certain degree(s). With this information, my partner and I can create a film opening that follows the conventions of the genre and possibly attempt to break some stereotypes.