LO3: Mise-en-scene

Mise-En-Scene -The composition of elements in the scene, scene design and placement of actors and props. Anything in front of the camera. Everything in the frame

1. Location of filming-background
2. Blocking - Placement of actors
3. Lighting - High key (Bright) juxtaposition to Low key lighting (Dark)
4. Costumes - Actor and been instructed to wear it to create a particular meaning
5. Props - Something that is hand held  - Iconography - Both props and costumes act as symbol of character
6. Gesture - What characters do - Action- Running, banging, jumping

Analysis terms - Connote, signify,     Avoid - Represents emphasises, shows

Denotes-Denotation   What you see and hear - Description

E.g.   Denoted was Thor banging his hammer on the floor. This signifies his strength and mightiness. Makes the audience feel as it creates a spectacle, the audience knows that Thor is doing to be be victorious as he is a heroic protagonist. 

Heroic Protagonist - Leading Hero - Audience is rooting for them

      Ideal self/ Ideal partner - (Rogers 1980)

Accidental Hero - Spiderman, wasn't intended to become a hero. The Martian 

Antagonist - They set up the enigma, create disequilibrium.  Deliberately evil character

AntiHero - Deadpool/Batman as he does crime to do good.

Must pick a live action film

Films Choice: Midsommar

1. Male and Female characters: Stereotype and challenged - A male Stereotype character example would be Mark as he is obnoxious and unemotional. A challenged stereotype male character would be Pelle as he is emotional and caring initially but also shown to a heartless murderer later on. A female stereotype would be Dani because she is conventionally attractive ( Blonde etc), emotional and very dependent on others. A female challenged stereotype character would be [FINISH]
2. Heroic protagonist and antagonist- The Swedish cult are the obvious antagonists but it is only apparent later on in the film, there are also many anti-heros with Christian who is both a victim of the film but also a morality questionable person who gaslights Dani in the film.  Dani is the most obvious Heroic-Protagonist but later on in the film her morals are questionable as she is captivated by the cult and seen smiling as her somewhat evil ex dies, which could be seen as rewarding or her becoming evil as she joins the cult.
3. At least two different ethnicities 
4. 3 Action scene 
5. A clear narrative- What is the film about? What is the Genre?

Costume examples:

The cult are wearing primarily white which challenges the stereotype that the antagonists wear dark clothes. Their white costumes also signify them as welcoming and pure initially but they are evil inside as show later in the film. The outsiders are all wearing dark colours which juxtaposes the white costumes of the cult. This signifies them as different but it is a counter-stereotype because the ones wearing dark colours are the "Heros" and the ones wearing white are the "Evil" ones.

Before they arrive in Sweden, all of the main male characters, including Pelle, are wearing dark clothing and furthermore, hoodies. These have connotations of evil so these character are being foreshadowed to have evil qualities. This is most apparent in Pelle when he is wearing dark clothes before he gets to Sweden but white clothes in Sweden, this foreshadows his inner evil and motives behind encouraging Dani to go to Sweden. 

This is the flower gown worn by Dani because she became the May-Queen. It is a very flamboyant costume with a rich array of colours and a dramatic shape, this connotates royalty and wealth which shows that the cult has tried to make Dani feel very important in order to manipulate her to chose her boyfriend as the sacrifice. Flowers signify new life which show that the cult is trying to create a new life for her here and not let her leave. 

Props Examples:

This prop is a flower halo. Halos have religious symbolism which connotates Dani feeling like she is becoming a more important being as she is being indoctrinated into the cult. Flowers have symbolism of new life which signifies Dani becoming a new person with a new life and leaving the horrors of her past life behind her as she only begins wearing the crown as the cult begins to indoctrinate her. 

This prop is the holy book of the cult. It contains painting created by the pure child, Ruben. The elders then interpret these paints as instructions or commandments. It has religious symbolism because it signifies the Bible or their version of the Bible. This gives it connotations of importance and therefore suggests that the elder who is holding it is important. This is further implied when Josh is explicitly told that he could not take photos of it and the elder is appalled at the idea.

This prop is a drum being used by a member of the cult before the elder sacrifice. Drums often symbolism the natural rhythm of life so it is being used here to foreshadow the deaths of the elders as they have reached 72 years old, the end of the cyclic pattern of the cult members life.  

Gestures Examples

This gesture is all the woman is the cult crying with Dani after she finds her boyfriend "cheating on her". It shows that they are acknowledging her emotions in order to manipulate her and control her because they are the first people in the movie to validate her emotions as understandable, this is a juxtaposition to early in the film when Christians friends, Mark and Josh want him to leave Dani because they see her as an obstacle, rather than acknowledging her emotions.                                                                               

This scene is from the start of the film when Dani just receives the news that her family is dead and is sobbing whilst being comforted by Christian; He is silent and unable to properly share her grief. which is a deliberate juxtaposition to the other scene and it shows that Christian was unable to provide her with a homely feeling after her family died, even though he was never malicious to her. 

Lighting - High and Low Key Examples

Low  Key Lighting example: Here the cult member is being lit by a low key light meaning it is quite dim, from a single light source and quite a hard light, this creates an emphasis on shadows and contrast. This has connotations of evil because the darkness on the face signifies evil. Furthermore, the split lighting, with half the face being lit and half being in shadow, signifies the cult having two faces; A friendly welcoming one and a manipulative dangerous side. 

High Key Lighting example: Here, early in the film, the outsider protagonists walk out of the dimly lit forest into the open where the cult members are. These people are lit with High Key Lighting ( Soft, bright, multiple point lighting) because it connotates safety and happiness. This is done because early in the film the cult are seen as friendly so the lighting reflects that.

Location Examples

This location is of the Swedish cults village and it  is an idyllic meadow with rolling hills and blue sky's. The connotates happiness and prosperity because they are typically summer locations which is traditionally a time of good health, as opposites to winter which has connotations of suffering and death, as seen in the first scene.

                                                       

This location is the hometown of Dani's parents, it is wintertime which has connotations of suffering and death because traditionally winter was a time of hardship when there was little food. This foreshadows the death of Dani's parents and Sister in the murder suicide.  Furthermore, it is night-time which is stereotypically a time of danger, especially in horror films, and the audience is expecting the film to take place in midsummer so this setting seems out of place, suggesting something terrible is going to occur.