Mise-en-scene generic conventions

Chosen Films•Unfriended•Carrie•Gone Girl

LightingFrom my research I can see that horror films usually start with bright lighting to create a feeling of safety, which is a normal domestic environment. This creates an opportunity of vulnerability as the film progresses. As it gets darker the viewers have less of an idea of what’s about to happen, and they too feel exposed. In todays society, bright colours represent positive things and dark colours represent negative. This is parallel to the fact that it gets darker throughout the film to make the audience more scared.

PropsProps can be used to outline relationships between different characters. For example, flowers may be used to implement romance into the film showing that the characters are in love etc. A knife may be used to show hatred between two characters. In the film unfriended we can see a characters hand being stuck in a blender by a paranormal creature. This is an everyday item used in most homes, which creates an environment that can be relatable and makes the situation scarier. In every house there are knifes which again makes it relatable.

CostumeThe victims usually wear very stereotypical clothing to make their situation more relatable to us. This makes the whole film scarier and puts us in their position. As you can see from the third print screen, all of the characters are in comfy casual clothes, showing that they are relaxed and at ease, which is in controversy to what is about to happen to them. Bad characters again normally wear clothes are relatable to us but the idea is used in a different way. For example, as you can on the right the girl from Carrie is wearing a dress covered in blood. A dress is a smart item of clothing and is normally kept in good condition. The fact that she is covered in red liquid and the dress is dirty changes the way we look at the dress but keeps it relatable at the same time.

Setting• From my research I can see that horror

films are usually set in houses. This is because it becomes relevant to us as we all live in houses. This is where people feel most comfortable, and where they are most vulnerable in a horror situation. The houses that are used in these films are all in secluded areas, which adds to the vulnerability. Most people that will be watching the film will be at home which makes the whole experience scarier. As the film progresses, we gain more views of the house in detail, which is parallel to the storyline as the enemy is getting closer to the house. Isolated homes are popular to horror films due to the effects it can portray in to the film.

Body language and facial expressionBody language and facial expressions are extremely important in enabling the viewer to understand how the characters are feeling. For example, if they are smiling and are relaxed, they will be happy, whereas if they are crying they are sad. As we can see from the first two print screens, the characters are both screaming with tears coming down their faces. This shows that they are scared and feel weak. However, the third print screen shows the villain with an expressionless face; they have no feelings towards the damage they are doing. Her arms are open, showing that she is confident with what she is doing.