Analysing mise-en-scène (still frame)
Tuesday, October 06, 2015
Mise-en-scène can be defined as
everything you see in a shot, or the 'design aspect' of shots. This typically
includes setting, lighting, colour, space, composition, body language, facial expression, costume, make-up and hair - all of which are used to portray
the story and mood. Viewers subconsciously register what these things mean. For
example, if there is a dark figure in the background, out of focus, the viewer
will see them as being bad (associated with darkness) and often mysterious
(because they are out of focus).
For our task, we had to analyse the
mise-en-scène of a screenshot from a film. The screenshot I analysed is from
Paranormal Activity 4.
The use of lighting and colour in
this scene are prominent. The blue light shining onto Alex's face could suggest
that she is calm and relaxed, as the colour blue is often associated with
calmness. By contrast, the use of red for her bed sheets, often associated with
danger, could be foreshadowing something bad that is going to happen. The
lighting behind the child in the background is very light, which illuminates
the figure and draws the viewer's attention to him, but he also appears as very
dark with no light sources on his face, which intimidates the viewer and gives
them the idea that the child isn't 'right', as darkness and a lack of features
are usually associated with 'badness', suspicion and mystery. Another
interesting point is that complimentary colours are used in this shot, and
these contrasting colours could suggest that there is a change in the
situation, which was previously calm (referencing the lighting on Alex).
When it comes to the clothing they
are wearing, Alex's clothes can be seen as quite revealing, which makes her
vulnerable to anything bad that's going to happen. Similarly, she's positioned
facing away from the door, which means she won’t be able to see anything coming
- this is quite unnerving for the viewer, as the viewer can see what is going
on whilst Alex is unaware. This is amplified by her facial expression, which is
blank, showing that she is engrossed in what she is doing (which means she won’t
pay any attention to what is going on behind her, adding to the suspense).
Alex's makeup is also quite simplistic and natural, which makes her seem
innocent and child-like, adding to the vulnerability of her character.
Another point to add is the body language of the child behind her. Typically children are quite restless and move around a lot, but in the scene the child is shown to be very still. This can give the viewer a feeling of something not being quite right, which induces fear.
The scene is set in her bedroom, which amplifies the feeling of fear as it is meant to be a safe setting, and is also relatable to the viewer. It can give an unpleasant feeling of invasion in somewhere where bad things aren't meant to happen.
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