Research into mis-en-scene - Miss Georgiou

I chose a clip from the thriller movie 'Paranormal Activity 3' I will be analysing the mise-en-scene used within this clip and how it is effective. Mise-en-scene is every detail within the camera shot that contributes towards the scene, it is made up by 5 micro elements which include lighting, cinematography, costume, body language and setting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO9yWm-Rthw

Within the clip the cinemtography plays a very inportant part into building suspense and panic for the audience, the camera effect used is handheld this creates a jerky and unstable vibe which makes the scene much more realistic and relateable. This results to within the duration of the scary bits, shock and fear being magnified as the audience feel more connected to the characters within the scene. Many different angles are used to build further effect, such as the over the shoulder angle used by the man within the bathroom, this gives the audience the same view as the character which allows them to share his perspective.

There is no main effect caused by the costume of the characters however they still imply many different things. The clothing worn by the little girl represents her innocence and purity, she is in her pyjamas which is meant to show how unexpected and suprising the scary events that occur are when they begin to unfold. The pink jumper shows her feminity which also explains why her reaction to the mysterious disturbances were very extreme. As the girl is representing youth and innocence, the audience can connect to this as the target audience has a segment of young teenagers who can connect to the character.

The setting of the scene is in the young girls bedroom, which can also be seen through the image above, the colour scheme of the room is very bright and young this emphasises how truly evil the mysterious demon is to attack such vunrable and innocent children. The luxuries that can be viewed from this scene show how money is no security and there is things out there that we cant be protected from. This relates to a thriller genre as the element of surprise is used to generate a response from the audience, which would be shock and suspense. The audience can connect to this through the very natural setting of a bedroom which they can relate to having one and the fear they would receive if the same situation happened in their own room.

The facial expressions and body language used are very effective within the clip of Paranormal activity 3. When the little girl is in the bathroom and there is mysterious things going on outside the door, the girl turns her back to the door to jam it shut and protect herself. She is protecting herself because she is scared and worried about what might happen to her, this is conveyed through her body language. The man is looking through hes camera rather than viewing hes surroundings directly, this shows how he can feel more comfortable as there is a higher chance what he is seeing through the camera may not be real. This connects to the audience as they can relate to her worry for the situation she is in, and the mans denial of the situation as it is not very common.

The lighting used with in the clip from Paranormal activity 3 is very natural, this creates a very calm and comfortable atmosphere for the audience. However when the lights turn off this creates an unstable and frightening theme. When the lights are off the audience are unaware of what the characters are experiencing this creates fear and suspense for the people viewing which is a very conventional effect used within the thriller genre. This connects the audience to the characters as they share the same emotion of panic due to not being able to see what is going on.

Creating this post has helped me understand how all of the micro elements within mise-en-scene can create effect individually to produce a good thriller film, therefore this post will positively affect my opening sequence. Using the information I have collected I can begin to plan the mise-en-scene I would like to use for my opening sequence, however as my narrative will be different to the narrative used in paranormal activity 3, I will have to gain more inspiration from other thriller films.








Editing used within thriller films is a very important element, due to thrillers having a reputation of being over exagerated and very unrealistic situations. There is not much editing used within this clip however throughout the rest of the movie there is, near the end of the clip chairs fly about and the table breaks. The editing used to make it realistic is very effective as it shows the villan within the film is unknown, this creates mystery which creates a lot of fear for the audience. Nobody knows who or what the antagonist is. This relates to the thriller genre as there is a lot of mystery and undeserved victims.

There is a large amount of non diagetic sound added into the clip to emphasis the loud noises and highlight the significance of certain movements. For example the chairs being flung across the room, and the the door slamming, the noises are pre-recorded and then added into the scene through editing. The non diagetic sound is used to create a larger impact on the audiences shock, throughout thrillers suspense is projected easiest and most effective through the use of music and noise. Diagetic sound is also used within the clip when the girl and man are having a conversation and screaming in reaction to the mysterious ghost.