Jazz Chrystie - Mis-En-Scene

I will be commenting on the Mise-En-Scene of the shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. Mise-En-Scene are the conventions that make up cinematography, they make up a movie and without it we could not see or understand what is occurring within a movie.

There are several aspects of Mis-En-Scene, these are:

• Lighting - The lighting within a film is very important, it affects the mood or theme of a scene, it influences the way a character is portrayed and can single handidly create an atmosphere. Light affects the way colors are rendered, both in terms of hue and depth, and can focus attention on particular elements of the composition. Things such as choosing whether to shoot in black and white or colour make a big impact, chosing whether the scene should be dark to create a scary atmosphere or have a light in particualr place to create a point of focus on one object all change the audiences peceptions of a film. There are several different types of lighting that have different effects and this is usually coordinated by cinematographers as they deal with cameras and lighting.
   

Through the use of low key lighting
this character's identity is kept hidden.

Setting and props - This is the consideration of the set design, location and overall decoration of a particual scene, this can be very important as essentially determaines how a scene is viewed and gives the audience a further indication of the surroundings and time. For example if there was a scene with charriots and castles, the audience would assume the film is set in a medieval date even without any actual indication, and if there was a scene with advanced technology such as hovering cars and laser rifles the audience would assume that the film is set in the future. There are two different types of filming locations: sets or a real life location. production designers are in charge of this aspect of Mis-En-Scene.

This is a set created specifically for a TV show
or Movie.

Costume and make up - This is the coordination of what the character wears and what prosthetics the character applies to themselves. Although simple, this has a strong affect as it is also another strong indicater to the audience about a character or situation. If a character is wearing a costume and a cape the audience would know that this is a superhero even without seeing anything occur. Costume can also establish time periods as what we wear in modern day has changed massivly from the past. Make-up artists and costume designers are in charge of this aspect.

By the use of costume the audience will
instantly know that these men are
police ofiicers.

• Facial expressions - Facial expressions are an important feature for several reasons, they can clearly show a character's personality, for example a smiling person would generaly be happy, however a smirk or a cheeky grin may suggest an evil plot the character is scheming. This is also a good way for audiences to understand certain things, such as a character lying, they may be saying one thing however their face shows that this is not true, or sarcasm as the audience would not be able to decipher that a character is being sarcastic if they have a serious face when doing so. Actors are responsible for their facial expressions however directors will tell them what they must do in order for the audience to get the right perception.    

The facial expressions on this character
would suggest that he is worried or upset.

• Character placement - Character placement is the coodination of where a character will be placed within a shot or particular scene. This is an important role most specifically for the purpose of hierachy within a film, generally the most important person within a film, most likely the protagonist will be in the center of all shots, with people who have smaller roles next to them, this is as this character is the point of focus within the film and holds the most interest within the audience. There are also other instances of character placement, such as a victim being made to look smaller than a killer within a thriller film, thus making them look weaker and helpless. A director would be in charge of character placement as they have the overall idea of what they want the scene to look like.

The main character is in the middle of the shot
with minor characters or extras behind him
thus making him the main point of focus.

In terms of lighting the main source of light in the scene comes from the light in the bathroom, however there is top lighting emitted from the shower which is a reflection from the main light. The film is in black and white which is usual of movies during the 1960's as colour film was an aspect that became common during the late 60's and mainly the start of the 70's. The killer in the scene is behind the shower curtains and creates a dark shadow, this creates a sense of tension as the audience anticipate the victims inevitable death, the shadow also hides the killers face/mask which creates tension as their identity is hidden. Shadows are an aspect widely used within films, they create a strong sense of mystery as only the outline of a particular person, they can either decept an audience or create a sense of eneviatabilty, for example in the scene of psycho we can predict that the killer is going to kill the victim as the shaddow indicates that the killer is creeping up slowly towards the victim. The scene is notably bright for a tense thrilling scene this may however be due to the fact that the film is in black and white, the bright lighting can make an audience at ease and not expect something to happen, also in context with the scene the director would have wanted the scene to be bright as the showering is a happy or comfortable situation the victim is in, and it would be bright in a real life situation thus it should be within the film.

In terms of setting and props the scene is in a bathroom, mainly in the shower, this is usually a safe place and the victim looks comfortable and relaxed accordingly, an audience would not expect somebody to get murdered in this scene as the setting is not one of a usual confrontation or murder.The only real prop in the scene is the knife used to kill the victim, a knife is arguably one of the most conventional props within the thriller genre for several reasons: firstly it strikes danger, it is a very powerful weapon that an audience would correlate to danger with, secondly the knife is a violent weapon that has a capacity to cut flesh and create a lot of blood, which is a very common feature of several thriller films as it is disturbing but entising for the audience to watch. A focus shot is used during the murder to put emphasis on the weapon and keep the focus away from the victims body or blood as during the 1960's there were strong censorship limitations and blood, nudity or violence were not aloud, therefore Hitchcock had to put the highlight on something else to create the same amount of suspense, Hitchock was renowned as a master of suspense and used several other techniques to create tension, one being focussing on the weapon and leaving the audience to assume the victim had died rather than actually showing the stab wounds.

In terms of costume and make up the only notable thing is the mask the killer is wearing, which is hidden from the audience to maintain suspense, masks are used commonly within thriller films, the mask within this film is disturbing for the audience and may shock some viewers. The victim is naked which could represent innocence and is a good indicator that she could be a victim as it correlates with her attractiveness. Attractive victims are a very common feature of movies even in present time as it appeals to the male audience and generally most big name actors/actresses are attractive. The victims hair is well groomed and blonde also signs to show she was a victim as Hitchcock's victims were always blonde timid females, this is because of history as Hitchcock's mother was blonde and her father was known for abusing her when he was a child, the use of a blonde victim is something that has remained within the thriller genre for years.

Through the use of lighting the killer
looks scarier and their identity
is kept disguised.

In terms of facial expressions the victim looks generally comfortable during the scene when she is showering, almost smiling when the shower turns on, she has no looks of worries which can trick an audience into thinking nothing will happen, her body language is extremely relaxed when showering also creating a sense of false comfort and tricking the audience into believing that there will be no danger within the scene. The killers body language is tense and threatening, this is usual of a murderer as they are mysterious and violent people who do not give off any sense of personality or remorse, this may also be to create a sense of tension the audience and make their killer seem even more scary because of the way they act.

The victim looks comfortable and
is unaware of the dangers that
follow

In terms of positioning of characters, the victim is in the middle throughout the whole scene, this can indicate that she is the point of interest and puts the focus completely on her, an audience will also feel more in tune with the character as the scene is dedicated towards her. The killer comes from behind the victim to attack her, this is usual within a thriller as the audience can anticipate the death of the victim however the woman is oblivious to her fate, this can also create shock if we look at context as prior to the killer being in the scene it was a very relaxing and comfortable scene, untill the killer appears out of nowhere with a knife.                  

By analysing this clip I now have a much wider understanding of conventions of thriller films that create key feelings within the audience such as tension, suspense and shock. I will apply things within this clip such as the use of positioning to create a point of focus and thouroughly plan my lighting within my thriller film as it can create a strong atmosphere or highlight or hide certain things such as a killers face.