Mise-En-Scene (Georgiou)

Saw (Reverse bear trap)

The settings in the film 'saw' is based in a old warehouse. This emphasises the fact that it is an isolated location and no one is around to hear them scream. This is conventional because its unfamiliar location which creates a creepy atmosphere. 

 In the reverse bear trap scene, they have used low-key lighting to help cast strong shadows on the walls around the room. This helps the audience get and idea of settings they are in and what iconography items have been used. The key light in the scene is the main light dangling from the ceiling which is placed just above her head. In the room all you can see is a t.v facing towards Amanda with a tape and a head brace which she is wearing on her head. The use of low-key lighting is conventional because it makes the room seem mysterious and creates a level of anticipation. It also only allows the audience to see the main iconography items to create a scene.

In the background the colour of the room is a dark grey/blue. The is effective because it creates a cold mysterious atmosphere giving a sense of foreboding that something bad is going to happen. This make the audience anxious and keeps the on the edge of there seats. The colour of the background is conventional because it its the dark settings which creates a mysterious feel and builds up a level of anxiety. Also, when the video was being played you could see the camera zooming in on the mask. The mask had black circles on the cheeks. The colour black connotes death which could suggest to the audience that someone is going to die. This is conventional to the thriller genre because it shows a potential death of the kidnapped victim.

One of the iconography item used in the scene was a 'reverse bear trap' (head brace) which is connected to her jaw. In the scene she has been put into a life threatening situation where she has to cut someone open and find a key which is inside him to unlock the brace before the timer runs out otherwise it will rip her jaw into a million pieces. The use of the iconography is effective because it create anticipation for the audience whilst engaging them.When the viewers first see the head brace they are curious to whats happened and why she is wearing it. This is conventional because thriller films generally use females as the victims and males as the killers. The reason for this is because women are the weaker gender and men seem more authoritative. They use the strength of men to overpower women making them seem more vulnerable. It also creates suspense because its a life or death situation which keeps the audience on the edge of their seats.

The camera is zoomed up on her face positioning her in the centre of the frame . This forces the audience to focus on her facial expressions. One of the scenes, the tape has been shown and she is about to set of the timer. This is effective because it builds anticipation and allows the audience to experience the fear she is feeling. This is conventional because it allows the audience to see the victims reactions making them experience the same fear as them.

When the women wakes up after the drugs have worn off, she soon realises that she is tied up to a chair with a head brace on. The mise en scene technique the film has used is facial expressions. The key light is shinning on the victims face allowing the audience to see the characters facial expressions. This is effective because the audience can see her eye wide open in alarm making the audience anxious. This then makes them expect something bad to happen creating an enigma which keeps them engaged. This is conventional because they audience are aware that she has been captured by a villain and that she frightened.

The character is wearing dark eye shadow around her eyes making her look tired. It also emphasises her fear when she has her eyes wide because it makes them appear whiter. The use of make-up is effective because it allows the audience to see she her eyes tired from all the drugs. This build suspense because the audience are unaware as to why and whats going to happen. The make up is conventional because it draw attention to her eyes which is the only feature the head brace allows you to see. The fear facial expressions help keep the audience engages in the film.

In the beginning of the film, The victim is talking to the police about what had happened to her. Her body language gave the audience the impression that she was traumatised in some way because she had her head facing downwards. This is a convention of a thriller genre because it hides her facial expressions leaving the audience in suspense.

 This will assist me when i make my thriller opening as its has helped me decide on what type of location i want to use. I liked the idea of an abandoned warehouse as it makes the audience anxious building suspense. I also liked how the killers identity was concealed creating the enigma of who is it. When i make my thriller i would like to use a similar narrative along the lines of a stalker of a antagonist who kidnaps the victim and tortures them.