Research - Mrs Quinlan: Mise en scene: Setting and iconography

Mise en scene: setting and iconography:

Intro: what are setting and iconography and why is it an important convention? How can it help with audience understanding? Discuss connotations and denotations.

Iconography and setting are an important mise on scene element in thrillers this is because it helps sets the scene within the film. Setting or [Location] is an important convention since it tells the audience where the film is taking place and what they can expect from this location and the film. For example, if a scene was taking place in a forest the audience would know something was about to happen. Iconography is another important convection within thrillers as this allows the audience to associate an object with a meaning or purpose throughout a film or a scene. They are many different objects that can be used for example a knife could be used to kill someone and the audience would know that the knife symbolises the death of a character.

Convectional thriller settings can vary from film to film and can depend on the sub-genre of that film. Typical settings could include, forests, corridors, confined places, abandon buildings, and homes. The connotation is that some places are considered safe which means the film could have an effect on the audience. However, the denotation would of conventional of using all of a small pool of locations compared to other genres. This means thrillers may sometimes be seen as repetitive.

Settings and sub-genre: how are settings dependent on sub-genres? 

An example of a film using setting to the films advantage would be "The grudge". Which is the thriller with a sub-genre of horror. The film use places like houses or hospitals with extremely low lighting compared the reason why they would this was because these places are considered as places of safety, however, The Grudge manipulates this ideal therefore affecting the audience psychological. Therefore creates tension and excitement throughout the film. Most other thrillers films may use different places to suit their sub-genre and what their audience may be expecting.

Iconography: what are typical thriller iconography and why? Discuss connotations and denotations

Iconography is the object of significance in a film, various thrillers would use this technique throughout their film. The main purpose of an iconography is that it's an important object within a scene or film. This can range from a variety of objects.  This might range from guns to blankets depending on the film. Iconography can reflect what happening a scene, for example, a gun might be the object of significance since that may have been fired and it could be injured and/or killed someone. Another example would have been a blanket, during a scene a child might be hiding behind a blanket. The blanket would be the object of significance since it’s the most important object in the scene.

Iconography and sub-genre: how are settings dependent on sub-genres? 

Like with settings, sub-genre can affect iconography within thrillers. Since iconography and the use of objects can vary from film to film. An example of this being used would be the shining during the here's Johnny scene. The main iconography that was used throughout that scene was an axe this signify that a character is being brutally hunted down by the antagonist. Different sub-genres such as physiological, spying and horror thrillers will use different objects of significance to represent a scene or film. There is no set convention for iconography and can vary from thriller to thriller because they would be using different objects.

Thriller opening analysis. Analyse a scene identifying the use setting and iconography

The setting is in a high rise apartment in New York. This seems to be an unusual setting for thrillers since not many would start in a busy place which is in the open. The main iconography throughout the clip would of be the glass shattering @1:38  The object of significance would have been the glass shattering, this tells the audience that the character is in serious trouble and could lead the man to jump over the edge of the high-rise building.

Conclusion: what types of setting and iconography are you now planning to use and why?

Because the film that we are planning is a supernatural type thriller. The setting and iconography would need to reflect this. The main setting of the opening scene would be located in a house this is because I can affect audiences ideas about the house is safe. I would like to also use various other places to break the conventional thrillers. The iconography I should think about using shouldn't be recognized at first however throughout the opening thriller it should be obvious why this situation is happening.