Slide show on the use of mise-en-scene in a thriller

2. › Different levels of low key lighting that creates
suspense or a mysterious atmosphere
› Low level lighting creates shadows
 Creates fear and tension
› Black and white colouring increases the
effectiveness of shadows
› Title of film could be written/coloured in specific ways
to portray the film
› Colour is a direct link to emotions and thought so
dark greys and black would go with confusion and
uncertainty.

3. › Generally start with a slow tempo and relatively quiet
› Eerie music to create suspense
› Music that keeps the audience guessing to what could
potentially happen
› Silence
 Creates tension and panic

4. › Naturalistic costume and make-up to make it
more believable as how we present the
characters is how the audience will perceive
them
› Lack of make-up can make the characters
seem more natural and normal like an
everyday person
› To show fear in a woman for example,
smudged eye make-up can suggest that she
has been crying displaying her emotions.

5. › Typical thriller conventions would be a haunted
house or even a dark alley
› Objects can help determine the narrative and
identity of characters and genre
› Guns are generally a key object as there is
always an action scene between the ‘hero’ and
the villain
› Use of space
 Using claustrophobic spaces to portray the
‘entrapment’ in the characters mind