Planning: Mise en scene - Mrs. Quinlan

The intended Mise en Scene for our Thriller Opening.

Iconography:

• News Paper cut outs- these will play as typography to our opening credits and will be used throughout. We decided on this less typical typography because it will make the viewer intrigued and much more engaged into the viewing as they are encountered with something less familiar. Additionally, often newspaper cut outs are associated with threat and blackmail because these help to hide the antagonist hand writing and keep them anonymous which can create a sense of unsettlement for the spectator who will feel uneasy about using such secretive way to present the opening credits as nothing obvious is revealed.
• Magazines- another inevitable iconography used will be the fashion magazines which will be constantly referred to and shown throughout the opening, forming almost a montage of images. We decided to use magazines because it will fit nicely with the idea of newspaper typography as well as these fashion magazines will almost give an insight of the characters life and interest which can be interesting for the audience to see. Simultaneously, these can be a false clue for the audience who will instantly connote fashion with the female gender, however as an element of surprise we decided that this deception will impact the audience more when they start to release that this is in fact a male character. Additionally, these magazines will have beheaded models on, which yet again will help to give an insight of this character likings as well as show that this is an antagonist of the narrative and someone we should loathe.
• Red Lipstick- another iconography that will be reinforced throughout the opening is the red lipstick that will be used to write in the title of the film. We wanted to use a lipstick to reinforce the female nature and yet again false clue our audience which will help to build to the climax and element of surprise. At the same time red is a strong color with connotations of evil, which will show that this is an antagonist, as well as blood, which will symbolize that the character has brutal intention, but also passion, showing that this is someone with an obscure obsession and crazy passion towards his interest.
• Red Bra and Underwear- this discographies will be briefly accompanied by one of the cast names. We decided that the character will quickly grab these props, as if rushing to do something or being ashamed, which will intrigue the viewer who is unaware of what is happening. We decided on a red bra and underwear because bras are a part of female attire which will alert the viewer who will think that this is in fact a female character. We want it to be red as, similarly to the red lipstick, this colour has strong connotations and will also imply sexual desire or romantic passion which will seem obscene when we realize that this is a man, surprising the audience.
• Mannequin- this will be displayed at the middle of our sequence and a zoom in will be used to introduce this and show its significance. We decided on a mannequin because it will show that this character has a passion, nearly an obsession, for female fashion and females overall. This will make the viewer feel uncomfortable, knowing that this person if out of control with his longings which is typical of an antagonist as often they have a fixation on one thing that they keep hold on to throughout the film.
• Mirror- lastly, we intend on using a mirror which will display the title written on with a lipstick. We want to use this iconography because it will be a metaphor for reflection of his past as well as real him. It will also help to reinforce the idea of female gender because stereo-typically they tend to spend a lot of their time trying to improve their image and looks which shows that this character wants a change in his life, making the audience reflect on themselves.

Lighting & Colours:

Lighting - The lighting we intend to use is low key with top lighting throughout the scene. This is because we wants to create a cunning and evil atmosphere and make the audience have a fearful response. Moreover we will use the top lighting to focus on the objects such as the magazines and the writing in the mirrors. The under lighting will be used when the main character is portrayed in the camera and begin to wear tights and a dress. This is because we want to show the character's silhouette and make the viewers feel uncomfortable as the character's identity is unknown. Lastly, we think that these key lighting are conventional to the thriller genre which will give the right response from the spectators which are threat and mysteriousness.  

Colours - The colours that we intend to use during the editing is a yellow filter to convey the feeling of mysteriousness. Also the dress will be red to connotes the feminine ways of woman and the passions that this character has for woman. Furthermore even the pen that the character will use to cross the models in the magazine, will be red to connote danger and misery. The tights will be black because is conventional and credible. Whereas, the lipstick will be dark red to connote blood and revenge and makes the audience feel curious and want to see more. Overall, we think that these colours will suit our thriller opening and makes the audience have the proper feeling and emotions.

Setting & Location:

Setting:  The first part of our opening scene will be set in a drama room because of its lack of lighting and wide spacing. The opening credits will be made up o magazine cut outs and placed chronologically on the floor in the drama room, We also chose the drama room due to the scratches and marks on the black floor which creates an distorting effect to the audience as it gets them thinking what caused all the scratches.

The rest of the opening scene will be set in 'Moda Istanbul Boutique.' We decided this location would be suitable for our opening scene because the criteria matches our story board as our unknown character is obsessed with women clothing and fashion, however hates women, and a boutique is a perfect place that attracts women and fashion addicts. Moreover the boutique contains a large mirror hat is crucial for our production.

Location: The drama room is located in our school (Oasis Academy Hadley). This is useful as it easy to access at any time available. The boutique is also located on Enfield Lock high road which is also easy to access by bus travel and train travel.