Physiological Thriller- Mise en Scene

Costumes

In Physiological Thrillers the costumes are usually just normal everyday clothing in a more modern type of film. However, in an older film there would be blood, gore and dark clothing used. Sometimes white. I think that this is to show innocence in the potential victim. Also, in films the use of children also shows this too. This is then the same with Make-Up. The more modern the film the less make up it gets because of the way technology is modernised and being updated.

• Security Guards 
• Everyday People 
• A Protagonist 
• Antagonist
• Doctors/Nurses

Typical doctors and nurses are used to portray innocence and the way that they are helping others. They are used in this genre in order for the innocence to be manipulated in many different ways such as a killer etc.







Lighting- Typically used in a Physiological Thriller

• Digital colour correction
• Dim lighting (back lighting)
• Shadows- to create suspense 
• Ultra violet- 'blue light'  
• Hard light- harshness, clearly illuminates and brings out detail. 
• Soft light- covers a wider area with more diffused light. 
• Chiaroscuro- a strong contrast with bright light and shadow with a small amount of grey scale. This is used to add enigma to a scene. 

Props

Props are needed in order to create a realistic story and narrative.  Props are used normally to indicate evil, death and pain. Such things like knifes, guns, ropes, masks etc. These things help in setting the film and in setting the themes and genres of a particular film. This also helps the atmosphere and ambience of the film. Props play a significant part in a film in helping to tell a certain story. They are also used by the actors as equipment.  They tell a story without words and express the thoughts and feelings of the characters.

Settings

• Woods 
• Houses
• Derelict Landscapes
• Abandoned Towns
• Warehouses, anything abandoned and open.
• Hospitals 
• Mental institutions 

Prop Research

Prop List

Empty Beer Boxes

Beer Cans

Empty Bottles

These three props are mainly going to be used to display the characters physical state. for example many films use things like these to portray a alcoholic. We would use the props in the location we choose to show that he is an alcoholic and his mental state isn't very good.

Ash Tray

Ash Tray is also another prop we would use to display a characters state as usually smoking is a sign of depression and the quantity of cigarettes could display this.

Drugs

Drugs will be used in our film when the character commits suicide, so the use of drugs isn't to portray him as an addict but to show he overdoses his prescription.

Keys

The use of keys is when the character opens the door but drops his keys then struggles to pick them up adding to his physical state creating sympathy from the audience.

Childs Drawing 

This will be used near the ending when he enters his daughters room and picks up a happy poster remembering what it used to be like before he kills himself. where the last shot to show he dies is when the picture falls from his hand.

Missing Poster

This is a main prop in the film to show the characters mental state as his daughter is dead but he puts missing posters up showing his mind is going from the guilt and the alcohol.

Back Pack

Typical Genre Make-up

The make-up of the psychological horror genre can be very varied from film to film. The 'normal' characters in the film, usually the ones who are being tormented, have little to no make up, just as any other character. This allows us to associate more with them as an audience in some cases as we can put ourselves in their shoes easier when they look like an everyday person.

The 'villain' of the film usually has pale facial features and black contacts can also be used in some cases to as a demonic representation. In our film we wont be using make up to this effect but we will still try to make uses of it when applicable.

Location Research

For our location we had a rough idea as to what we wanted in our film but we struggled to find something along the lines as to what the initial idea was. The house we wanted was to look a little run down and dark but there isn't an area where there is something like this so we decided to choose a a group members house which had all the essentials we need. The area which has lamp posts to place flyers and the house also has a girls bedroom.

This is the bedroom where the argument scene will take place as this is our first location choice. It has all the features we need because its a bright room which will contrast to the darker scenes of the house.

Film Questionnaire Responses

Film Questionnaire

Possible Distrubutor