How we used mise-en-scene in our film 'Retention':
In terms of scenery we chose to set this film in a house which was built in 1864 as this gives the film an 'old haunted look' which is typical of horror films since setting is key to creating that eerie suspenseful mood. The house we used was significant as it looks homely inside and doesn't look too cliché in appearing creepy. However the stone floors and brick walls make the house look just that bit more creepy than your standard house. For the attic scenes, we filmed them in the same house due to the fact that the attics are not used by the owners and it gave these scenes a more creepy look as it looks more abandoned.
The props were a big part of the film as the film was based around a Ouija board and without this key prop, we wouldn't have our film. This was the main prop and we had to ensure that it looked authentic. We first purchased a board from Ebay however this turned out to be too small for the use of five people (our cast) and being on a tight schedule we made the decision to print off a Ouija board from the internet on to A3 paper, and stick it to a piece a wood which one of our directors cut to the correct size, to create the illusion that this was a real board. During the actual scene of using this board, we used candles to set the atmosphere and from our research we concluded that candles are a important when using the board as candles are commonly used and linked to spiritualism so it was fitting that we feature candles in this film. We chose both tea lights and church candles to create an eerie vibe. Every prop in this film is set to be old fashioned to keep up the ghostly appearance and due to the attic scene being a huge part of the film every prop used in this had a rustic look; despite being a safety hazard the ladders were old and rickety and this is believed to be key in keeping up the gloomy and predominantly, gothic look of the film.
For the characters we chose to keep the looks simple as to keep portraying them as normal teenagers and would look cliché to overdo it. For one of the main character's Riley, we chose for her to wear skinny jeans and a crop top. This is because its a popular fashion trend among teenagers today and this look is also paired with the popular 'girly girl' connotations that fits Riley's character profile perfectly. The next character Malia, is set to wear mostly the same outfit as Riley since her and Malia are in the same social group and social class. We chose for Malia to wear a denim jacket as this is a popular fashion trend and again implies that she is classed under the 'popular' social group. The last girl in the film is Mackenzie, Mackenzie wears something which is slightly different a she wears a simple top and a cardigan which fits into the 'quiet girl' stereotype we gave her, however her outfit still makes it look like she could fit in with Riley and Malia. Both the boys in our film are featured in simple clothing, both wearing black and white which could portray their simple attitude and even their unbothered attitude to the Ouija board. Jace is wearing brands like Adidas and Nike which are common yet popular brands. The 'typical guy' look is how we wanted Jace to look since his character represents your typical teenage boy. Eli is wearing simply jeans, a t-shirt and a jacket which is similar to Jace's casual look, however, we intended for Eli to be nerdy introvert type, the fact that he wears glasses is helpful in this.
The props were a big part of the film as the film was based around a Ouija board and without this key prop, we wouldn't have our film. This was the main prop and we had to ensure that it looked authentic. We first purchased a board from Ebay however this turned out to be too small for the use of five people (our cast) and being on a tight schedule we made the decision to print off a Ouija board from the internet on to A3 paper, and stick it to a piece a wood which one of our directors cut to the correct size, to create the illusion that this was a real board. During the actual scene of using this board, we used candles to set the atmosphere and from our research we concluded that candles are a important when using the board as candles are commonly used and linked to spiritualism so it was fitting that we feature candles in this film. We chose both tea lights and church candles to create an eerie vibe. Every prop in this film is set to be old fashioned to keep up the ghostly appearance and due to the attic scene being a huge part of the film every prop used in this had a rustic look; despite being a safety hazard the ladders were old and rickety and this is believed to be key in keeping up the gloomy and predominantly, gothic look of the film.
For the characters we chose to keep the looks simple as to keep portraying them as normal teenagers and would look cliché to overdo it. For one of the main character's Riley, we chose for her to wear skinny jeans and a crop top. This is because its a popular fashion trend among teenagers today and this look is also paired with the popular 'girly girl' connotations that fits Riley's character profile perfectly. The next character Malia, is set to wear mostly the same outfit as Riley since her and Malia are in the same social group and social class. We chose for Malia to wear a denim jacket as this is a popular fashion trend and again implies that she is classed under the 'popular' social group. The last girl in the film is Mackenzie, Mackenzie wears something which is slightly different a she wears a simple top and a cardigan which fits into the 'quiet girl' stereotype we gave her, however her outfit still makes it look like she could fit in with Riley and Malia. Both the boys in our film are featured in simple clothing, both wearing black and white which could portray their simple attitude and even their unbothered attitude to the Ouija board. Jace is wearing brands like Adidas and Nike which are common yet popular brands. The 'typical guy' look is how we wanted Jace to look since his character represents your typical teenage boy. Eli is wearing simply jeans, a t-shirt and a jacket which is similar to Jace's casual look, however, we intended for Eli to be nerdy introvert type, the fact that he wears glasses is helpful in this.
The lighting used in this film is mostly low-key lighting to fit with the genre of film as a colourful and bright setting would take away from the mood we're trying to create. The Ouija board scene is kept completely in the dark, however we plan to work with candles and flashlights to make the actors be seen. The darkness makes a scarier atmosphere, and makes all of the scenes more suspenseful and gloomy. The lighting in the house that we plan to film in is quite dim and this can cause problems while filming, therefore we plan to film in the day so that natural light comes through the windows and maybe helps with the camera quality.
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