AS Media Studies: Planning: Considering Mise-en-Scene For Your Opening

Written by Me.

After writing the synopsis for our film "Alec" and considering the location of the movie opening, we had to style our location to match our preference. The abandoned hallway at Grafton Underwood needed to represent Alec's sanctuary. The hallway is bare with broken bricks and pipes along the walls with old slabs of concrete resting on the floor. We need to add several props to the location for it to give of the effect of an abandoned yet lived in place, in which Alec will come to pray to god. The props we are adding to the location are rusted chains along the concrete slabs which we can zoom into to create tension. Church pillar candles as they remind people of a religious place, a place in which people feel safe or uncomfortable depending on the scenery around it. We'll also add a large cross at the end of the hallway chipped and a bit withered to enhance the tension in then scene. We'll make this from two one meter length bit of wood. The candles will create an atmospheric mood lighting for the hallway which will give an easy feel.

In the room next to the hallway there will be an alter Alec will prey to, communicating with god his intentions and why he is doing it. This is in a hall within Grafton underwood next to our first location of the abandoned hall. The location comes with a giant concrete slab table which we will use for the alter. On the alter we will put a worn out bible to show it has been there for a while, a bowl of an unknown red liquid which is probably blood. The blood will be made out of water mixed with a teaspoon of flower and red food colouring. The alter will also have a worn our table cloth over it with tears in it. Some small but relevant items on the table will be rosary beads and a crucifix all lit up with some candles. There will also be a cloth for Alec to kneel on. The bible will be worn out but look in a newer state to the rest of the props which shows how Alec takes care of his religious totems.

Last of all we were thinking of the clothing of Alec and the dead body. The dead body will be wearing a worn and torn grey shirt to show struggle and simple jeans with some trainers with a little blood and bruising. Alec on the other hand will be wearing a very smart trench coat with a black shirt and a vicars collar. Round his right hand and shoulder there will be a wrapped chain with comes out of his coat sleeve without seeing his hand. The pockets of the trench coat will have rosary beads in which he will take out and hold in his left hand. He will wear some black loose jeans with a brown belt around his waist. The shoes he wears will be black booted shoes with no laces. This outfit makes Alec seem very intellectually but with the chain and rosary beads, psychotically religious as well.

Alec will wear standard black jeans to match his overall dark outfit.

He will wear a heavy duty style boot like a doc martin.

Alec will wear a standard vicar shirt with a collar, although very young he is very driven by his religion.

Alec will wear a brown belt which looks worn. This will hint towards his character by showing he doesn't care too much about his appearance/clothing.

The chain will be wrapped around Alec's arm and dragged along the floor behind him. In addition, we will sand down/scratch parts of the chain, and possible dent it; the implication will be that it is old and used as a weapon. As opposed to showing him use the chain as a weapon, we will simply hint towards it.

Candles will be distributed throughout the scene and used to decorate and light the set. According to leading candle reviewers on the Sainsbury's website, the candles melt incredibly quickly- however, this is more of a boon to our group than a hinderance. This is because the short life of the candles will make them look older than they are, giving the set a more lived-in feel.

We're going to make a cross and put it in the set. We'll make it look old and worn, and prop it up against the wall-
Pictured is the cross we had produced by the woodwork department in school. We gave them the dimensions we desired and it was produced by the end of the week.