Research: Mise en scene: costume, hair, and make up, body language and facial expression - MS B

 Mise en scene: costume, hair, and make up, body language and facial expression

What are costume, hair and make up, body language and facial expressions? Why is it an important convention?

In thrillers it is very important that a character is able to present their body language throughout their actions, movements and on the other hand a characters facial expression is how a characters emotions is portrayed to the audience. In thriller films conventional characters are presented by their facial expression. e.g. the convention body language of antagonists  are, upright and strong. This presents them as big and evil. This convention facial expression of antagonists presents them as cruel and scary. A characters hair, make up and costumers could present them in many ways such as if a characters costumes is red, can guide the audience to the characters evil look.

Stereotypes of characters from their costume, hair and make-up, body language and body expression:



This is an image from The Amazing Spider Man film and the way this character is presented gives an the audience to stereotype him as his make up shows him as an evil person. As the right side of his face is covered with rough skin. This also allows the audience to stereotype him as hair is out of place, this means he's a busy person. The clothing that his wearing makes me stereotype him as an evil and cruel doctor as he is wearing white. He may also be an doctor that kills people.

The scene is from the Horror Thriller 'I Spit on your grave.' As the characters face is white as her make up to make her look mysteries and scary as also her hair is on her face and is out of place, This shows the audience that she's tired. On the other hand, her body is clutched over and her arms are let lose. This indicates that she is up to something or  is lost in her own mind. This could also make the audience stereotype as she looks like a monster, looks homeless as her clothes are dirty.

 

The make up used in this photo shows 2 sides of the character, the right side of her face is clear and her make up is done smoothly. This makes her look innocent within her beauty. The left side has a cracked effect make up look, this may indicate that she's a doll or is evil in some ways.

Thriller scene analyses

From this scene, I as its audience now know how a characters costume, hair, and make up, body language and facial expression has an impact on the audience. The characters facial expression changes as, her face moves like its uncontrollable as her eyes are looking directly into subjects which identify that the character is terrified and is turning into a evil person. Her body movements are very deep as she stumps her feet to the ground, this shows she's strong and unbreakable, her hands are in the air and her hands are held straight as if she's in contact with another person we cannot see. As the car comes towards Carrie, she stops the car with her hands and her shoulders lean toward. This creates an Super- natural effect as Carrie is stoppable from her hand movements and is creating a tension of evilness. 

The antagonists facial expression is very deep as he just heard that his wife is killed, we as an audience notice that his body language is helpless, as he's one hand is holding the gun so tight and he is also shaking with anger (iconography used.) Where as the protagonist is presented as weak as the use of his body language his shoulders are lowering down, he is on his knees and his hands are tied but on the other hand his facial expression shows the opposite on his weakness, he is talking and laughing and smiling which shows he is not guilty. 

Conclusion

This research was very useful as I am going to use this information in my own 

Thriller clip as i will be choosing dark colored costumes to define dark evilness, I will do basic make up but build my body language and facial expression up as i want my audience to connect with me through my body movements and the emotion on my face. The antagonist character in my Thriller, will be wearing a black and white suit as he/she will look professional, smart and fear who is trying to find the protagonist. The person who is playing the protagonist all white to present that they are a ghost or if the protagonists is a women then she come act mentally ill and wear white as this may present a female victim. I want my characters to have not much done with their hair as I want them to look natural but effective by their costume, Body Language and Facial expression. When my antagonist character is acting the convention of her/his body language should be upright and strong, This represents them as big and evil this is conventional to my Thriller genre as my genre is 'Crime, Murder and Sci-fi (supernatural.)