RESEARCH: MISE EN SCENE: ICONOGRAPHY AND SETTING - MRS. QUINLAN

What is setting and iconography? Why are they important?

Setting and iconography are part of the Mise En Scene. Setting is the location where the scene takes place and can change during different moments in the sequence. The scenery can create thrill and excitement especially in the thriller genre as they are usually exotic and therefore can create suspense for the viewer. On the other hand iconography is the significant object used in the scene that influence the narrative and/or character representation. Iconography can also change throughout the film and create meaning to scene. Different setting and iconography has different connotations. For example an island will connotes danger because usually they are isolated and the audience is unfamiliar with them; exposed to danger easily. Iconography of a knife connotes death as knifes are sharp and can cause harm. Setting and iconography are important because they have an impact on narrative by helping to enhance the story line. Without setting and iconography the film would be boring and nothing would happen because there will be no trigger for the plot.

 

Setting examples in thrillers:

Asylums and other health institutions: these create a level of insecurity and fear as the settings are usually isolated and tend to have a repulsive atmosphere for the viewer. In addition mental hospitals are still a taboo among the society which makes the audience uncomfortable and tense. This location from the psychological thriller Shutter Island is conventional as the setting is isolated and bizarre for the audience because they are unfamiliar with it. The building looks very plain and old which therefore makes the viewer cringe and tense.

 

 Houses:

A setting of a house can be applied to more than one sub genres because of different representations. A haunted house is a conventional setting to a horror thriller as they make the viewer nervous because it is such a familiar location and the idea of haunting ruins the calm and loving connotation of a house therefore it makes the spectator insecure. A haunted house is one of the main locations in the horror thriller the Conjuring. The house looks dull and dim which is conventional as it builds fear and unsettlement. The location can make the viewer scared because it subverts their idealization of a house and compare it to the one they live in.

A house can be also a key location in a crime thriller. This is evident in the film Panic Room where the house is being terrorized by few robbers. This makes the viewer feel tense as they are afraid that the same could happen to them. The house seems empty and dark which creates tension for the spectator.

Forest:

A forest is another conventional setting because it is usually isolated and superior especially at night. Forest has connotations of darkness and it is specially threatening when the trees are dead and the whole scenery looks lifeless. In this scene form the horror thriller Silence of the Lambs the setting is a forest which looks abandoned and isolated from everyone. This makes the viewer feel worried and insecure because if something happens no one will be out there to help the protagonist.

 

Busy streets and corporate cities:

A city is also a conventional location in the thriller genre especially action as it helps to reflect the chaos during chasing sequences or shootings. Also a viewer can be familiar with the location which can give them thrill and excitement. The action thriller Fast and Furious is set in Los Angeles which is a well-known big city. This also helps to change location because of the large area you can act in and therefore enhances the movie’s narrative.

Church:

A church is another conventional location in thriller genre; especially religious thrillers. A church has specific connotations such as faith and morality which is why it is such an interesting setting because it also helps to explore different themes. A church is a familiar setting and audience will be able to identify with it. However for religious reasons it can be quite controversial for the viewers. The setting from the thriller Angels and Demons is a church. This alerts the audience about the possible narrative and themes as well as implies a sub-genre.

Iconography examples in thrillers:

Guns:

Guns are usually present in most thriller sub genres as thrillers tend to have shootouts. However guns are evident the most in action thrillers and crime thrillers because of the characters that tend to play in these films. For example in the action thriller Public Enemy there’s an iconography of a gun. This is an example of iconography as it is significant to the shot because it can change the narrative and creates a character representation. From looking at this prop the audience can assume that the character is a threat to the society because guns can cause harm.

Knifes:

Knifes are mostly evident in horror thrillers because it involves much more physical contact and brutality to stab someone rather than shoot. Therefore there is much more blood evident which is a convention of a horror thriller sub-genre. In this still frame form the Psycho the knife is an iconography because it helps to determine the character’s intensions and allows to guess the audience that the knife will cause death.

 

Mysterious and unfamiliar pops:

These include all the iconography that has been used in the film and are key part to the narrative structure and are symbolic to only one film. For example in the psychological thriller Seven the iconography would be the ‘box’ that the characters talk about at the end of the movie. This is an iconography because the object plays a significant part in the movie and has an effect on the narrative and characters. The ‘box’ is intriguing and excites the viewer as they want to find out what is in the box.

Thematic Iconography:

Many iconography will relate not only to the film genre but also narrative and themes within the storyline. An example of this would be the iconography of a crayon from the Black Swan opening sequence. Crayon is not a typical iconography and isn't often used in thrillers. However it relates to the title as a swan connotes purity and innocence similarly to a crayon which has connotations of childhood and vulnerability. However the fact that it is black connotes to the idea of Black Swan which symbolises evil and darkness which are thriller themes.

Further analysis of chosen scene:

 

I decided to analyse the iconography and setting from the scene in the Dark Knight. The sequence is located in one of the Gothan streets at night. Although Gothan is a fictional location it is still quite recognizable for the Batman fans therefore the audience are familiar with it. The street is conventional to action thriller genre because the audience can see the destruction and the impact that the fight has on the citizens and the city itself. Also the night makes the location much more superior and dangerous and darkness connotes to evil and pain which implies that someone will get hurt. This makes the audience feel fearful and worried for the characters. Furthermore the iconography of the Batmobile is used in the sequence. This is evident when the protagonist rides his vehicle towards Joker which leaves the viewer in suspense as we don’t know whether they will collide or not. Batmobile is significant prop as it is part of the protagonist’s identity and therefore the audience can recognize him. In addition there is another iconography of a gun. The gun is evident when Joker comes out of the van and starts shooting which shows his evil intensions. This is an iconography as the gun has a significant role because of the harm it can cause and threat it creates for the viewer. The gun makes the audience feel worried for the protagonist as we don’t want him to die, in addition it creates fear because Joker is an unstable antagonist and will not hesitate when killing innocent people.

Analysis of Setting and Iconography in a Thriller Opening.

Additionally, I have looked at the use of setting and iconography from the opening of The Usual Suspects. The opening frame reveals the iconography of matches being lit up. Matches connote fire and therefore fire is symbolic of destruction and harm which potentially foreshadows what could happen within the narrative. Moreover the iconography of a cigarette creates meaning for the audience. This is because it represents the character as wealthy or quite arrogant which is emphasised by his slow and careless hand movement when the match is being dropped causing more ignition. The setting of a basement/ warehouse is conventional to the thriller genre because it seems isolated and hidden, proposing that the character likes his own company and tries to hide away from the outer world.  Moreover the lighter reinforces the idea of destruction because yet again the audience is exposed to another source of flame which is constantly being drawn upon creating more tension and thrill as we await for further action. The gun is significant because it creates meaning for the audience by implying that the character is in fact evil and has bad intensions. Following on, the audience can see that the action takes place on a ship which looks isolated and located away form anyone else. Lastly the iconography of a cigarette is yet again used to cause an explosion. This reinforces the idea of the lighted matches at the beginning which could be presented as a parallel image of what was going to happen at the end of the sequence.

Conclusion:

Overall setting and iconography plays an important part in the moving image. I have learned that setting gives meaning to the scene because of the different connotations that the audience assigns to different locations. It was important to look at various settings in different thrillers as it gave me a rough idea of what setting is conventional to such genre. I have learned that the environment should be isolated and have a fearful effect on the audience. I have also learned that iconography can convey the character and narrative and therefore have an effect on the audience. Iconography can be very exciting in thrillers if used effectively. This is because it helps to enrich the sequence and create distortion to the narrative allowing a plot twist which is a common conventions in thrillers. Therefore I decided that in my thriller opening I would like to use the iconography of a mysterious letter which the protagonist will receive and medicine as I want my character to be emotionally unstable and therefore dependent on those pills. I also decided I want to set my location in forest during dawn because this is when the location will look the most superior and intriguing for the viewer.