Coursework: Pre-production - Mise-en-scene

Remember CLAMPS: Costume Lighting, Actors (cast, placement and movement), Make-up, Props, Setting.

Costume

What will your characters wear? What is the costume supposed to communicate to the audience? How does  this link to your Statement of Intent in terms of creating representations?

In terms of costumes, my narrative is very business related which means most of my characters will be dressed very smartly. For example, the 5 businessmen will be dressed in suits and the women will be dresses very formally; as for the butler, they will be wearing a clean white shirt with a waist coat, a waist line apron and a bow tie. This will communicate to the audience that this is a very important and high class dinner that Mr Lateman is throwing. In terms of representations and linking to my statement of intent, this choice of costume will allow the audience to personally identify themselves with some of the characters because they may also work in a formally dressed environment. 

Lighting

How will you light your trailer? Day or night? Interior or exterior? If outside, can you use streetlights, shadows, reflected sunlight or other creative techniques to achieve the lighting style you want? If inside, experiment with creative lighting techniques using windows, blinds, artificial lights, phone flashes and more. 

In terms of lighting, I will be using low-key lighting throughout my trailer to represent the horror genre. However, whilst the guests are at the dinner table, spotlights will be placed around the table to the audience are able to clearly see facial expressions. The most part of my movie/trailer is going to be set inside, therefore I will be using artificial lighting. 

Actors

The first thing you need to plan is your cast - who will be in your production and which characters will they play? Try and cast people who are reasonably similar to the character they are playing (both in age and personality). Next, plan their placement and movement in key scenes in your trailer. Do you want them to appear trapped in a claustrophobic close-up? Or isolated as a tiny person in a wide shot?

Make-up

Plan any make-up you require - this could be particularly important for horror trailers.

Make-up will be used to create wounds and injured like skin when the dinner becomes a game of endure the pain of the torture devices, or pass it on to your next of kin; this is because the actors cannot harm themselves physically and therefore makeup will be used to create these real life like wounds.Props

What props will you require? Remember, you can't use anything that might resemble a weapon in a public or school location (this is VERY important). Well-planned props can help to communicate genre and character quickly - vital in a short trailer.

In terms of props, I will need to find artificial torture devices for the game.

Setting

This should already be largely planned using your script. However, now is the time to specify exact locations - if a classroom, which one? How will you arrange it with the teacher? When will you film there? For external locations, try and take pictures of settings or use Google Maps and Google Earth. Spending quality time planning your locations can make a huge difference to the professionalism of your film.

Within my trailer, I will be using three locations; firstly, I will need a room to resemble a living room which the characters will first be taken into, and all electronic devices will be confiscated. The second location is the dining room, in which they will first have dinner, and then Mr Lateman will propose the torture game. Lastly, the third location is the woods in which some of the characters will be running through when they escape.