Mise
en Scene
Thriller - The Purge
Costume
A feature of mes on scene that The Purge
does well is it uses costume to add effect.
In this case the people who are ‘purging’ are wearing a long faced
‘scary’ mask. This shows a clear distinction between the good people and the
people who want to be purging and cleaning their souls alternately known as the
‘freaks’. The masks aren’t supposed to be relatively scary but creepy instead.
Therefore hence why they are called the ‘freaks’.
Also the ‘freak girls’ wear white
full-length dresses. This is a contrast from acting as a murderer as white is
supposed to show innocence which however in this case they are not as they are
going around brutally killing innocent people.
Also I feel that the masks can also be
perceived as creepy rather than extremely scary because of the fact the masks
are showing a very big cheesy smile. This
is very strange for a mask, as usually they would be trying to scare in a
horrifying way by using cuts, blood and scars for example. However here the
faces are a golden brown tanned colour, showing a flawless complexion. Also the
teeth are gleaming white this is also strange because normally the teeth would
be rotted and seen as not very clean and attractive. It is almost as if they are
trying to create a perfect look of what most people believe humans should look
like, yet underneath having a shocking and mortifying personality.
Another very shocking feature is that all
the killers are wearing very smart clothing e.g. suit and tie. They appear to look as if they are
respectable businessmen and women who lead normal lives. The fact we see them
in this picture holding axes, guns and knives etc. is very weird because it is
things that we wouldn’t normally associate would go together or we would not
think that someone who looked like this would have any of these items in their
possession. Therefore this is a clear stereotype, which the audience has made.
Lighting
This is a specific key feature that the
purge uses, as is what makes film scarier than what it should be. The Sandin family who find themselves
innocently trapped in their own house at first seem to dealing okay with the
situation however when the power all gets shut down it soon becomes a different
story. Searching for the mysterious
tramp in their house makes the audience have a sense of apprehension because at
every corner they turn a fear of the unknown plays on the audience’s emotions
this creating a lot of tension.Therefore as the film is shot all through
the night and in the dark it creates a lot of mystery and the dark plays on the
audiences mind as the change of light reveals shadows and fears e.g. if the
character has a torch or a match is lit for light.
The intensity of the light creates
different moods and the audiences feeling on the theme and certain characters.
Facial Expressions and Body Language
In this scene we can see the daughter of
the Sandin’s anxiously hiding under the bed as the intruders make their way
into their house. We know by her body
language she is scared because she has her hand over her mouth and is almost
nearly biting at it. By having her hand in front her mouth it is almost as if
she is trying to stop herself from breathing as she doesn’t want the intruder
to hear her and find her whereabouts.
Also we can tell by her eyes as they have a significant streak of fear
in them as she is directly staring at the intruder’s foot in the corner of the
photo. It is like she is scared stiff as her eyes in this scene do not move,
her fear has taken over her whole body.
In this scene where the Sandin family
realise they now have a freely roaming tramp lurking in their house we detect
the shock and fear on Mary and Charlie Sandin’s faces. We know by the body
language from Charlie that he is scared as he has his arm round his mother
(Mary) this is giving him comfort and safety as a Mothers role is to provide
safety and security to their children. Also we can tell on both of them that
they are scared because their eyes are wide open, as wide eyes show shock and
apprehension, by doing this it shows us (the audience) how they are feeling and
how they have reacted to their current situation. Also Mary’s mouth has
dropped, this is a contrast to how she was at the start of the film where she
was happy and cheerful and okay for the purge to happen. Now she looks
mortified and scared for her life.
Positioning
of Characters within a Frame
The Film maker in this shot has positioned
Mary at the foreground of the scene so we attach all our attention and focus on
her, what she is doing and what she is about to find on her hunt around the house.
However as we get more into the scene we notice one of the Purger’s making a
sly entrance into the frame behind her which then brings our focus onto them. The
film maker has done this because it creates a sense of thrill and anxiousness
towards the audience as we are unsure whether or not this person is going to
murder Mary or not.
The setting for this film is in the future
of America in 2022. The film is set in a very rich and established part of
America (Los Angeles, California), where everyone seems happy and willing to
help a friend out. The Sandin family is very wealthy as James is the creator of
the home security systems for all Americans to protect themselves with. They
seem very
Props used in this
film can include a vast range of knives, axes, chains, guns and a lot more.
These are all weapons that the Purger’s are allowed to have on them during the
12 hour purge period. Also props can include Charlie’s little robotic toy that
has a camera hidden in it. It plays a significant part in the film as it helps
the tramp find safety in a den in their house. Also it prevents the family from
being murdered by their neighbours, as the tramp then takes over the robot and
Charlie shouts out for it, distracting the neighbours whilst the tramp holds a
gun up to them. This is where the tables finally turn and the Sandin families
are in control over the rest of the purge period.
BY LAUREN
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