Explain how mise en scece and editing are used to establish the situation and the characters in the opening 2 miutes of What Lies Beneath

Explain how Mise en scene and editing are used to establish the situation and the characters in the opening 2 minutes of what Lies Beneath

In the opening two minutes of “what lies beneath” the first shot is low key lighting and very dark, this immediately makes the audience scared and wonder what’s going on. And straight away intrigues the audience and grabs their attention. As the women’s face emerges from the water a quick cut is used and the audience can now see the women’s face more clearly and the characters surroundings and it’s obvious that the women is in a bath, and then water was just bath water and not her drowning after all, as this is what it looks like from the beginning. The bathroom is easily recognisable to the audience through the use of props, such as the bath, the sink and the smaller props such as towels, all of these props add to the story and make it more believable. Low key lighting is also used to also add realism as the window in the bathroom is very small, so it wouldn’t be very bright in the room. Another main prop used is the steam on the mirror, and around the room, this is really effective as it makes the storyline more realistic.
As the character sits up from the bath, she seems out of breath and panicked as she’s been under the water for too long, the camera slowly tracks in towards the character, this use of a tracking shot brings the audience in closer to the character so the audience can see the women’s facial expression, she looks scared and shocked. Another quick cut is used to follow the next shot and the women’s out from the bath and standing by the mirror using a hairdryer, the camera moves in closer to the hairdryer, this show’s the audience that something might happen with the hairdryer, this is like an action code. As the audience realises before the character that something might happen. The women is using the hairdryer to demised the mirror and as she does this the hairdryer stops working the women’s facial expression looks confused at why its stopped working. Low key lighting is maintained throughout this scene and adds to the sense of mystery to the scene; this use of enigma keeps the audience intreiuged to what will happen next with this character.
The women’s hair is wet and tangled which creates a sense of realism and makes the scene believable as the audience knows she’s just come out of the bath. As the women notices that the hairdryer plug has slightly come out of the socket, so as she plugs it back in she gets an electric shock, and the plug sparks and the women screams and jumps back, this shocks the character as well as the audience. This makes the audience intrigued and ask questions, as a antagonist may of tampered with the electrics this will make the want to keep watching to find out more. The story so far uses linear sequencing as the story all seems to fit in order. The camera slowly pan’s back towards the mirror as if it has some sort of significance to the storyline, the women looks into the mirror and the audience can see her facial expression looking back, she’s scared about something, this intrigues the audience as they will want to find out what it is she’s scared about.
The next shot is a straight cut shot, and the women is now in a bedroom, this conforms the audience’s idea that the setting is in the characters home. The lighting is still low key, but brightens as the women opens the curtains, as you would expect this to happen, this aid’s realism as it looks as though natural light is coming in through the curtains. The women’s facial expression still looks worried and the audience know that something is really troubling this character, she also folds her arms which are like a defence from something. This shot ends quickly with a quick cut to her daughter lying on top of her bed dressed in nightwear, which maintains the sense of realism to the role. The women is just staring at her daughter this intrigues the audience and gives them a chance to ask questions, such as why is she just staring at her daughter, restricted narrative is used to keep the audience wondering what is going on. As the lighting streams through from the window this makes the audience more relaxed, and another quick cut is used to show the audience the daughter’s side of the bed and also the first real shot of the characters surroundings. The bookshelf, lamp and bed are all props that the audience can recognise to be in a bedroom, and this keeps the scene believable. The daughter’s room is brighter than the scene in the bathroom and may suggest symbolism, as the daughter may bring the women happiness and a reason to be happy. Another quick cut is used and continuity is maintained as the camera tilts up into the frame, and the women’s facial expression dramatically changes for the first time, she smiles, as she walks out of her daughter’s room.
In the next scene the audience can see the hallway; it’s realistic for a hall way with props used to aid realism, such as the pictures on the walls and a mat at the end of the hallway. The hallway is really dark and unwelcoming. Low key lighting is used to create this sense of darkness and shadows to create enigma. This continues to intrigue the audience. Even the women’s outfit is very plain and simple there is no colour to the scene, which the audience would expect as this setting is supposed to be their family home. This suggests that the characters situation may not be happy. As the women walks through to the living room the camera follows her rather than using a quick cut as in the other scenes. And follows her walking straight to the other room.
This room is brighter and more what a family home should look like, with a lot more props used contributing to realism and adds to the story such as chairs, plants and even a family dog. As the women straightens the lamp on the table she stops, and her facial expression drops once again and she looks as if she’s listening to something, the camera then follows her character towards the window in a point of view shot, and the audience can see her looking through the window at her neighbours in a puzzling way, which intrigues the audience as it adds mystery and enigma to the story.

Word count: 1, 103

Posted by Jo White 9/02/2009