Mise-en-scene: Stranger Things analysis

 

1) Choose THREE aspects of mise-en-scene (e.g. costume, lighting and setting) and write a short paragraph for each about the denotation and connotation and what is communicated to the audience.

For example: 

Costume: The character at the start is wearing a white lab coat. This suggests to the audience...

Lighting: 

• dim lights
• flickering lights
• brighter upstairs
• shadows
• lights cut out
• night
• only the boy's face has light on it in the shed
• lights get brighter and darker

The flickering lights when that doctor dies creates a sense of suspense and tension. The flickering of lights connotes to bad vents such as death. That lights get bring up later on when the light outside the garage turns off, which suggests that something similar to the beginning scene will happen, and when the boys bike light turns off. This gives the audience a sense that something bad is going to happen. The dim lighting also gives you a sense of concern.

Setting: 

• lab 
• basement
• beige
• night
• forest
• fog
• shed

The fact that the boys are in a basement usually connotes to them being smart ("nerds"/"losers"). Basements are usually associated with fear as they are usually dark and untidy. The lab also suggests that the thing chasing the doctor is man made by the people that work there. This is because usually in horror shows and in settings like that the creature has been created by people and is not natural. The forest is usually used to show a chase or scary scene, the use of this setting creates tension. It also suggests that an unforeseen terrible event will happen.

Actor placement/movement/expression: 

• running
• frantic
• sweating
• middle of the elevator
• sitting at all sides of the table
• smiling
• excited
• nervous
• alone
• shadow figure in the distance
• lots of space behind the boy

The running and urgency of the doctor suggests to the audience that something is chasing him and that he is scared/frantic. It also suggests that it is an unnatural very fast and smart creature that is chasing him. The boys sitting each at one side of the table suggests that they are friends as they are all either sitting next to or looking at the other. Their facial expressions of smiling and laughing also suggests that they are having fun and enjoy each others company. The facial expression and placement of the boy so close to the shed door suggests that something will be behind him/ that something bad is going to happen.

Now think about the clip more generally. What does this opening sequence suggest the series will be about in terms of narrative, character and genre? What is it that tells you this? 

The disappearance of the boy and the strong friendship between the four suggest that the boys will try to find him. The fact that a creature/figure is include in the beginning and end suggesting that they will be fighting, escaping or trying to find this figure. The lighting and other mise-en-scenes they use suggests that this series is a horror. However the presence of an unknown creature suggests it will be a science fiction.