Research: MES-Setting and Iconography

MES-setting and iconography

What is setting and iconography and why is it an important convention? How can it help the audience with understanding? Discuss connotation and denotations.

Every film has a setting or in other a words a set location. Setting is important in a film because it allows the audience to understand the film better and also creates sense in the narrative. Setting can play a big role in a film as it can be connected to the occurring events, allowing the audience to create a conclusion to what may be the outcome. Another important feature in films is iconography; this refers to any sort of object which may be linked in any sort of way to the narrative. It can be symbolic and can give the audience a hint to what they film may be about or what to expect when watching it.

Setting: what are typical thriller setting and why? Discuss connotation and denotations?-use examples

The typical thriller locations are hospitals prison, houses or in an isolate place such as desert or a forest. This type of location creates a sense of mystery and builds tension in the audience as they do not know what to expect in a particulate scene. The thriller “Devil” released in 2010 in an urban environment which is the city. This connotes mysteries which need to be uncovered as it will build excitement in the audience. The setting then changes to inside of  an elevator where a man is hunted by the people he killed, the change in setting makes the audience feel trap and bound to experience what the character is experiencing in the isolated setting as there is nowhere  for him to run.

Setting and sub-genre: how are setting dependent on sub-genre?-example

The setting of a film is dependent of the sub-genre because it gives a meaning to the narrative. It also helps in evoking emotion in the audience and for them to better understand the plot in film.

Psychological thriller

Most psychological thrillers tends to set in places such as hospital, in a house or prison, these setting well connotes the state of character we are introduced to as they will most likely be mentally unwell.

Religious thrillers

Religious thrillers would be set in places such as a house, cemetery or in a church. This is conventional to the sub-genre as events such as exorcism is expected to occur in this types of location. 

Action thrillers

Most action thrillers will be set in locations such as building or a busy urban area. This is suitable to the genre as the audience would expect fights between protagonist and the antagonist where the lifes of the citizens is put at risk. This creates excitement in the audience as this it is conventional in this thriller sub-genre.

Image

Urban area, building,

Crime thrillers

Prison, city, house,

Iconography: what are typical thriller iconography and why? Discuss connotation and denotations-use example

The typical iconographies in thrillers are masks, knives, blood, guns or dolls. All this connote danger and creates fear in audience. Characters such as “Jason” from “Friday The 13^th” had two iconographies which is a mask that makes him mysterious and frightening as his identity is hidden from the audience, the other iconography is a machete which connotes death as most of his victims are killed with it.

·         Knives

·         Guns

·         Masks

·         Blood

·         Pictures

Iconography and sub-genre: how are setting dependent on sub-genres-use examples

Iconography is dependent on the sub-genre because it allows the audience to identify some hidden information or making an assumption to what an object may connote and how it may be linked with narrative. Objects such as a gun, money or drugs may be linked with a crime or action thriller as it connotes danger. Masks, dolls, crosses and the bible are most likely to appear in psychological and religious thrillers as it is conventional and can be related with events that may occur in the film.

·         Holy Bible

·         Dolls

·         Guns

·         Money

·         Drugs

·         Knives

Thriller scene analysis: Analyse a scene identifying the use of setting and iconography

Sev7en opening

In the opening scene of sev7en the use of setting and iconography gives the audience an understanding to what is expected in the film. The first piece of iconography we set our eyes on is the book where we see man’s hand recording some information in a disturbing way. The fact that that he uses a blade and cuts pictures of people tells the audience that he is the antagonist and he plans on killing target people. The setting looks a dark room which creates a chilling atmosphere and curious to what the character’s real intentions are. Other iconographies we also see are a thread, a needle, journals, a marker, some tapes and a dollar bill. From this we can assume that this film is about crime or a psychological character as the iconographies in the opening is conventional to these sub-genres.

Conclusion

In my thriller I’m thinking of using the setting of a hospital and an isolated room to connote the characteristics of my character that will be mentally unstable. The setting will create a sense of secrecy and obscurity in to the narrative, building tension in the audience as they do not know what will happen in a scene.