mise en scene

For our Multimedia Mise-en-scène project, the goal was to create a character and design a space that really showed who they were. My character was Nina Carter, a retired jazz singer who loves storytelling, books, and sharing memories from her past performances. I wanted to show what her life is like after fame  calm, creative, and full of emotion. Our group worked to make everything feel personal and connected to her story.

Nina Carter used to sing in small jazz clubs, and even though she’s retired, her love for music never faded. To represent her, we used items like a vintage microphone, a record player, and stacks of her favorite books. I was in charge of creating the mood board, which helped set the tone for our project. I chose colors like deep red, gold, and brown to give that cozy, classic jazz feel. I also added pictures of records, stage lights, and old jazz lounges to show Nina’s personality and her passion for storytelling through music.

When we set up Nina’s character station, we used arrows, and a record player to represent her. In her space we used soft, warm lighting to make it look like her personal music space at home. Everything in the setup worked together to show parts of her life and emotions — following the mise-en-scène ideas of color, lighting, and setting that we learned in class.

While developing Nina, I thought about how she represents creativity and the idea that art and passion can last a lifetime. She’s calm but still full of life, and that balance really stood out in our project. Our group worked well together and shared ideas to make the final station feel complete. I’m proud of how it turned out, especially since the mood board helped tie everything together and set the overall vibe for Nina’s world. 

Mise-en-scene multimedia project links:
 
Link to description of our character: meet our character Nina Carter (https://www.canva.com/design/DAG1-UyJk7Q/G3PF7sTfPY1Vwbtj-9vMjg/edit?utm_content=DAG1-UyJk7Q&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebuttonLinks to an external site.)

Link to the setting representation of the character:

https://planner5d.onelink.me/Links to an external site.stDT/y18qn094

Link to the character’s mood board:
https://www.canva.com/design/DAG1yZgt1kw/MhvcYfY-VgA62nOqcp79ag/view?utm_content=DAG1yZgt1kw&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=hceb70ac9bf 

Genre Research

 Genre Database Entry: Horror

Genre: Horror Definition: Horror films focus to create fear, suspense, and shock by highlighting the dark, mysterious, and disturbing aspects of human nature. They usually use supernatural or psychological elements to make emotional tension and create a strong reaction from the audience. Genre Conventions – Content Themes: Death, the supernatural, isolation, madness, revenge, fear of the unknown, evil vs. innocence. Characters: Victims, villains or monsters, “final girls,” skeptics, and people who face danger. Setting: Isolated or confined environments, such as haunted houses, abandoned buildings, forests, small towns, or rural areas. Narrative Structure: Typically features a buildup of tension leading to a climax of terror or confrontation with the threat. Often ends with survival, uncertainty, or the return of evil. Genre Conventions – Production Techniques Lighting: Low-key, high-contrast lighting creates shadows and suspense. Sound: Sudden loud noises for jump scares, eerie background sounds, unsettling silence, and distorted music. Cinematography: Tight framing creates a sense of claustrophobia; handheld cameras enhance realism and unease. Editing: Quick cuts during violent or fearful moments; slower pacing during buildup scenes increases tension. Special Effects: Practical makeup for gore and monsters; visual effects for supernatural elements such as ghosts or spirits. Institutional Conventions – How the Genre Is Marketed Narrative Image: Posters often feature dark colors, distressed typography, and iconic imagery like blood, eyes, masks, and shadows. Marketing Strategies: - Trailers: Highlight jump scares, quick cuts, and chilling music. - Viral Campaigns: Utilize “found footage” or fake websites (e.g., The Blair Witch Project). - Ratings: Usually R-rated to highlight mature and graphic content. - Release Timing: Often released around Halloween or in the fall. - Taglines: Suggest terror or mystery (e.g., “Evil has found a new home,” “Based on a true story,” “Don’t look behind you”). Typical Target Audience Age: 14 to 35 years old Demographics: Often appeals to young adults who seek excitement. Psychographics: “Thrill seekers” and “Reformers” enjoy being scared, exploring taboo subjects, or testing their limits in a safe environment. Film Sample #1 – The Conjuring (2013) Director: James Wan How it embodies Horror: Content: Based on true events involving paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. Production Techniques: Employs slow pacing, sound design (creaks, whispers), and realistic settings to enhance fear. Themes: Family under threat, possession, and the battle between faith and evil. Audience Engagement: Builds psychological tension through the unseen, making viewers anticipate scares instead of just reacting. Film Sample #2 – Until Dawn (2025) Director: David F. Sandberg How it embodies Horror: Based on a video game, the film follows a group of friends who visit a remote valley where one of their sisters disappeared. They end up hunted by a masked killer, trapped in a time loop where each night ends in death unless they survive until dawn. Production Techniques: Uses slasher conventions (masked killer, gore), and the time loop adds supernatural and psychological layers. It combines modern special effects with traditional jump scares, using the setting of isolation and repeated nights to build tension. Themes: Survival, guilt, repeated trauma, feeling trapped, and the hidden mechanism of death. As it’s based on a game it plays with interactive concepts where the characters deaths trigger a reset. Audience Engagement: Appeals to horror fans who enjoy slasher or gore films, as well as gamers or those open to game adaptations. The time-loop twist adds novelty beyond standard “one kill” horror. The marketing emphasizes the “one night, multiple deaths, until dawn” concept. Other Film Examples in the Genre - Halloween (1978) - Hereditary (2018) - The Exorcist (1973) - A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) - It (2017) - The Babadook (2014) - Paranormal Activity (2007) References / Sources - IMDb Horror Genre Overview - Oxford Reference: “Horror Film” - Horror Film Marketing Studies (Variety, IndieWire, ScreenRant) - Official trailers and posters for The Conjuring and Until dawn

Sound projects

During the sound projects I learned how there is a lot more sound in the world then I thought there was. For example during the first sound project me and my partner did something just as simple as a elevator breaking, however it did not occur to me or my partner how much sounds really go into it, and while thinking of other ideas we encountered the same thing, the fact that everything that happens weather is simple or not has a lot of sound go into it. 

For the one word project we made sure to add the appropriate scenes that fit, knowing that we were not allowed to use sound. Our word was fanciful which was fun to learn and use. We brainstormed different ideas on how someone can look like their having fun and in their own world at school. We included the cats on campus because that's something you usually don't see at other schools so it played the part well. For the first sound project which was just the soundscape we made sure to write everything down and make sure we got all the sounds we needed in order to properly execute the sound of a elevator breaking. Me and my partner both used stuff we had at home like slime and doors creaking to use for our foley sounds.The second sound project was fun because we got to put both together, we analyzed our video and made sure we added all the sounds that would be included in the videos like if they were really shot with sound. We used sounds like nature since we were outside to make it sound more realistic, we used footsteps as a foley sound while doing a cartwheel, this also made it seem more realistic. What went well in these projects was that we didn not have a time in our project that we could not find a sound for. For example im glad me and my partner did not add talking since we can add more then 7 words to a soundscape. The outlines and brainstorming help keep me and my partners brain smooth so we were organized and knew exactly what we were doing so we did not have to rush. Next time, I think what i would do better is be a little more creative in what me and my partner come up with.