Analysis of the mise-en-scene in Disturbia

Name of film: Disturbia
Genre: Crime/Drama/Mystery/Thriller
Director: D.J Caruso
Date of film release: 14th September 2007
Country where made: USA

Here is a table from imdb.com showing user ratings. Females under 18 have rated this film an overall 8.5 with males under 18 next. Females seem to have prefered this film in general by a 0.5/10.

Location

The character is stuck in a hole, which is battered, mouldy, dirty and not very nice. It looks like a sewer that has been deserted for some time. This shows us that there must be a horrible atmosphere around that can give the impression of claustrophobia, which is a powerful effect of the Thriller genre. This can easily gross the audience out and the fact that the man is stuck down a hole can give anticipation of how he is going to get out as you know (if you’ve been watching the film) someone is on their way to get him. This can make the scene seem slightly frightening also.

Costume

At this precise shot costume is not very clearly visible but you can see slightly that the boy is drenched in water. Most audience members would know that being in cold water without wanting to be is a surprise and this gives the sense of frustration they feel for the character.

Props

The character is holding a torch, which is a generic prop. The use of this prop shows us and gives us the sense of panic for the way the character is using it. It adds to the tension and also gives a hint of frustration as you can't constantly see what is going on.

Characters

The character is a teenage male who is portrayed as the good guy throughout the film even though not everybody thinks so. At this point in the film he is at a sense of anger and fright which can easily rub off onto the audiences watching the film as they are aware that this character is doing good. His actions with the torch and his sudden movements show us his state of panic and struggle, which can also add to the anticipation.

Lighting

Picture is mostly in blackness except light from the torch and slightly darker light from above the hole. This gives the sense of doom and nightmares and lead on further to the state of death. The hole creates the sense of two worlds: the black world and the half-lit world that could represent our world as a society. The fact that even above all the darkness doom and gloom it still isn’t as great as people might think – which can relate back to the story of the film. The torchlight is pointing to the ground as if pointing towards and emphasising hell; this can show that maybe the fate of this character is fatal.

Sound

At this point in the film the sound is quite roaring to show the sense of panic and anticipation. There is clear diegetic sound with water splashing sounds mainly that you can hear with the guy shouting in shock and fear. Then you can hear the growing sound of a soundtrack slowly moving in (non-diegetic). The point of the non-diegetic sound slowly growing into the film can show the growing of the climax of that scene which the audience is then aware of and more of the edge of their seats.

Camera angles

The camera is at a low angle looking up with the gap in the floor centred, which shows us this importance. The character is to the side of the shot as if to show us the sense of hiding. The camera slightly sways as the seconds pass to perhaps be disguised as the waves of the water and also how uneasy the atmosphere is feeling.