Research - Mise en scene/Facial Expression and Body Language - Ms Heath

Facial expression and body language

What is body language?

Body language is the way that a character is positioned to the viewers. Moreover, its their actions,movements and the physical aspect in which they present themselves in. The body language can also determine how the character holds themselves or how they act. The way a character acts is conventional to a thriller because the way a character acts in a thriller is similar to other characters in thrillers. Therefore we would need to analyse the body language of a character.

The body language of a Protagonist:

 A protagonist hero would have a firm type of body language and they would be confident in their main aim which would be defeating the antagonist  Their posture is very upright, they also have elements of being proud and being in-charge.

The body language of a Antagonist:

A antagonist would have a closed form of body language, they also would feel intimidated by the protagonist.

Comparing body language from other genres:

In a romance film the type of characters are mainly protagonist. The type of body language we would expect is a open form of body language, in which characters are open towards other characters. This is conventional to a romance film because the characters are close to each other and the open form of body language shows protagonists being happy with each other.

In a thriller film there is always an protagonist and a antagonist. The body language they have is that the protagonist would be upright and proud, however the antagonist would have a closed form of body language. This is conventional to a thriller because the protagonist and the antagonist are portrayed in having different forms of body language which would result in them to act differently from each other.

What are facial expressions?

Facial expressions is the way a characters emotions are displayed to the audience. This concentrates on the look of the face and what meaning the character is trying to show. Facial expressions help the audience to understand the way that the character has been represented in more detail.

The way a character expresses themselves is conventional to a thriller because the audience would understand the emotions the character is feeling. E.g. the antagonist being angry.

Facial expressions and body language in the following clips:

Blade:
Both characters are represented in an aggressive way, with a firm body language in order to be victorious in the fight.we can also see Blade having a firm form of body language and being determined to overcome the antagonist which is clearly displayed through his body language. The facial expression in Blade was shown as him being angry, we can also see Blade being frustrated because of his struggle to kill the antagonist.

Scream:
The antagonist's had a calm form of body language before ghost face appeared. They both were laying down on the bed. However when ghost face was present they start panicking and start moving more sharply. We also see the girls' arms spread on the window to show how eager they are to help their friend. The facial expression of the girls before the attack takes place is displayed as both girls smiling and shown as being happy because of the conversation the girls have between each other. When the attack takes place we see the girls being frightened and implying how scared they are through their facial expression.