Research - Mise en scene/Iconography- Ms Heath

Iconography

What is iconography?

Iconography is an element of Mise en scene. It refers to the objects that you can see in a specific scene and the meaning that these objects have on the scene. For example the iconography that is conventional to thriller tend to be knives, large scissors hammers and other various objects that can cause harm and build tension within the audience.

Conventional iconography from thrillers:

Our research included looking into various amount of thrillers that convey the use of iconography in an effective way. Moreover we were also knowledgeable of the specific meaning that they had. In this specific scene from the 'Scream' franchise, there is iconography used as we can see the antagonist ‘ghost face’ holding a knife which is covered in blood. This gives the image that the antagonist is ready to use this weapon again as its been used before by the blood on the knife. His approach with his hand held high with the weapon on his hand implies that his ready to cause harm at any moment. Likewise, the other image from the thriller ‘unknown’ there is also a knife that’s been used as a form of iconography to imply to the audience that the blonde lady is in trouble.

During the opening credits of ‘se7en’ we can see scissors, needles and books that have been shown as forms of iconography. This has been used to create the sense that the film is based on mystery and to cause confusion and interest within the audience at the start of the film.

To conclude, the iconography element of Mise en scene is essential in thriller films because the objects themselves can cause tension within the audience such as a knife that has been shown. The audience is left having thoughts about what would happen with the knife or the other objects. Moreover, this research into iconography has gave me a broad idea on the iconography I could use in my thriller, and the specific iconography which are relevant to use in specific scenes.