MISE-EN-SCENEIN SCANDINAVIAN THRILLERS

The costumes in Scandinavian thrillers are mostly naturalistic to create

a sense of realism – simple suits, jeans, t-shirts etc. This makes the film

more tense as the audience then believe it’s a viable situation that could

actually happen. The image on the left is an example of this. However

colours of costumes are always dark and dull, using black, greys,

browns, blues etc., nothing vibrant or colourful. In terms of make-up, it’s

also very realistic with no fantasy make-up or effects. Blood is used a lot

due to the violent nature of most of the films, as demonstrated in the

image on the right below. This is intended to look as realistic as

possible. Other injuries including bruises and cuts are also often a part

of make-up in these films.

COSTUME AND MAKE-UP

PROPS

As with the costuming and make-up,

this element of mise-en-scene is also

kept fairly realistic. The main usage

for props in Scandinavian thrillers is

as weapons – knives, guns etc. The

police and crime element that many

of them are based around mean that

it’s conventional for them to use

props like guns as well as case

notes, photos of bodies, even coffee

cups: all things that are related to the

crime/detective thriller genre. To the

left are some examples of props in

use.

As a general rule, lighting is dark

and dim. Shadows are created

consistently throughout the films as

is evident in the bottom two pictures

to the right. Often only one source of

light will be used to achieve this

effect. Silhouettes are also common,

creating aesthetically pleasing

shots, but also mystery as an

indistinguishable shape is used to

confuse the audience. The first

image on the right is an example of

this, although seems to have used

unconventionally warm colours for

this style and genre; usually they

would be cooler blues and greys.

LIGHTING

COLOURINGScandinavian cinema as a whole produces films with

very specific colour tones, mostly because of the

quality of light of that area of Europe. Within the thriller

genre, the films generally appear quite bleached, the

colours whitewashed, the saturation lowered. A blue

tint across the entire film is not uncommon (see first

image to the left), particularly because the frequent use

of waterside locations means the sea and sky are often

in shot. White is another colour (or arguably lack of)

that features a lot, as demonstrated in the second and

third images. A white or pale background is often used

to create contrast within the mise-en-scene, to make a

character, prop or aspect of the location stand out.

Even when brighter colours are used in the films, they

are still dulled to a certain extent. Especially with more

recently produced films, neon colours have begun to

feature more, but it’s clear from the final image to the

left that they still seem slightly off compared to the

bright colours we might expect from American or British

films.

LOCATIONS: EXTERIOR

Obviously, Scandinavian films are predominantly filmed on

location in Scandinavia – the countries of Sweden, Norway and

Denmark – so they reflect the scenery of that area. As I’ve said,

waterside locations are often used, beaches (see first image),

lakes etc. but always in the cold and not in sunshine necessarily.

Snow covered landscapes are also used, (see second image), as

well as mountains, forests and woods (see final image).

Sometimes small towns or cities feature, as in the third image, but

usually these are not huge communities so that the small size

feels claustrophobic and therefore builds tension. Scandinavian

thrillers make use of open space in the exterior locations, often to

make a person or thing look isolated and alone.

LOCATIONS: INTERIOR

In terms of interior locations, the intended effect is claustrophobic. Small internal

spaces are used to trap the characters within their environment, which adds to

the tense atmosphere. Cars are an example of this, as seen in the middle image

below. Often interior locations are fairly ordinary as well to increase the

verisimilitude and convince the audience that these events might actually

happen because they are taking place in such realistic surroundings. The

ordinary settings also make the things that happen within them seem even more

extraordinary, and in the case of the first image below, often more horrific. The

third image is an example of how these small interior locations are often placed

in deserted exteriors to contrast the idea of being trapped in a small space with

the amount of space around outside. The wide open locations also dwarf the

smaller internal spaces, making them seem even more claustrophobic for the

characters and thus the audience.

OTHER ELEMENTS OF MISE-EN-SCENEThe use of the weather is also an effective aspect of mise-en-scene within

Scandinavian thrillers. Often the idea of pathetic fallacy is employed, wherein

the weather reflects the events happening or the feelings of the characters. The

first image is an example of this. Snow and rain feature frequently, and sunny

weather, if it appears at all, tends to be pale and cool.

Another interesting element is actor performance. Although the cast who

feature in these films tend to be unrecognisable to a more mainstream

audience (with the exception of those like Stellan Skårsgard who have had

success with British and American films), the performance is usually intense

and very commendable. The sensitive issues that the films handle call for

talented actors and this is almost always delivered, although of course this is a

subjective area and may be judged differently by different audience members.