This document analyzes and summarizes key elements of mise-en-scène in the film The Descent. It discusses the cave setting, with bones scattered on the floor indicating things have been eaten. It describes the limited and dim lighting from night vision and flares that creates shadows and tension. It outlines the crawler costumes with prosthetic makeup to look disfigured and inhuman, and the explorer props and costumes like helmets and torches that indicate their activities. It notes the important role of acting, with scared facial expressions and screams, and the crawler's unusual spider-like movements showing they have adapted to the cave environment.

1. Analyzing Mise En Scene
By Liam Page

2. Location (Setting)
This scene here shows us that
their exploring the cave which is
the location and got to the stage
of struggling, lost and in need of
help with only limited supplies
and short amount of light.
This scene show us they have a
gadget with night vision and
have got to a location with
bones scattered along the floor
this tells us many things have
been eaten down there or it is a
chamber to to eat people.

3. Lighting
When acting three lights will be directed on to you. The main light which is
head on you is the brightest and then you have to dimmer lights on the sides
of that person. These lights create shadows. In the descent they use night
vision as the viewer is blind at times during the film this makes the viewers
nervous for when the next scare comes. Flares are used in the film which also
creates a small amount of light in one part of the area this also creates
shadows which you are not sure what lies with in them this makes you think
something will happen. The lighting also makes the surrounding area look
bigger than it is.

4. Costume, props & make-up
The crawlers have prosthetic make up to create their disfigured face
and alien like body to give the appearance that they're not human.
Juno & her friends have gone rock climbing and cave exploring, you
can tell already they have set out for this as their props and parts of
their costumes tell us this for example; the helmet she is wearing to
protect her head as well as the torch to see where she is looking. The
lighter is used to show where the nearest way out is.
The scene When they enter the eating chamber, a large scale of
bones, bodies and parts of animals are all props to create the setting
and area.

5. Acting/Movement
The acting is key to making a good movie. In the descent there is a
lot of emotion and facial expressions to show us they're scared.
They also use vocals to help u s know what they are feeling like
screams tell us their scared. The crawlers have unusual body
movement to show us they're not human and dominate the cave
as they do not get scared of the humans and in fact try to kill
them. The spider like movement of crawlers tell us they have
adapted to the environment other scenes show us that theses
creatures are blind and use senses like hearing and smelling to find
the humans .