Mise En Scene Analysis #3 - Orphan Black

I will now analyse a shot from BBC America's 'Orphan Black'.

I have chosen to analyse the shot below.

Orphan Black synopsis (IMDB) - 'After witnessing a woman's suicide, Sarah assumes the stranger's identity - who happens to look just like her. Expecting to solve all her problems by cleaning out the dead woman's savings, Sarah is instead thrust headlong into a kaleidoscopic mystery as she realizes the dizzying truth - she and the dead woman are clones. As Sarah searches for answers, she discovers the chilling fact that there are more people like her out there - genetically identical individuals who were planted in unsuspecting birth parents and nurtured in completely different circumstances. With no idea who created the clones, she'll need to discover the reason in a hurry as an assassin is killing them one by one.'

Lighting

- The lighting in this shot is high-key, although in this shot we are unable to detect where the light is coming from. We can assumes that it's coming from a window as the lighting looks natural.

- The effects of the lighting is that it makes the scene feel more real to the audience.

Costumes & Props

- There are two characters in this shot - both of them portrayed by Tatiana Maslany - the top one is Sarah Manning and the one underneath is Rachel Duncan. 

- Sarah's costume is more casual whilst Rachel's is smarter. This tells the audience that there is a class difference between the characters with Sarah being working class and her doppelgänger being higher.

- The main prop in this shot is the gun which is being pointed at Rachels head. This is the first indication that the genre of this show is action. It also tells the viewers that there is some rivalry between the two women which creates uncertainty and excitement.

Positioning

- The positioning element of mise en scene can be divided into two sub categories; objects and characters.

• People - One character, Sarah Manning, is position above the other (Rachel Duncan) this tells the audience that she has the most power in this frame.
• Objects - The gun in this shot is placed slightly left of the centre and is held by Sarah. It is also positioned behind the character so that the audiences main focus is on them rather than the weapon.

Setting

- This scene seems to be set in an office. We can assume that the office belongs to Rachel as her costume seeming more fitting to the surroundings. This makes the audience assume that Sarah must have broken in.