Mise-en-Scene

How does the mise-en-scene in your still help to construct the identity of the character(s)?

Consider:

• Props
• Costume
• Lighting
• Set Design
• Location

Chosen Screenshot: TV Drama - The Vampire Diaries

This scene from The Vampire Diaries contains 4 characters from the TV Drama; 3 looking like they're in a tough situation (focus on the 2 men's struggling facial reactions), due to 1 of the characters being lifeless on the floor, with blood all around his neck/shoulder. 

The woman in this still appears to be holding a shovel in her left hand, and this could potentially hint towards the audience, that she might be planning to dig up the dead man that is currently on the floor in front of her. Their location appears to be in the middle of the woods, which in a stereotypical TV Drama/Movie could be seen as a 'dangerous' location, as a majority of bad incidents within these dramas, like death for example, occur in this type of location. 

The shovel could also potentially exaggerate the fact that the scene is currently during the day (we can tell this by the sunlight shining down on the characters), and that they need to hide the body in front of them immediately, as they could easily be seen from how bright the surroundings are in comparison to how it would be if this scene were to happen at night time. 

Also, the fact that the woman has her back towards the camera and is facing the 2 men in the scene, could suggest that she may be a character of lower power to the men, as she doesn't have the high privilege of actually facing the camera like the other characters. Note as well how the 2 men in the scene are stood up tall and straight, with their fists clenched, whereas the woman is stood hunched over with the shovel, looking like the weakest character out of the lot, as she has the tough job that is deciding whether or not to potentially bury the man that is placed in front of her.
  
The man on the left in this still appears to be wearing a blue buttoned up shirt, that is covered in one corner with blood. This may suggest that he is the one that potentially murdered the man on the floor, and this could explain why he is pulling a face which seems full of struggle, as from what we can see in the still, it looks like he is trying to figure out what to do with the person that he has in fact just killed. The fact that he has no props on him in this still, could potentially give away the idea that he is now powerless with his decisions after killing the man, as he is clueless what to do next, because he can't just go back and bring the man back to life. This could link into his personality and the idea that he is wearing a blue shirt, with blue giving away calm connotations.

The man on the right in this still appears to be stood extremely tall and proud, showing off his physical strengths by the way his body is positioned (focus on the direction he is facing, as his body faces the dead man, but his face is looking away). The way in which he is shown, shows similarities to how heroic figures look within movies and their trailers/posters e.t.c., and this could potentially suggest that he has the most power out of all the characters within this still. 

The fact that the man on the right is wearing black, could give off some connotations of death, which is linking into the fact that he is indeed part of a scene where there is a dead man right in front of him, who he could've potentially killed himself, or helped someone else kill.