Mise-en-scene

     I chose to comment/watch the new and popular Netflix show "Squid Game". I will be using the first episode of this show to represent these four Mise-en-scene elements. Squid game is a show based off of the main character Seong Gi-Hun, as well as many other citizens of South Korea that are heavily in debt to others and the government. 

Setting:

In the beginning of the episode throughout the first 30 minutes, you can see how the setting of South Korea seems to take you or the viewer throughout the highly populated streets and rougher neighborhoods. This gives an insight of how a lot of people might live throughout in this city, however, it also shows the importance of how these characters live. As throughout this half an hour you can see Seong Gi-Hun struggle to find food, shelter, and even a basic self-respect. As later in this same film you can see how the setting changed to this remote island off the coast of some mainland. However later in this series you can see how they are off of the mainland of the North-West end of South Korea. This shows a change in setting mostly because these "players" are not allowed to know where they are being held; mostly due to them being found out by the South Korean cops. 

Lighting:

Throughout this first episode you can see a change in lighting techniques. To start off with, when the main character is roaming through the streets of South Korea you can see an example of Three-Point Lighting whereas it represents the street lamps, lighting from the street venders, but also the lighting of the cars passing by when eventually the main character gets picked up by the van. Later in the episode, when the players first enter the "Game", the bedroom or holding room has complete "Fill" or "High Key Lighting" as it is known as. Full room lighting is also shown in multiple other game rooms as well as the amazing kids staircase. Low Key lighting is also seen but not until after the first episode when the nighttime fight happens and all of the lights turn red and are blinking. This shows a sense of new opportunity but then soon turns to being lost and in despair. 

Costume:

Costumes are a key part in the film making process. In the series Squid Game, it mostly has to do with trashy forms of clothing in the beginning in order to show a visual struggle to survive from the main character by both a lack of money, and a lack of respect. Later on, once the players are accepted in the game, they are given new T-shits, jackets, pants, and white shoes. This includes all items being brand new; however, all of these clothing items (Except for the white shoes) have a designated number on them. In this case, our main character has number 456 (the last number in the order). This can be seen in multiple ways. First off, it can be taken that these administrators don't care about what these player's names are, and really only care about the entertainment of the "Game". This specific costume outfits are more modern and are particularly useful in the overall backstory of the characters and it shows throughout the rest of the series.

Staging and Acting:

Specifically in episode 1, where Seong Gi-Hun is barreling through the trash and finding as many scrapes as he can, you can tell how he truly goes into character, and later in that same episode where they play the first game in the long road to fortune. As Seong Gi-Hun demonstrates the pure frustration in the game, Slap-Slap-Win; it perfectly shows the physical and mental pressure that this main character is going through just to support his daughter. Not only can you see it as a way to get back his daughter from his divorced wife and husband, but also a possible gesture to what he might do in the future just to get what he wants.