The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a 21st century supernatural thriller film directed by Tim Burton. This film is provides excellent examples of mise-en-scene in the setting, lighting, acting and props. The part of the movie which was focused on was the scene where Johnny Depp and the boy and girl were around the tree in which the headless villain lives, and the scene where the family was in their house in the village. The forest was indeed very spooky due to the dark and blue lighting and the lightning flashes in some parts. However, in the house, the lighting was very warm. It was slightly yellow which gave the audience the impression that the people in the house were protagonists. The actors in the house scene also acted very calm and happy. They showed positive emotions, especially to their child. In the forest scene, the atmosphere was very spooky and the characters appeared very serious. However, as Johnny Depp started hacking into the tree his character was juxtaposed as a very hesitant and almost comical character. On the other hand, the children behind him were very tense and rather disgusted at all the blood. The headless horseman appeared as a very powerful character and the horse reflected this too. Props used in the segment included fake heads which looked realistic as they appeared to be decomposing, the forest and trees, a sword, lantern and skeleton. The elements of mise-en-scene were all important in creating the genre of Sleepy Hollow, as well as portraying the chilling story to the audience.