Deconstruction of mise-en-scene in Trainspotting

Trainspotting is an iconic British film known for it's storyline based around drug use in Glasgow in the 1990's. As a lot of our film idea is based around drug addiction, I decided to use Trainspotting for mise-en-scene inspiration to make our drug scenes look as convincing as possible.

Here the character is seen lying on he floor with the needle still in his arm and the spoon and lighter beside him. This shows the calming effect of the drug as the user looks sleepy and he gently falls back while exhaling, showing the drug takes an immediate effect.

This shot shows a deal taking place with the character on the right sliding money across the counter and the "dealer" on the left sliding a small pill across in exchange. The low key lighting is ideal for a drug dealing area in order to keep it secretive and private. 

 A close up of the diluted and melted heroin being pulled into the syringe from a dirty spoon is effective as it shows the detail of the use whilst showing the dull, dirty environment with low saturation which reflects the world in which the users live in. The heroin is like a lumpy liquid where the powder is diluted in water.

 A long shot shows the character sitting whilst injecting himself with the heroin. He has a belt tied around his upper arm which makes the veins more visible and accessible for the needle while he injects the drug.

 This mid shot shows the dealer from a previous scene heating the heroin on a metal spoon with a regular lighter. Showing the basics of preparing the drug and reflecting the little they have which is why they turn to drugs as a form of diversion from issues in society such as unemployment.

 This high angle close up shows the heroin bubbling in the spoon as it is heated. We have a shot very similar to this to show the preparatory process.

A mid shot with a shallow depth of field focuses only on the pills in the characters hand, which draws the audiences attention to this as the camera tilts up and focus pull is used to change focus to the characters face. 

 A fisheye like lens s used to distort and curve the image which the user sees to show the effects on his vision as he walks though a betting shop as people stare.

The dealer holds out a full needle as the character reaches out about to use the syringe, he again has a belt around his upper arm.

A close up shows the needle entering the vein, we obviously cannot achieve this however will try to create the illusion of the needle entering the skin.