The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is different to many other films at the time as it was not produced by a large company or studio, and therefore had limited or no funds for sets, costume, lighting, etc. One immediately noticeable element of mise-en-scene is the costumes and make-up. The characters are portrayed in very over the top make up, but fairly normal clothing. For instance, Dr. Caligari wears a long coat and top hat,along with a walking cane which makes him seem higher up in society. Many of his actions are overly dramatic and extreme compared to the films of today, although this was fairly common for films of the time. The use of paint and make up for creating was also extremely innovative.
As the movie had such a small budget, sets were painted to create the effect of shadows, and the same was done with make up, and is especially prominent in the character of Cesare. As the film progresses, there are more cases of slanted sets. Slanted sets would include windows,doors, walls and other props at a slightly skewed to subtly show mental deterioration and instability. Cameras at the time of filming were heavy and cumbersome which meant that moving them around to change the shot and focus on specific people or things happening on screen was much more difficult than it is today. To combat this, an iris shot was used to show so something important without moving the camera. by closing down the iris in the lens, it would block out the majority of the shot, leaving only something of importance in the shot.
Make up was not only used to show shadows, and darkness, it was also used to tell the audience about the characters, as well as reflecting the emotion for the scene onto the audience. For instance, Cesare’s make up shows his inner turmoil and conflict in emotions and feelings. As well as the black makeup used, his costume is primarily black, which is a further look into his unstable and dark mind. The combination of costume and make up helps the audience draw connections to him being the villain, and helps establish his character as a whole.
