Parasite  

To begin parasites director Bong Joon-Ho uses a combination of the mise en scene techniques to shape the story extremely well. Staircases play an important role in signifying promotion and demotion in Korea. Director Bong displays the physical and metaphorical distance and descent between the classes and homes by repeating shots of the Kim’s descending into their home below ground and the Park family ascending into their home up a set of modern looking stairs, this is a use of set design and visual architecture. 

 In the making of the movie Bong aimed to use the sun as a metaphor for the two family’s. For example High key lighting is used when focusing on the Park family through natural light of the sun and Low key lighting Is used when focusing on the Kim family, this reflects the contrast in wealth and happiness of each family, The use of lighting helps convey the tone of the film. 

 Bong also portrays this contrast through colour scheme, the natural green tones of the Park family’s house and garden displays their freedom and wealth. On the other hand the dull tones of the Kim family’s home represents the devastating poverty in Seoul, this is called colour theory.  

 Director Bong-Ho planned every detail of the film extremely wisely using storyboards to plan the composition and lay out of each shot. Each home was designed with windows, For the poor family a small window with a view of a drunken man in the slums. Whereas for the rich family a larger, luxurious and expansive window looking out over a beautiful lawn.   

Finally Bong uses physical elements such as windows, background furniture or textures on glass to divide the families in each frame therefore further conveying the tone of segregation of classes.