The aesthetics of lighting, were established hundreds of years ago by painters such as Caravaggio, Rembrandt and Goya. The use of light is an essential component in Horror and again like colour elicits emotions in the viewer and can also effect space and time. It is important to note that you cannot have colour without light and light without colour. Early film makers in the 1890s used sunlight and filmed outside, various diffusers and reflectors were used to change light, then studios where then built, Allen and Kuhn (2015). There are many types of light used by Cinematographers on a film set such as Maher (2015) states HMI, Tungsten, LED, and Fluorescent and also natural light is still used. Fig: Colour temperature chart in …show more content…
Location and Light
Natural lighting is used at times when the location is outside in a natural setting. Barnes (2013) reported, horror film locations are a haunted houses which is old, derelict or abandoned or suburban houses which shows scenes of realism and identification with the viewers. Graveyards which have connotations of death, ghosts and loneliness. Rural locations such as forests, mountain resorts, or space, which are isolated and hard to escape from.
Lighting techniques
There are many types of lighting in Horror films, Poyntz (2002) discusses High key lighting, which means that most shots are brightly lit, with few shadows. Poyntz (2002) also reports that high contrast lighting is dominated by harsh lines of light combined with dramatic streaks of blackness. This lighting style tends to use shadows and can look haunting and eerie when it is used well. Poyntz (2002) Low key lighting uses shadows and directed pools of light to create atmosphere and suspense, low key lighting suggests an air of mystery. Horror movies often use this style of lighting in exaggerated form by over-lighting (placing a light above the face) or under-lighting (placing a light under a face) of actors to create a dramatic or distorted effect. Poyntz
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Renee (2016) as Up-lighting, Silhouette, Spotlighting, Prominent and projected shadows, Underexposure, Harsh light (hard light, chiaroscuro), Shooting through objects (internal frames), Shooting through elements, Rembrandt lighting (low key lighting). Here are some examples of the same.
• Up lighting Fig: Frankenstein (1931)
• Silhouette Fig: Poltergeist (1982)
• Spotlighting Fig: The Exorcist (1973)
• Prominent and projected shadows
Fig: Nostefortu (1922)
Underexposure Fig: Paranormal activity (2007)
• Harsh light (hard light, chiaroscuro) Fig: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
Shooting through objects (internal frames) Fig: Friday the 13th , Jason x (2002)
Shooting through elements Fig: The Mist (2007)
Rembrandt lighting (low key lighting) Fig: Lights Out (2016)
Types of lighting
Fig:
In the movie Edward Scissorhands, a lot of different cinematic techniques are used. This movie mostly focuses on lighting, usually using darker low-key lighting throughout most of the film to create a darker, creepy tone. Low-key lighting is used mostly in scenes with Edward scissorhands in them, not as much with the girl. A good example of these low-key lighting scenes are the beginning ones, when the girl first enters Edward’s castle. The atmosphere inside is dark and creepy, adding to the already mysterious and dark tone of the movie. Another example of a scene with low-key lighting is the very beginning of the credits screen. The words are displayed in white with the rest of the background as a dark and evil setting. This already gives
After experiencing a traumatic car crash, Michelle, the protagonist of director Dan Trachtenberg’s film 10 Cloverfield Lane, wakes up in an underground bunker owned by a man named Howard. Howard claims to have saved her from a widespread chemical attack that has contaminated the air, with his bunker being the only place to take refuge for the next couple of years. Yet as the film progresses, Howard’s controlling and threatening demeanor eventually brings Michelle to escape, allowing her to come across the actuality of the situation outside the isolated bunker. Throughout the production, Trachtenberg arranges close frames, manipulates the camera’s focus, and chooses specific lighting to create an ominous tone that mystifies and disturbs viewers.
All are relevant to the film that I will be applying the study of lighting
One way the filmmakers did this is with the on location shots of rubble in many scenes. The characters in these shots are carefully placed to make the rubble stand out behind them. Lighting is carefully placed to illuminate the rubble and make it stand out. However, the carefully planned cinematography also plays into the overall meaning of the film and not just how it looks. The lighting, for example, influences our feelings for certain characters. Susan Wallner is always filmed in light. This is a drastic difference from how we see Hans Mertens. Hans is usually filmed with low light and is very dim. This helps show that Susan is optimistic, while Hans is pessimistic. Another way lighting is used in this film is to create shadows. Shadows are very prevalent in the last sequence of the film. Hans has confronted Bruckner and as the camera cuts back and forth to each of them we see Hans shadow keeps growing bigger and bigger behind Bruckner. We can interpret that as the shadowing is growing bigger so his Bruckner’s fear, because the dialogue coming from Bruckner is getting faster and we can also hear the fear. There are many times in the film where close ups are used to make the storyline more dramatic. One scene that comes to mind that makes use of quick cuts and close ups is in the end of the film: Susan ran in, stopping Hans from killing Bruckner. At this point we
Tim Burton, in Edward Scissorhands, uses high key and low key lighting. For example, Peg’s town is flooded with high key lighting in order to make the outside seem joyful and peaceful. The outside may look cheery and bring, but most of the people living there were not the most pleasant people. The women gossip and create rumors; the men are rude and conceited. He used low key lighting in order to make the audience feel anxious about the upcoming events. An example would be when Peg walked up to the top floor of the mansion and noticed that someone was sitting in the corner. Edward’s shadow may have given him a frightening appearance, as he is a ‘man’ with scissors for hands. But Edward was a kind and caring gentleman. In conclusion, he used reverse lighting to add an irreplaceable, distinctive quality to his movies.
For example, in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) Burton implements dim lighting during meaningful moments and bright lighting during more vibrant moments. This effectively conveys the tone set for the scene and maintains a clear balance in the scene. This helps the audience clearly understand the scene’s characteristics and its meaning to the film. Similarly, in Edward Scissorhands (1990) Burton utilizes lighting to set contrast between the characters. The superficial town is set in a bright, sunny setting, however, the lives the characters lead are quite the opposite of bright. These individuals spend their free time judging others and have no individuality whatsoever. Furthermore, Edward, one of the only characters who is kindhearted, is portrayed in dull, dark lighting. The lighting contrasts with his sweet personality to emphasize who is accepted and who is not. This contrast helps the audience understand the contradicting worlds of Edward and the frivolous town. In addition, in Big Eyes (2014) Burton implements lighting to show the slow transition of Margaret Keane’s life. The lighting depicts the dulling of her life as she faces troubles in her life. The use of lighting here helps the audience see the clear transition in Margaret Keane's life and clearly understand the conflict in her life. Similarly, Burton utilizes lighting in his films
To begin, Tim Burton’s use of variant lighting creates a contrasting mood of peacefulness within darkness. Burton uses low key lighting, and side lighting throughout Charlie and the
Lighting is one of the most essential techniques to indicate the mood of a movie. In Edward Scissor Hands, Burton blends up the lighting with high and low key lighting to add more emotions to his characters and brighten their personalities. Burton uses the high key lighting technique in the town that Peg lives in. Revealing it as bright and cheerful presenting I to be flawless, but that is only an illusion. In reality the town is hateful and does not accept others, the women create packs t...
There are times in life when we need to be creative and think out of the box and there is no exception to the rule when it comes to film making. Being creative helps solve issues of replicating or simulating lighting effects that might be seen in everyday life. Scott has proven with his cinematography and, more specifically, aptitude for lighting and composition to be a powerhouse within the
darkness. The film is shot in shadows and overall is very dark , almost forcing
The setting gives the reader a sense that terror awaits. This story shows this by talking about the lighting
Essential to the look and feel of a scene, lighting plays a key role in the mise-en-scene of The Wizard of Oz. Two basic types of lighting are used throughout the film: high-key lighting and low-key lighting. Used to convey emotion during the opening sepia scenes, three-point lighting also finds practicality here, helping the viewer to get in touch with Dorothy’s sadness, it provides a basis for reality, providing a stark contrast to the color fantasy sequences to come.
The lighting in this movie is very effective. It helps to establish the characters very well. The audience is helping in distinguishing the bad and the good characters through the lighting. The movie overall is very stylized. There are some other strange lighting patterns brought out by Hype Williams, but by far the most effective lighting patterns are ones that help to characterize the main players in the film.
generate moods, and have great psychological affect. This is just as true for the very first series of shots for the film, and perhaps more important since these first shots will give the audience the initial feeling of the film, and set a tone for the picture. The first shot is highly dramatic in its lighting method, and the audience is drawn in immediately to one single detail. A man begins revealing the details of a tragic incident that befell his daughter. We don’t see who he is talking to. There is a spotlight directly above the man, and this is pretty much 95% of the light used. This really lights up the top of his head, which is bald, but there is no hot spot or reflective element which is good because reflection here would be aesthetically displeasing. The lighting causes dark areas under the man’s eyes, which emphasize the passion and eventually the hatred of what he is talking about. The scene is lit so that the background is completely black, so that the only thing we can see is the man. Even though this is logically unrealistic, the stylistic decision to light in this manner is warranted, since this or any other good film draws heavily upon our expectations and imagination to convey a message or meaning. We as audience accept the unrealistic elements, if they assist in making the story ...
In order to transition “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” to a horror film genre, cinematography such as lighting, shot types, and angles, can be used. Due to the fact that “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” consists mainly of High-key lighting, it can be noted that it is not the highest-key of lighting being used, because the shadows of the toons as they walk around are extremely prominent. In order to contrast between lights and darks, as well as intensify shadows to give a horror effect, Low-key lighting must be used to remove the fill light from the three-point lighting system and give the overall deep shadow and gloomy effect. Furthermore, the use of long shots throughout the film can be used to emphasise the horroristic architecture, weather, and other