Lighting
(SC)
Facial Lighting
When looking at a character in a film, it is easy to tell whether they are good or bad due to the lighting that covers their face. Lighting can also be used to allude to a character having a secret or some sort of mystery surrounding them.
Generally if someone is going to be a bad character their face will be covered entirely by darkness. This also makes the character more mysterious so that the audience becomes hooked and wants to get to know this character more. It also suggests this character has a lot to hide. This could be something from their past or something they are planning to do.
If a character's face is half covered in light and half covered in darkness, it is signified that we do not know whether this character is good or bad. They could also have a hidden secret or there is something we don't yet know about them. They instantly become mysterious and suspect to any crime that happens.
Finally, if a character's face is fully lit, the audience assume that they are a victim or just innocent. This is because they clearly have nothing to hide due to the fact that you can see all of the character's face. Light also has connotations of purity and hope, ironic as this shot is from a horror film.
(CT)
Scenery Lighting
The majority of popular horror films include low key lighting because it creates a creepy atmosphere and you are unsure what is in the distance as only part of the shot is lit up. It also represents darkness and night time which are seen as scary.
However it is difficult to film in dark as the camera will not pick anything up so you will need light.
Also, natural light is effective in filming horror as when sunlight creeps through gaps it looks effective and creates shadows.
However it is difficult to film in dark as the camera will not pick anything up so you will need light.
Also, natural light is effective in filming horror as when sunlight creeps through gaps it looks effective and creates shadows.
(ME)
Examples of lighting in horror
An example of facial lighting in horror is Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare On Elm Street. This light is covering the majority of Krueger's face, this shows the audience that he is bad or evil so we automatically know that he is the bad guy, but there is also some light on his face. This shows us that he is somewhat innocent, we know this because even though he was a pedophile, he was still murdered.
Another example is the room lighting in The Woman In Black. In this opening sequence the audience is shown a child's room with three girls playing, the well lit, wide spaced room. This shows the audience that the owners of this house have lots of money. The well lit room also represents the innocence of the girls.
Whereas the lighting in this clip of Sinister shows an attic, the children are sat close together, in a dark attic. The lighting shows the lack of innocence in these children, although the slight areas of light show that the children are still innocent, as we thought they were throughout the whole film, due to them being children.
(ME & CT)