Lighting Ideas From Other Films

SHADOWING

In this trailer for the film Shame, a lot of shadowing is used. This creates enigmas and makes the whole trailer look a lot more mysterious which fits its genre of being a psychological drama, the same as our trailer to be. The effect of the shadowing also makes the trailer appear varied in terms of moods and atmospheres created, so brightness for positive happenings, minimal lighting cast upon the actors' faces to show small glimmers of hope perhaps and total darkness so that a full enigma is created. By showing variety in our trailer it will show our capability of capturing more than one type of mood but then also having underlying codes and conventions which make the trailer more meaningful.

Test Shots - Bedroom 1

Two Lamps

I used the basic settings on the camera for this shot along with two lamps; the one seen on the bed frame and another placed behind the camera. This was far too bright for the sinister image we wish to create. As this room is for the character of Matt, we need to compose a shadowed, dark setting which will suit his mysterious, shady character.




One Lamp

Again, I used the basic settings on the camera for this second shot and the only light source came from the lamp which can be seen in the frame. It formed a very natural clear image with more shadowed areas than the previous shot, however, it does not create the dark, ominous atmosphere we would like to portray.



No Lamps

For this shot I turned off all the lights and used the natural lighting of the room, which mainly came from the street lights outside. Although this forms a very dark setting, it is much too dark, causing too many shadows and making it unclear.

Blue Lighting

After realizing that basic lighting was not enough to create the atmosphere we are aiming for, i decided to experiment with the colour. By using one light behind the camera and placing a blue carrier bag over it i managed to create this shot. I chose blue as it can be seen as quite a cold, ominous colour and would make the shot more obscure. Despite this, I found this technique appeared too blue and did not cast enough shadows about the room.



Camera Effects
As I have already experimented with lighting on a basic camera setting, I thought it would be interesting to attempt different shots using settings on the camera. I decided to use the lamp on the bed frame, as this produced the best level of lighting for the shot. I found all three of these successful in creating a sinister, dark setting that suits Matt's character and portrays his obsessive nature and his emotions.

Incandescent - This was the first setting I used which had a blue tint. Again, this creates a cold, ominous atmosphere.

Fluorescent 2 - The second setting i used had a more natural tone to it but still created the same dark atmosphere with a shadowed surrounding.

Fluorescent 3 - This last shot has a more blue/purple tone to it which is a more toned down image of the first camera effect i used. This still manages to create the same sinister setting on a more subtle level.

Recorded Test Shots

I decided to film the test shots using the camera effects as they were most convincing. This was necessary as it gives a better idea of how these shots will turn out if we were to use them in our teaser trailer and will ensure they are as effective as the photographs.