Experimenting with Lighting Techniques

Experimenting with lighting colours
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Lighting styles used (decending):

  •   Low angle soft white light
      - Small soft white filament bulb
      - Pros: It is difficult to identify the face of the person in the shot this effectively creates an enigma within the story line and creates suspense within the audience
      - Cons: Difficult to film in as image becomes grainy. Hard to pick out key details within the image 
      - Conclusion: We will not use this lighting style for our entire clip as it will make it hard for the audience to understand what is happening and it will reduce our film quality
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  •   Low angle cool white flashlight
      - Fluorescent bulb
      - Pros: The bright foreground cancels out the dark background giving an impression of isolation. Suitable for both indoor and outdoor shooting. Changing the angle of lighting will skew the features because of the high contrast between light and dark.
      - Cons: The high contrast makes the lighting unflattering for the protagonist. No background can be seen which erases the clips "depth".
      - Conclusion: We can use this lighting for reaction shots etc. as it draws attention to the actors and not the setting.
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  •   Low angle cool white light with red dispersing cover
      - Fluorescent bulb
      - Pros: Smooths actors features. Bright foreground cancels out dark background giving an impression of isolation. Changing the angle of lighting will skew the features because of the high contrast. Unnatural colourings enforce the idea of supernatural beings or possession.
      - Cons: Dark colours such as green and blue are harder to be seen in this light so the effect caused by costumes and mise-en-scene may be stunted.
      - Conclusion: This lighting will work well in the main possession scene or behind the opening titles though should not be used for extended lengths of time.
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  •   Eye level cool white light with yellow plastic cover
      - Fluorescent bulb
      - Pros: Suitable for both antagonist and protagonist. Does not affect natural colourings e.g. hair or costumes. Lighting is suitable for multiple-person shots and/or long or wide shots. Suitable for filming inside or outside.
      - Cons: Can make image grainy or pixelated.
      - Conclusion: If a high quality camera is used, this lighting would be suitable for most of our film opening.
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  •   Eye level cool white light without dispersing cover
      - Fluorescent bulb
      - Pros: All parts of the frame can be seen easily. Gives impression of night vision or security cameras
      - Cons: Not commonly used in supernatural horrors as it can make the image look "negative" and not scary.
      - Conclusion: We will not use this lighting technique in our film.