Film Extract Analysis - Lighting

The short extract that I will be analysing will be from 5:22 until 8:13.

This is the point in the film where everything turns around and the problem is first recognised as the main storyline. They have two contrasting scenes where one is set in Paris and the other in America. The lighting shown to present Paris is high-key and natural lighting techniques have been used to brighten the whole scene so that the audience is able to see all of the surroundings. Also there has been top lighting used on the actress to accentuate her expressions of fright and to show that she is alarmed. There is a point where slight shadows are created on the woman’s face (5:59) and this may relate to the fact that something terrible is happening at that moment in time.

However the other scene has more of a darker tone than that of the Paris scene. You are able to see at 6:20 the lamps that are on inside the room that he is in and this light combined with some natural light makes the character seem more mysterious and fearful. Aspects of the mise-en-scene such as when the man starts pulling out various equipment from a briefcase shows that he is an expert in whatever he does and he seems to know what he is doing. Also back in the Paris scene the men that are looking for the woman have not been identified by the audience because their faces have not yet been shown to the camera. This is important because it makes the audience uneasy about these characters and can also catch the attention of them and makes them speculate as to who these men are.

As the scenes keep switching between each other, the woman in the scene in Paris is told to climb under a bed and then this is when the lighting suddenly goes much gloomier than before. This to create an atmosphere of murkiness and to allow the people that are searching for her to seem more powerful and frightening.

Still Image Analaysis - Lighting

This image is of a Batman film that is set to be released in 2012 and is a sequel to Batman: The Dark Knight. The lighting in this shot is mostly focused on the batman symbol on the building tall building right behind Batman himself. This is to highlight his superiority and show his domination across the city. The protagonist who is clearly shown and centred in the shot has top lighting used on him to increase the fascination of the audience about the character’s intentions. They are glamorising him even though he may not look like a hero although his posture may contradict this.

Other aspects of the mise-en-scene such as the costume which is an overall suit which shows the tone of his muscles and again has the Batman emblem imprinted on the top of his torso. Also his fists are clenched which shows his anger towards something in particular. Another aspect is his mask which could show that he must hide his identity for whatever reason and this may intrigue audiences to go and watch the film and find out what the storyline is about and what will happen.