Lighting

Both John and myself were interested in looking at early german expressionist films specifically the Cabinet of doctor Caligari which has quite an interesting bedroom set. The lighting due to the surreal nightmarish quality of the piece is very harsh and high contrast. I feel that this particular style of lighting would be beneficial in creating the dark mood we wish to capture in our final photographs.

 For me this screenshot represents a good example of the way harsh lighting and shadows can be used to create an oppressive atmosphere however for our purposes it is too surreal as we still wish to ground our designs in reality and not in expressionism. Of further note is again the dusty worn floorboards and also the rooms shape gives it a very oppressive feel that I like.

as lighting ideas go I like the idea of either very harsh shadows with cold tones like blues and harsh whites but also a more washed out look


I like this image because it represents for me a hybrid of both lighting ideas, with it's high use of grey and blue tones contrasted by bold blacks it gives a very eerie feel and almost a sense of foreboding that I feel is particularly effective.

Also however and maybe for the main living room I like the idea of warm close lighting to give a sense of thick air and claustrophobia.

For instance in the below shot from silent hill 3 the tones are reds, yellows and Oranges colours usually associated with warmth and comfort. Here though they help create a sense of dread.



Again note the use of high contrast black.