mise-en-scene element (Lighting)

 Lighting

Lighting is one of the most crucial parts of making a horror/suspense feel real and supporting the film. It can create tension, mood, and how the audience feels about the scene. 

Lighting in Horror/Suspense Films

The way lighting is used in horror/suspense films can achieve all these things:

• Builds Suspense
• Enhances the fear of the unknown
• Create the atmosphere for the character 
• Direct the audience's attention to specific areas (Emphasizing danger)
• Isolation
• Foreshadowing

How We Are Going to Use Lighting 

The first shot of the Film Opening is multiple close-up shots of a detective board being created. For a scene like this, having bright lighting would not achieve the effect of suspense we want our audience to feel. We are going to be using low-key lighting with high contrast and deep shadows to support our idea of suspense. During the first scene, we will also use flickering lights to create unpredictability and a flashlight to highlight certain parts of the board we believe the audience should care about. During the zoom-out that shows the entire board the low lighting is going to get brighter to make sure the board is scene perfectly and then it cuts to the title screen. Having the low-key lighting is to give an eerie sensation to the scene and that something is not right. 

The lighting will only showcase the important aspects of the shot.