Lighting and Colour

Lighting helps to manipulate the viewer into feeling something that the production team/ director wants them to feel. It can also help to attract the audiences attention to a specific part of the frame, this might be useful in a psychological thriller if the object will become significant later on in the film. As well as putting light into the scene, shadows can also be used to help build suspense as it hides part of the scene, in darkness, from the viewer.



There are many different types of lighting techniques which all have different effects on the scene and atmosphere. Some of these are:

• The key light- a very bright light and it is very influential.


• The back light- helps to soften the key light and makes the character/object more "rounded"
  
• Filler lights- Softens the effect of shadows and helps make the change between shadows and light more gradual. Lessens the shadows that key lights and back lights make.
• Hey key-More filler lights are used which makes the lighting look more normal and like that that we see everyday in real life. Areas of darkness will not be as distinct.
• Low key- Created by using key and backlights only, which creates contrast between light and dark, giving this type of lighting the nickname "filmnoir". It also gives the scenes deep dark shadows.
• Underlighting- Is where the main light source comes from underneath the character/ object. This makes it look distorted and it is often used in horror movies.
• Toplighting- It is used to make the character look glamorous as it softens edges . The main source of light comes from above.
• Backlighting- Is used to create silhouettes. The main source comes from behind the character/object. It is also used in horror and thriller movies to create an air of suspense as the character is not easily recognisable.

• Colour- Colour is used to create mood that the film company want the audience to feel. . it will awake connotations that the audience already associate with that colour, e.g. Red and Violence.

Sound

Sound is used in film to both create atmosphere and to make the audience aware of what is happening an/or about to happen in a scene.

The two main types of sound are:

Diegetic
This type of sound is the type that you would hear if you were in the scene with the characters. It is the sound you experience in normal life. Some examples are birds singing, people talking and car engines.
Some music can be diegetic if a character turns on a radio, for example.

Non-Diegetic
This type of sound is artificial sound that you would not hear if you were in the scene. Non-Diegetic sound is added during editing to add an extra effect or to help create a mood. The main type of this sound is Music.
Although some sounds are added after filming e.g. explosion if the sound would be heard by the characters it is not a Non-Diegetic sound.

There are other types of sound such as:
Parallel Sound
This type of sound is where the sound matches the mood of the scene it has been added to. In horror movies an example of Parallel sound would be edgy,dramatic music.

Contrapuntal Sound
This is where the sound does not match the mood of the scene, for example, light, happy music during a murder scene. This type of sound is used to confuse the audience and to also make them pay closer attention.

Sound Bridge
This is where the sound, usually music, carries on from one scene to the other. This is used to help link scenes especially during Jump Cuts.