Lucasfilm Fieldtrip

After screening the show and hearing the talented artists at Lucasfilm, what insight or piece of advice from their experience in filmmaking and visual storytelling stood out to you the most?

    Some insights from their experience in filmmaking and storytelling that stood out to me the most was the different ways they got into their respective fields and their workflow. Each person had a different story for how they found themselves in their current position, each one was relatable and had good advice. For instance, a few of the speakers didn't know what kind of work they wanted to do, or they had an idea that didn't work out. However, they tried out different areas and changed course, finding passion and work viability in different areas. I feel that this is a good way to prepare into the working world as things may not work out the way you expect and, instead of dwelling on it or letting it drag you, you should take it in stride and develop in a different direction.

Suspense Lighting Tutorial

What three key techniques do these filmmakers use to create tension with their lighting in this scene?  How did they use lighting effectively?

    Three key techniques that these filmmakers use to create tension with their lighting are the use of shadow, motivated lighting, and under lighting. Throughout the scene, they have many aspects cast in shadow, focusing on mainly lighting the actor's face to show the emotion and a few background elements in order to improve the visual aesthetics. Additionally, they found that keeping the monster entirely silhouetted made for a more tense feeling than it did when lighting him. The majority of the light sources in the scene are motivated through the pool or the actress' phone screen, creating a more immersed feeling. Additionally, both sources create a slight under lit look on the actor, which adds to the tension and uncomfortable feeling. They use lighting effectively as they created a dark and mysterious scene while still showing the important details and having a aesthetically appealing scene.

Horror Lighting Tutorial

What are three key techniques that these filmmakers use to create tension with their lighting in this scene?  How did they use lighting effectively?

    Three key techniques that these filmmakers use to create tension with their lighting in this scene are the different ways of lighting the protagonist vs. the monster, extreme colors, and the use of darkness. When it came to the protagonist, they utilized more typical lighting techniques, such as three-point-lighting and making sure that the face was illuminated at specific moments in order to show the character's emotions. However, when lighting the monster, they kept her bathed in a lot more shadow, making it much harder to make out who or what she is. Additionally, in the big reveal and jump scare, they used under lighting, which distorted her features creating a more ghoulish appearance. Another technique that they used was extreme coloring. This scene took place at night in a home, so they the color blue heavily in order to convey that nighttime feeling. Using extreme colors can make the setting feel more unnatural and add to the discomfort of the scene. Other common colors used are red and green. Another technique that was used was the darkness. In other genres, you'd typically want all the important details to be well lit so that the audience can see it; however, this scene was underexposed and there were many moments where you couldn't see the actor's face. That being said, they used lighting effectively as they created a strong and tense atmosphere without sacrificing visual understanding and important details.

Horror Lighting

What are the historical, aesthetic, and psychological reasons for lighting from below in horror films?

    There are a variety of reasons for lighting from below in horror films. Historically, this has been used throughout the past, both in and out of film. One example is using a flashlight under your face while telling a scary story. Another reason may be that it may symbolize light coming up from Hell, which contrasts the symbolism of light coming down from Heaven. Aesthetically, lighting from below distorts the features of the face, which is credited to being the primary reason why it appears scary. Lighting from below also has psychological effects because it creates and uncanny look. Instinctively, humans are designed to identify other human faces, so when the face is distorted, such as in uplighting, it appears disturbing because of the unnatural feeling.

Horror Film Techniques

What are the key tips that you learned from this video? What tip do you feel you could put to use in your horror film coming up?

    The key tips that I've learned from this video are atmosphere, sound, and lighting. Atmosphere is a key part of a horror film's mood and setting. Although it is common for horror to take place at night, which has a naturally unsafe feeling, it can also be effective to have it set in the day or in the rain. However, when deciding your atmosphere, you'll need to consider the logistical aspects. For example, if you want it to be raining for a scene, you'll either need to plan extensively by finding a day with rain that works with schedules or you'll have to create your own rain somehow. Sound is a strong contributor to the tension in horror as it can create the eerie feelings that change the feeling of a shot. Sound mixing and design is really important in that regard as it can elevate a film in both production quality and emotion. Lighting is very important for the visual style of a horror film, people often utilize natural shadows and underexposed lighting in order to bathe the shot in more darkness, adding to the mystery and tension. A tip that I feel I could put to use in my upcoming film is the sound. I could introduce more sounds into a scene in order to enhance the emotions and feeling of it.

Ways Horror Films are Manipulating You

15 Ways You Didn't Even Realize Horror Movies Are Manipulating You Into Fear

In a detailed paragraph, explain how you are using or could use 4 of these steps to help develop your horror film story before you begin shooting.

    Four of these steps that I could use to help develop my horror film story before shooting are (1) liberal use of negative space, (2) reflections and mirrors, (3) scenes that are longer than they need to be, and (4) jarring editing techniques. Other genres often strive to achieve a balanced image that has a good amount of both positive and negative space. Because of this, when a film has too much negative space, it can create an uncomfortable feeling, like something is about to happen. The use of reflections and mirrors have conditioned audiences to expect something bad to happen when one is being utilized in a horror film. Thus, by having a reflection, you can ramp up the tension for the audience. People often have some understanding of when a scene should end, such as when an action or conversation is completed. So when a scene lasts longer than audiences expect, it makes them feel like something else is about to happen. Using jarring editing techniques such as jump cuts can be an effective way to make the audience feel like they're seeing something that they aren't, such as the stabs in the Psycho shower scene.

History of Horror Films Pt. 2

Why do you think that horror films happen in cycles?  In your opinion, what is it about horror films that makes this happen?

    I think that horror films happened in cycles because . The thing about horror films that makes this happen is .