Lighting practical

Lighting plays a prominent role in creating certain atmospheres which link into and conform to almost all genres. 

• Below are several photos of a bright light I had in my house which is ideal for this practical as it is very bright (240W/70V bulb) and has a reflective inner surface.

I wanted to experiment with how the light would look in a dark room as it is projected onto the walls. I first looked at the light reflecting onto a bare wall on its own and without any 'filters'. The photo below shows the light reflecting onto a bare wall on its own.

• Although it can't be seen fully in this photo, the lighting created by the light on its own is very harsh  and raw.

I then wanted to compare this raw light reflection to the same light but with different 'filters' to create different effects. For filters I placed different coloured plastic bags over the front of the light and looked at the different reflections they made on the bare wall. Here is a picture of the light with a blue plastic bag over the front.

• Although this photo also doesn't give the full effect of the blue plastic bag over the front of the light, it is clear that it gives a distinctive blue tinge to the light that is reflected. 
• The blue plastic bag creates a cold and desolate effect which could be useful in many genres.
• The blue tinge is quite subtle which could be effective in giving film a slightly different atmosphere.

The photo below shows the light with an orange plastic bag over the front. 

• The effect created by the orange plastic bag is much more prominent than the effect created by the blue plastic bag. 
• The orange coloured light created by the plastic bag is also very strong and would be effective in creating an atmosphere for a variety of genres.

In conclusion, I feel that the different filters used with the light could be effective in creating different atmospheres in various genres. The different coloured plastic bags used as light filters lend themselves to different genres, i.e. the blue filter may fit in with the psychological thriller genre.