Shot Types and Lighting

Shot Types and Lighting in Thriller Films

Psycho:


Here is a still image from the classic Hitchcock thriller, Psycho. As you can see from this still image, the shot type is that of a close-up of the eye so the audience are forced to look what the character is looking at, allowing them to enter into the story and what is happening to this women, creating more of a personal effect. I feel this type of shot could be used in our short film when Anthony is looking down the lens of the camera at the beginning and end of the film. However, we will test this out during the filming stages.

In terms of lighting in this image, it is predominantly very dark, with the only bit of light reflecting from the hole she is looking in to her eye. This shows the audience that her character is looking through a whole at someone or something in a dark room, creating suspense within the viewer because of the fact we can see she is in a dark room alone. This image shows how the use of light in a thriller film is a massive component of making a scene tense and suspenseful for the audience.



The Game:
The Game is a thriller film by talented director Mr David Fincher, who is one of my all time favourite directors. This image is very tense and intriguing on first look. The shot type they have used here is a medium close-up to allow the audience to clearly see the emotion of what this character is going through in this certain moment of the film. Fincher has purposefully focused the camera at Michael Douglas and not the gun to show his emotion towards the audience. We as an audience don't need to see the gun, we know what a gun looks like. By Fincher showing the characters face, he has allowed us as the audience to see Michael Douglas' characters reaction to what he is about to do.

In terms of lighting for this image, the room looks to be well lit, however there is also a dark tone to this image which instantly connotes that something bad is going to happen. The blue lighting also gives this scene a kind of sic-fi feel to it, even though its a thriller. This lighting does however create tension which is a vital component we need to have in our short in order for it to be able to work.

Gone Girl:
Here is another film by director David Fincher, Gone Girl. They have used another medium close-up shot of Ben Affleck to show his facial expressions so its clear to the audience what he's feeling at this particular moment. We can clearly see that Ben Affleck's character is worried or angry about something that has happened. This certain shot allows us to clearly see what the character is feeling at that particular moment because of something he or she has done or witnessed. This certain shot I feel will be a pivotal part of showing the character of Anthony in our short film and his build up of emotions in each scene to show his decay and emotional unbalance to the drugs he's taken and the actions he proceeds to do in our film.

In terms of the lighting of this image, it is ultimately much different to the other images I have shown. The colour is moody, but also has a warm feel to it and the image as a whole. This creates almost a juxtaposition between colour and shot. The shot shows a medium close-up of Ben Affleck and his worried emotion in this scene. However the warm colour of the background almost goes against the emotion he is feeling as it is normal looking in terms of lighting in film.

Typical Shots Used in Feature Films:

Long Shot:

- A long shot (sometimes referred to as a wide shot) is used to show an entire object of character. In modern film, a long shot is very good in creating that cinematic effect, and with new technology such as Blu-ray being developed, the shot looks even more detailed and luxurious for the viewer, leading to that cinematic effect.



Medium Shot (Mid Shot):
- A medium shot (or mid shot) are generally used for characters when dialogue is being said to allow the audience to pick up on the characters emotional response and gestures to whats going on. Body language is ultimately extremely in conveying an emotion, and the medium shot remains close enough to capture that emotion.








Close-up:
- A close up in a film is typically used to tightly frame an object or person. Close-ups are used to explore more detail in the characters emotion or some intricate activity being done with their hands. Main characters are typically shown in close-ups to show their importance in the film.





Over-the-shoulder:
- An over the shoulder shot is a shot of someone or something from the point of view of the other character. This type of shot is very common when two characters are having a discussion and will typically follow with an establishing shot which helps the audience understand the setting of the film.