Lighting is an important element in horror film trailers. Common lighting techniques used include ambient lighting to create realism, profile lighting to show two sides of a character, and backlighting or underlighting to generate suspense through silhouettes or ghostly effects. The document discusses how lighting in horror emphasizes darkness and the unknown to build fear and tension in viewers. It also notes that the film The Conjuring effectively uses dark and limited lighting in its basement scene to leave what may be lurking in shadows up to audience imagination.

1. Lighting Ideas

2. Lighting used in horror films
Lighting frequently used in horror films are:
• Ambient lighting show to the audience a scene of realism as ambient
lighting is natural light that comes from the real world.
• Profile lighting, this is when half the face is lit up and the other half is
dark. This could show to the audience that a character has to personalities
to them both good and bad. It could also show to the audience that the
character is trying to hide themselves away via hiding one half of their
face. This could show that they have something to hide from the audience.
• Underling lighting, this is when the lighting is coming from underneath the
character or object. This is mainly used to create a ghostly effect and
horrified feeling.
• Back-lighting, is lighting which is coming from behind. This helps create a
silhouette effect to the audience. This helps create suspense as it makes it
look like someone is creating up on someone from behind.

4. Our lighting idea
• In out film trailer we will be using lighting such
as:
• Ambient lighting to show realism in our film.
• Available lighting such as room lights, this
could also be used to give of a sense of
realism.
• Profile lighting, this will be used to show that
characters have two sides in them, both evil
and good side.

5. Spot light
Ambient Lighting
Profile Lighting
Available Lighting

6. Lighting
• Lighting which is used in horror films are very important in
setting the mood and setting in each scene.
• The lighting in each scene helps build suspense to the
audience when watching the trailer.
• The lighting in horror films are usually dark to set a more
realist scene as most of the action happens at night. The
darkness makes it harder for the audience to see all the
mise-en-scene in the frame and means they have to be
more attentive when looking at the trailers to make sure
they catch everything.
• By the lighting being dark, helps create fear in the audience
mind. It gives of the fear if the unknown as they don’t know
what could be lurking in the darkness.

7. Lighting used in ‘The Conjuring’
The lighting that is used in ‘The Conjuring’ is very
dark and gives a sense of fear to the audience
from the beginning of the film trailer. Where the
two main characters are downstairs in a
basement it is in darkness part from the torch
which they have one, creating a silhouette and
spot light effect.
This could be worry the audience as they don’t
know what could be lurking in the darkness, as it
is left to the audiences imagination.