Cinematography technique · used in 3 films
Using constant or harsh light that a character can't escape, so the brightness keeps them from resting or hiding. You watch them wear down under it.
Examples
Christopher Nolan · 2002
In an Alaskan summer, the sun barely sets. Light seeps into Dormer's hotel room at every hour, and he can't sleep. With no dark to hide in, the light starts to feel like his guilt watching him.
Where to see it: Dormer's hotel room. He tears the room apart trying to block out the sunlight, and it still gets in.
Danny Boyle · 2007
Boyle called the film's threat light, which is hard to film because cinema usually generates fear through darkness. Searle's fascination with staring at the Sun shows how the brightness pulls the crew in.
Where to see it: Searle's last look: Searle returns to the observation deck of Icarus I and exposes himself to unfiltered sunlight, killing himself.
Park Chan-wook · 2009
In the last scene, Sang-hyun parks in an open field with no shelter. Tae-ju tries to hide, and he blocks every attempt. Sunrise becomes the film's final judge.
Where to see it: The sunrise ending. Both vampires sit on the car hood, and Mrs. Ra watches them burn to ash as the light arrives.
Questions