Cinematography technique · used in 2 films
Changing a film's lighting as the story turns, from warm polished light to harsh or heavy darkness. The look tracks a character's loss of control or despair.
Examples
Frank Capra · 1946
The bridge sequence, with George thinking about suicide, is one of the darkest-looking scenes in the film. It was shot in the summer heat with artificial snow. Its cold look is the opposite of every warm interior the film has built. You feel the temperature drop, and it reads as George's moral and emotional state.
Where to see it: George on the bridge in the snow. This is the film's visual and emotional low point before Clarence steps in.
David Fincher · 1997
Fincher and cinematographer Harris Savides gave Nicholas's world a rich, smooth look. Once he leaves it, fluorescent and neon lights blow out the picture. His comfortable life visibly stops protecting him.
Where to see it: The Mexico cemetery. Nicholas wakes up in a cemetery in Mexico after being drugged.
Questions