The use of lighting in films is important when setting a scene and a mood to go along with it. In Prisoners, the director uses a combination of a couple different methods. Many scenes are shot using flat lighting. We can see this in the number of outdoor scenes that are in the film. We know that the movie is taking place around thanksgiving and the weeks that come after. The natural outdoor lighting is low and gives us the impression that it is in fact cold and rather cloudy outside as they await snowfall at the end of the movie. Low key lighting is also used in the indoor scenes that take place at the aunt’s house. We know that she lives in a rather run down old house out in the middle of nowhere that is cluttered with all types of odds and ends, making the house a little off putting.
High key lighting is yet another type of lighting used in the scenes that show the fathers interrogate the strange young man. The light is supposed to be coming from a construction light that was left in the abandoned apartment. This gives lots of light to the actor’s faces, but also creates dark shadows for contrast in the background.
All of these methods tie together to give this suspenseful, mystery movie the mood it was written for. There is a lot of sadness and anger associated in the film and a low key lighting being the emphasis of the film helped the viewer’s feel those emotions.
Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2014). Film: From watching to seeing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc
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