The name of [God] [I] know what it feels like to be
Lighting has the power to transform and manipulate mood in film
We've seen it land with proficiency throughout the years, be it the low-lit scares of The Conjuring,
Or the high-key brightness of worlds like Wizard of Oz. The way things are lit often
subconsciously affect the audience's reaction to something. It's a natural reaction
If something is lit in a dark manner it tends to elicit fear and uncertainty.
Something bright often projects a more upbeat mood.
That brings us up to
1931's
Frankenstein, a movie I believe to be perfect and an absolute masterclass in lighting sets.
But to understand how lighting affects mood in this James Whale directed film, we have to first inform ourselves on the German
Expressionist Movement. Now German Expressionism existed as a means of mirroring the grim reality of everyday life
throughout the 1920s. It influenced German cinema's early masterpieces particularly Fritz Lang's Metropolis and Murnau's
Nosferatu
one characteristic that informed German expressionism
And its style in film was lighting. The aforementioned films are remembered for their darkness
And how that darkness perfectly encapsulates the essence of the movie.
Frankenstein, though a universal studios film, was clearly influenced by this wave of brooding atmospheric filmmaking.
Even 86 years after its release, the film still flourishes in every single beat and this is due to the marvellous style of lighting
that it employs. You see, more so than simply making a set look dark or bright
it's about what the light tells us about the story, how it affects and
reflects, the mood of the picture and its audience.
From the opening scene - the funeral - we're immediately struck with low-key lighting. On the surface level it
Represents the somberness of the event and helps establish an unease, yet subtextually
it's a clear foreshadowing of the story to follow. A story of darkness and a cautionary tale of attempting to play God.
In Frankenstein, bright lighting often represents moments of pause and that of innocence
Meanwhile darkness is the patron of danger and horror.
James Whales Direction Subverts what I just said in one key moment in the film, which is a brilliant use of misdirection through lighting.
To witness the scene, we have to fast forward to the monster's escape from Henry Frankenstein's lab.
A Little girl encounters him and asks him if he wants to play. In a film
So hauntingly dark in its lighting, this moment almost blinds the audience. It's
pristine, clear and bright - an Obvious visual nod toward the girl's innocence.
In 1931, an era where American audiences were still not used to images of horror and shock,
James whale pushed the boundaries by contradicting film language.
The Bright lighting may have made audiences think that this is a moment where perhaps the monster will be humanized, yet
he Chucks the little girl into the water, effectively killing her.
James whale presents a safety net with the high key lighting, only to rip it away in one of cinema's most
Shocking moments. Low key lighting resembles danger and horror in this film, yet
Its most outrageously dark scene is set against blinding light.
Frankenstein was a film that understood filmic language
But also took the liberty of mutating it in order to affect the mood.
That's the point here - in one scene set against an entire film you immediately
Understand the power that lighting has to affect us as an audience as well as the film's tone
What I love most about the film is that there are so many
Beautiful modern readings of the lighting. In the thirties it may have been evident that the light was a metaphor for the little girl's
innocence, but watching it today
I see it as something that doubles up -- something that speaks to the innocence of the monster. Something that was born out of darkness.
Speaking of his origin, one of the most interesting uses of light comes when Henry Frankenstein is sitting back after realising
He has just given life to a formerly dead body. Some minutes, too, after he claims to be God
He's sitting down talking to the doctor, but the lighting is peculiar, right?
Everything around him is dark. Meanwhile a beam of light shines directly on him from above
it's a clear metaphor that reinforces his idea of being a creator, some type of
supernatural divinity
What's interesting too, is that his mental health is always a point of discussion in the film.
Maybe this light doesn't exist in the real world
context of the film. Perhaps the entire room is dark and the light merely exists as an extension and exploration of his insanity.
This is a theory constructed merely from the lighting of the film, which clearly emphasizes and shows the power of
Lighting and how it can inform and bring credibility to a story.
Henry's Messiah Complex continues in the following scene where he shines a light on the monster...
... before immediately shutting it out.
this moment exists to create an idea of the monster's innocence while also further
feinforcing Henry's insanity, an idea of being God. Him controlling the light,
controlling how it shines on his creation, is him effectively ruling over what he has created as God is perceived to do.
Furthermore what's interesting is that the set is always
brightest outside of Henry's Mansion. Once inside that darkness consumes the audience
And its characters giving way to a fearful mood that presides over the audience. The darkness, at least to me,
represents the clouded mind of henry, and how much he has been consumed by this experiment.
The film also grows darker with runtime, shadowing Henry's descent into madness -
- eventually leading into this scene toward the end...
... the natural nature of the fire here creates a genuine feeling of danger and
persecution. The film eventually ends with brightness being restored to the picture via the burning flames of frankenstein's death.
The darkness and shadows bouncing off characters' bodies and faces throughout the film add this layer of distrust and uncertainty
What I do want to briefly mention is that despite how lighting affects mood and story in Frankenstein
It's also crucial to note that this was a film that
notoriously splurged almost all of its budget on the lavish set design. Therefore little money was allocated to the lighting. James whale and his
team had to find unique ways of casting shadows and amplifying darkness
which is a masterclass in itself of micromanagement and proof that manipulation of light in film is down to
application and creativity. Its power stems from how much thought is put into the image. The other
universal Monster movies have similar lighting styles,
but nothing that quite reaches the levels of Frankenstein
This film set a precedent of the power of lighting for years to come, with countless modern
filmmakers using the film as a basis for setting up shots.
Next time you watch a movie ask yourself: how does the lighting represent or affect the mood of the story and it's characters?
Thanks for watching