High and low key lighting homework

High and low key lighting in Harry Potter

Lighting can be used to have a dramatic effect, it can make important objects or characters stand out. It can also affect the mood of a scene, making it look for example, bright and cheerful, or dark and mysterious. There are two types of key lighting, low key and high key.

Low key lighting: created by using only key and back lights, produces sharp contrasts of light and dark areas, and deep distinct shadows or silhouettes are formed.

High key lighting: more filler lights are used, lighting is natural and realistic to our eyes. It produces brightly lit sets or a sunny day.

This is an example of low key lighting from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. It gives the scene an eerie mood, and suggests that the characters can’t see where they are going due to the darkness.

In contrast to this, here is an example of high key lighting from the Deathly Hallows part 2. It is the scene where Harry has entered a spiritual world and encounters Albus Dumbledore. The lighting gives the scene a heavenly like feel, as there are no shadows or areas of darkness, perhaps implying how in this paradise that Harry has entered, there is nothing sinister or evil.