Drama 16 Stage Lighting

Photo Credit: Arash Khames on Flickr

Theme: Creepy

Description: This is the kind of forest from a horror movie, or a video game, or a nightmare. Take your pick, honestly. Although natural light is the only light present, it is masked by the thick fog permeating the forest. The fog pollutes the sun, which is normally a good thing, and turns it into something scary and unwelcoming. The way the silhouette trees fade into the background is quite creepy. There are no distinguishing landmarks, and something could jump out from the shadows at any time. It’s not a place I’d want to be at night – or during the day.

I wasn’t sure how to do the diagram for this post so I did it from the photographer’s point of view.

1. Tuesday, February 16th, 2016 – Constitution Hall
2. After days of snow and one day of rain, the sun is setting on the fog-shrouded trees of campus, and what would normally be a not-very-vibrant winter sunset is instead bright and colorful.
3. As though it were verification that though global warming might kill us all, but at least we’ll still have a few pretty things, the sun refracted through the water left in the air after rain melted the snow from yet another blizzard days before, casting rays of light and hope through the fog rising from among the trees.

1. 2/16/2016, 12:37 am, Academic Side of Campus Quad
2. Objective: Campus lamps lighting the south side of campus through the fog
3. Subjective: The fog was not too thick so you could still see the lights, but they appeared to be covered by the thin layer of fog. It created an eery feel on the campus but also an intriguing one. Even though it appeared as a place you would want to leave you also wanted to stay and witness the beauty that came with it.

Source:  https://www.pinterest.com/pin/280278776783504902/

Lack of visibility is something that really scares me. The fog in this picture detracts from the visibility, and the swirling of the abandoned roller coaster makes me feel dizzy and uncomfortable. I also feel like the color in this photo is so washed out and monochromatic that it makes everything disorienting and spooky.

Found at coolestwallpaper.com

Night in the forest, fog and an off green light in the distance=spooky. Reminiscent of a alien invasion scene in a movie, something from X-Files or American Gothic it just says don’t go in here alone if at all. The light silhouettes the foreground and sweeps across the landscape highlighting a thick fog. Usually light helps illuminate, but here it serves to remind us how much we really can’t see and in these woods what we can’t see will…?

1. Tuesday, March 11, 2014: 8 am

2. I woke up (rather late, unfortunately) and didn’t think it could be the time it was because it was rather dim outside.

3. I looked out the windows and just felt exhausted. Not because I hadn’t slept, but because the overcast heavy sky just felt sleepy. The clouds muted the world around them and everything felt heavy. It was almost unsettling, the claustrophobic feeling that came across me with this heavy, bright but not bright, dark but not dark feeling. It was strange – just not right. I kept waiting for the sun to shine through or something so that the world wouldn’t seem so shut off and desolate.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nuddaladden/12515692224/

Lonely

This photo gives me a weird empty feeling in my stomach, the way only a lonely photo could. The lighting in one corner from the rising sun offers promise of a beautiful day, but the thing about the photo that really sticks out is the dim, foggy bridge on the left hand side. Though it seems at first look that there could be a lovely day ahead, the sole person walking along the bridge in the mist probably can’t even see it. The city around him is steely cold, and the vastness that stretches out from his feet give the feeling of immense solitude.

1) Monday, 2/11/13, 7:15 P.M. Walking out of Emily Lowe.

2) Having rained all day and snowed the day before, a light fog caked the air. Looking across toward the Playhouse I could only see the piercing light of the lamp posts as balls floating above the ground. Looking down, the snow had a faint sheen from the reflection of these lights.

3) Walking out into the cold night air and not being able to see was a quick shock to my system. I thought, “Better walk quickly, or I’ll freeze in place.” But there was a problem. I couldn’t see. At least not much. Fog obscured my vision except for spheres of light in the distance. I imagined that must be how a sailer might have felt. At sea for months, only the churning waves to keep the monotony at bay. The cool salty sea water sprays up from the sides of the ship and drenches the crew and their cloths. Soggy and cold they work on, waiting and waiting for that one beacon of hope. And there. At last it comes. At first they think it’s imagination. But it’s not. The lighthouse signals to them through the dark night that land is near. It guides them home. Their spirits restored, the crew works hard for the last stretch of their journey, desperate to get home. The light calls to them and they answer.

1) DATE-TIME-LOCATION: 3/24/12 – 2:34 A.M. – Academic side of campus just outside the Netherspann

2) OBJECTIVE DESCRIPTION: I was walking back from CPK with my friends late one night and as we were talking I noticed a big shadow cast on the wall of the Netherspann as a public safety officer walked in front of a light. His shadow was twice the size of him.

3) SUBJECTIVE DESCRIPTION: I was walking back from CPK late one night with a few people that live in my house. We were wandering back in the light fog that was rolling in and enjoying each other’s company. I was listening to the conversation and enjoying the beauty of the fog and how mystical it was. I loved looking at how the light made it glow and how everything seemed so calm and peaceful. As we continued to walk toward the Netherspann something caught my eye.

What I saw was a dark and very tall shadow on the wall of the staircase. It jumped up so quickly and seemed to be so incongruent with the peacefulness of the mood that was in the air. I jumped and stopped the conversation to show everyone that there was a figure that was by the door and it was large and moving slowly. We all froze where we were and tried to analyze the situation to see what was going to happen. Slowly a large and lumbering public safety officer emerged from behind the bush and walked on toward the turnpike. It was really cool how something that should be a sign of safety and a symbol of protection had evoked so much fear upon us simply due to the fog and the way the light was casting such a tall shadow of the officer on to the wall. His shadow had to have been about 18 feet tall and the man was only about 5’10” tall. With the added element of the glowing fog that was enhancing all of the light beams around us, the shadow seemed to pop and all of the light, and lack there of, was very clearly defined wherever I looked.

March 21st – 12:30AM – NAB parking lot

I was walking with Meaghan back to my car. When I hit the unlock button on my clicker, the yellow headlights illuminated in the fog.

Once again, I was helping out Meaghan with her directing scene. After a funny night of playing around with the scene, we decided to call it a night. We thought it was a wonderful idea to go to Dutch treats to get a late night snack, so we started to walk towards my car which was parked near the NAB. As I reached in my pocket, I pressed the unlock door button and the foggy air in front of us was filled with the yellow light. I immediately shouted, “Lighting moment”! I loved how the fog made the yellow light feel infinite and limitless, yet still gave a feeling that kept me alert. The problem was, that I wanted to get a picture of the lighting moment but my lights wouldn’t go off anymore. I then thought it was a better idea to turn on my car alarm at 12:30 in the morning for a photo shoot on my car in the fog. I really do have wonderful ideas. The yellow light flickered in the fog and I could see the light trail from my headlight, outward. I could see the particles midair in the light much clearer. The light reminded me of the prison spotlights. The yellow was very protruding on the eyes, like if a spotlight was on me. Anyways we went to Dutch Treats; I got a ham sandwich on wheat with mozzarella and fat free mayo. It was wonderful. And no one bothered to think twice than my car was being stolen…..