Lighting - experimental film

In the last lesson, the class started to make a short experimental film.
I was on the lighting team. Over the weekend, I had compiled a lighting script of ideas as to how we could light the scene, with different lists of suggestions for extreme close ups, close ups, medium shots, long shots and extreme long shots.
In the lesson, my group set up the lights and arranged them so they would light well without being in shot or casting any unwanted shadows. There were three lights, so we had one each. I attached a dark purple filter onto my light. After some experimentation, we found out that my light was good for bleaching out shadows and muting colours, so my light was used to balance the other, brighter coloured lights and to create a kind of surreal half-light.
In addition to operating my light and helping set up/put away the equipment, I also helped the other people who were in my group by suggesting which colour combinations would go well at different points.

Formalism and Realism - The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari

'The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari' is a German film from 1920. It follows a young man, Francis, as he tries to find the murderer of his friend. His friend was killed soon after a travelling circus act, Doctor Caligari and the somnambulistic fortune teller Cesare, told him he was going to die.

The film uses many things to suggest the delusions of a madman.
The film uses tinted film to create atmosphere, but this was a very common technique at the time. However, there are other things that suggest unreality. First of all, the plot device of a fortune teller who sleeps all the time, but tells predictions while he dreams. The props are often skewed or at an angle, giving a dreamlike atmosphere, and the camera is usually far away, suggesting a kind of detachment. This creates a surreal, formalist air.

The ending is also rather formalist, as it turns out that the events were all the imaginings of a madman.

One film that has inspired my idea:

A film that I have decided to use as inspiration for my project is 'The Ghost', a Korean horror film made in 2005, directed by Kim Tae-Kyung.
Three points of inspiration are:

1) The idea behind the plot. 'The Ghost' uses amnesia and the accompanying confusion about identity to create atmosphere because the ghost in the story seems to be tormenting the characters for no reason. I have decided to use a plot that involves a similar idea, but I will be focusing more on the psychological aspect as opposed to the supernatural.

2) The device of dreams and flashbacks. 'The Ghost' uses these very well to reveal what has happened without giving away the entire plot. I have decided especially to use the idea of the haunting mostly manifesting itself through nightmares, and hints as to what has happened appearing in these nightmares.

3) The lighting. 'The Ghost' uses green and blue lighting to create a chilling atmosphere, as opposed to the usual lighting colour used in horror movies, which is red. I am also going to try to use different colours and lighting methods in my project.