The Wizard of Oz is a fantasy musical film that has a much deeper significance than just a fantasy. It tells the story of a young woman on a quest to make her way home but along the way she gains knowledge, compassion and courage and really begins to believe in herself. In the scene above high-key lighting is used. “A high-key lighting design has very bright light over everything, with few shadows and relatively low contrast between the lightest and darkest parts of the scene” (Goodykoontz, 2014, 6.4). This type of lighting covers the whole area creating a bright soft light that illuminates everything. I think the significance of this type of illumination is to keep the mood upbeat and happy. It also makes the entire background stand out. In a fantasy film the background is crucial to the scene to create a visual element for the viewer to embrace. High key lighting brings out the famous yellow brick road that Dorothy follows on her journey as well as the ruby slippers that she wears. This is a form of mise en scène or things that are intentionally placed in the scene (Goodykoontz, 2014). High key lighting also keeps the scene light both literally and figuratively. In the scene above the scarecrow is funny and light hearted.
In the scene below three-point lighting is used when Dorothy first encounters the cowardly lion. “This style of lighting is based upon careful control of shadows by using three main light sources” (Goodykoontz, 2014, 6.4). The shadows are left in the background creating an atmosphere of mystery in the woods. The faces of all four characters stay brightly throughout the scene though to keep it from becoming scary. This scene is rather comedic in itself so it needs to stay well lit. The lighting in this scene remains mostly natural; one is given the illusion that the characters could be in a densely wooded forest that may have lions and tigers and bears. The mise en scène and the “colors things are may also draw our attention to certain objects and people, as well as setting an overall mood” (Goodkoontz, 2014, 5.1). Again, the Yellow brick road stays brightly lit throughout this lending to the importance it has to the story; a young girl on a journey for the quest of knowledge, compassion and courage.
References
Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2014). Film: From watching to seeing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMBil4FkLKc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nauLgZISozs
intro to film 