The Wizard of Oz utilizes more than one type of lighting throughout the course of the film. The most prevalent type of lighting however is the traditional three-point lighting. The three-point lighting technique is described by my textbook as having a brighter key light in front with a softer fill light in front and a soft backlight (Goodykoontz, 2011). The key light and fill light are positioned approximately ninety degrees from one another (Goodykoontz, 2011). An example of this lighting style in the film is the If I Only Had a Brain clip.
In this scene you can see the light seemingly coming from all angles. There is a main light that is brighter than the others to the right side of the screen and the light coming from the left side of the screen and behind the actors is softer and subtler. The benefit to using this style of lighting for this film is that it allows the audience to feel connected to the characters. It does this by making them look like they are standing in natural lighting without using natural lighting.
The three-point lighting technique contributed to the films theme by keeping the happy scenes happy while the more dramatic scenes changed to a low-key lighting technique. The three-point lighting technique is a very common type of lighting in Fantasy films such as The Wizard of Oz. It fits this genre due to the genre's propensity for the unrealistic and fanciful. Unicorns and fairies and dragons are all components to the fantasy genre. You need to utilize more than one specific lighting technique and the three-point technique does not create an over abundance of emotion, it is neutral. This scene would have been different if the lighting were low-key. The reason for this is that the low-key lighting casts more shadows and creates a more ominous feeling for viewers.
The three-point lighting technique contributed to the films theme by keeping the happy scenes happy while the more dramatic scenes changed to a low-key lighting technique. The three-point lighting technique is a very common type of lighting in Fantasy films such as The Wizard of Oz. It fits this genre due to the genre's propensity for the unrealistic and fanciful. Unicorns and fairies and dragons are all components to the fantasy genre. You need to utilize more than one specific lighting technique and the three-point technique does not create an over abundance of emotion, it is neutral. This scene would have been different if the lighting were low-key. The reason for this is that the low-key lighting casts more shadows and creates a more ominous feeling for viewers.
Resources
GoodyKoontz, B., & Jacobs, C.P. (2011). Film: From Watching to Seeing. San Diego, California: Bridgepoint Education, INC.
MOVIECLIPS. (2001, May 26). If I Only Had a Brain - The Wizard of Oz (4/8) Movie CLIP (1939) HD [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nauLgZISozs&index=4&list=PL77CF3793B727C221.
MOVIECLIPS. (2001, May 26). If I Only Had a Brain - The Wizard of Oz (4/8) Movie CLIP (1939) HD [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nauLgZISozs&index=4&list=PL77CF3793B727C221.