It is sometimes stated that light from below or 'underlighting' can be used in movies to evoke fear in the viewer. I'm curious, are there any written sources for that claim? In filmmaking or film studies textbooks? Or even some academic studies?
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Welcome to Psychology.SE. Where you said "It is sometimes stated..." can you please provide an example or two? – Chris Rogers Sep 10 '21 at 14:35
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Yes, sure! For example: "Underlighting — Light shines from under the character’s face, creating a sinister and creepy effect." (https://thefilmpost.medium.com/cinematography-understanding-lighting-in-film-74641e56fd5b) Also throughout this tutorial video: https://youtu.be/jPDBMYSGvSs And of course it was also something that was mentioned a few times in film school. – Sampsa Huttunen Sep 12 '21 at 16:52
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Just a guess but light from below is not a very natural phenomenon. Just like recognizing faces upside-down etc. – the gods from engineering Sep 16 '21 at 08:42
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Agreed. But still trying to find a study. – Sampsa Huttunen Sep 22 '21 at 20:28