Instead of choosing a film scene, I wanted to focus on a few stills within the trailed of “Wild”, a 2014 release staring Reese Witherspoon about her abusive life (in terms of drugs, sex, relationships, family) and how she uses a 1000 mile walk to reconnect with herself and face her demons (so to speak).

The movie itself I thought was average, I thought the storyline was a bit disruptive however I really appreciated the cinematography and how the lighting and tones in particular really demonstrate her journey and reflect on her current wellbeing state.

This first still is a flashback of her life before the walk,basically this showcases her negative relationship with both people and drugs etc. This movie really uses tone and lighting to express the darker side to the characters life. Here in a low lit room, an orange/red hue is overcast in the image giving off a really dingy and depressing vibe. The soft light, gives off little shadows and overall a very flat light source again adding to this dark and disheveled vibe.

In contrast these two stills show the beginning of her journey, the soft light amongst these images show her journey in a more positive way. The lighting in these images gives a really light vibe giving, most likely using accessible daylight with perhaps reflectors to bounce some light back onto subject. However the flat tone with little contrast really allows for a calming and in control vibe. I think its interesting to note that despite in these shots where she is struggling both physically and mentally in the outdoors the lighting still appears light and soft as opposed to the above lighting that is still soft but holds a darker tone and feeds into a more negative and out of control element.

The below shot is a scene I really admire, i think the use of natural light is beautiful. The key light here is the sun setting followed by a fill light of the lighter sky.  I would say this shot holds soft lighting because her whole face is covered evenly in shadow and there is no distinctive line between light and dark.

I really love the rawness and the honesty this shot reveals. The warmth of the sunlight is really inviting and friendly and positions her differently to the first still.

 

Here is the trailer for the film…