How a change in lighting for a subject can change the mood and the message of a shot.

by | Apr 1, 2025 | Analysis

 

Discuss how a change in lighting for a subject can change the mood and the message of a shot.

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Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.


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God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

A change in lighting for a subject is a powerful tool in visual storytelling, capable of drastically altering the mood and the underlying message of a shot. It can evoke a wide range of emotions, highlight specific aspects of the subject, and even subtly guide the viewer’s interpretation of the scene. Here’s a breakdown of how different lighting choices achieve these effects:

Direction of Light:

  • Front Lighting: Light directly facing the subject tends to flatten features, reduce shadows, and create a sense of neutrality, openness, or even vulnerability. It can make the subject appear approachable and honest, but can also lack depth and dimension. The mood is often straightforward and clear.

A change in lighting for a subject is a powerful tool in visual storytelling, capable of drastically altering the mood and the underlying message of a shot. It can evoke a wide range of emotions, highlight specific aspects of the subject, and even subtly guide the viewer’s interpretation of the scene. Here’s a breakdown of how different lighting choices achieve these effects:

Direction of Light:

  • Front Lighting: Light directly facing the subject tends to flatten features, reduce shadows, and create a sense of neutrality, openness, or even vulnerability. It can make the subject appear approachable and honest, but can also lack depth and dimension. The mood is often straightforward and clear.
  • Side Lighting: Light coming from the side creates strong contrasts of light and shadow. This can emphasize texture, shape, and form, adding drama, mystery, and a sense of intrigue. It can also highlight specific emotions or internal conflicts the subject might be experiencing. The mood can range from contemplative to ominous.
  • Backlighting: Light originating from behind the subject can create a silhouette, obscuring details and emphasizing the subject’s outline. This can evoke feelings of mystery, isolation, or the unknown. It can also create a sense of ethereal beauty or highlight the subject’s separation from their environment. The mood is often dramatic, melancholic, or even spiritual.
  • Top Lighting: Light directly from above can create strong shadows under the eyes, nose, and chin. This can make the subject appear older, more severe, or even menacing. It can also create a stark and unforgiving atmosphere. The mood is often harsh, intense, or judgmental.
  • Bottom Lighting (Rembrandt Lighting): Light originating from below is less natural and can create an unsettling or theatrical effect. It can distort features and create dramatic shadows, often used in horror or suspense to evoke fear or unease. However, a subtle variation, like Rembrandt lighting (light from the side and slightly above, creating a small triangle of light on the cheek opposite the light source), can add depth and sophistication.

Quality of Light:

  • Hard Light: Direct, focused light sources (like direct sunlight or a focused spotlight) produce sharp, well-defined shadows with clear edges. This creates high contrast and emphasizes texture and detail. The mood can be harsh, dramatic, intense, or even glamorous, depending on the subject and context.
  • Soft Light: Diffused light (like overcast daylight or light passed through a diffuser) produces soft, gradual shadows with indistinct edges. This creates a more even illumination, minimizing harshness and softening features. The mood is often gentle, flattering, romantic, or peaceful.

Color of Light:

  • Warm Light (Yellow/Orange): Often associated with sunlight, firelight, and cozy environments. It can evoke feelings of warmth, comfort, intimacy, nostalgia, or even danger (depending on intensity and context).
  • Cool Light (Blue/Green): Often associated with moonlight, fluorescent lights, and sterile environments. It can evoke feelings of coldness, isolation, mystery, serenity, or even sickness and unease.
  • Specific Colors (e.g., Red, Purple): Can be used for highly stylized or symbolic purposes. Red can signify passion, anger, or danger, while purple can suggest mystery, royalty, or the supernatural.

Intensity of Light:

  • High-Key Lighting: Bright, even illumination with minimal shadows. Often used in comedies, lighthearted dramas, and for portraying optimism and clarity. The message is often straightforward and positive.
  • Low-Key Lighting: Predominantly dark with selective areas of bright illumination. Creates strong shadows and high contrast, often used in film noir, thrillers, and dramas to evoke mystery, suspense, danger, or introspection. The message is often complex, ambiguous, or foreboding.

In summary, by manipulating the direction, quality, color, and intensity of light falling on a subject, a visual storyteller can:

  • Evoke Specific Emotions: Fear with bottom lighting, peace with soft front lighting, mystery with backlighting.
  • Highlight Key Features: Side lighting emphasizing a character’s determined jawline, soft light flattering a subject’s face.
  • Create Atmosphere: Low-key lighting establishing a sense of danger, warm light creating a feeling of comfort.
  • Guide the Viewer’s Eye: Bright light drawing attention to a specific part of the subject or scene.
  • Reinforce the Narrative: Harsh shadows suggesting inner turmoil, bright light symbolizing hope or revelation.
  • Subtly Convey Meaning: The color of light hinting at a character’s personality or the themes of the story.

Therefore, lighting is not merely about visibility; it is a fundamental element of visual language that directly contributes to the mood and the intended message of a shot. A skilled photographer or cinematographer carefully crafts the lighting to enhance the storytelling and evoke the desired response from the audience.

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