Lighting Assignment: Brittany Pitts

Pan's Labryinth  (2006)
Director:  Guillermo del Toro
Cinematographer: Guillermo Navarro

Ofelia and her pregnant mother move in with her new stepfather, a ruthless captain of a Spanish army. She follows a fairy into an old maze and finds Pan, a faun, who tells her she is a cursed princess. To claim her inheritance, she must complete three varying tasks that test that her "essence is intact" and that she hasn't turned into a mortal. 

In this movie, the lighting is integral to the story. The lighting helps the audience figure out what world they're in: fantasy, or the grim reality. Navarro uses high-key lighting in the fantasy world, and in the happy part of her reality when she is running chasing butterflies. However, for most of the film, low-key lighting is used, but the undertones of the light are changed. This is to show that they are different, but are connected through Ofelia. 

In this scene, Ofelia is in the fantasy world, trying to accomplish her second task Pan gave her. There are warmer tones to remind the audience which world she is in. There is mostly use of low-key lighting, which accentuates the creepiness of the monster she is trying to avoid waking. When she leaves and comes back to reality, the temperature is changed drastically to become more blue and dark. This gives it an even more low-key feel and gives the audience insight into how Ofelia feels about her life.