The movie 300 uses low lighting to give the film a very dark and ominous feeling. While the movie was mostly shot in front of a green screen, the film uses a lot of high contrast to really put emphasis on the shadows. The text talks about low-key lighting in that the "design looks dark overall by comparison. It is marked by extreme use of deep shadows, with very high contrast between the brightest parts of the scene and the darkest parts, which are obscured in shadows…Low–key lighting is often used for intense dramatic scenes, horror films, mystery thrillers, and the like" (Goodykoontz & Jacobs 2011).
The trailer does a good job of selecting scenes that exemplify the film's use of light:
Overall, the choice of lighting lends to the movie's darker theme. The film is an Action movie, and the sub-genres are Fantasy and War. I do think the high-contrast levels play a huge role in the action scenes. The backgrounds are so bright they are almost white in some scenes, while the actors are so dark they are mostly black. This makes the viewer focus on the actors, and therefor the action. The low-light lends more to the dramatic and dark feel of the movie. Certainly without the use of these lighting techniques, the movie would have a completely different aura.
References:
300 Official Trailer accessed from: http://youtu.be/UrIbxk7idYA
Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2011). Film: From watching to seeing. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
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