Donnie Darko is a bizarre film that depicts a high school boy named Donnie as he struggles with sleepwalking and schizophrenic visions of a man in a rabbit suit. Eventually, he finds himself responsible for numerous acts of violence and vandalism in his community after a strange near-death experience. This film is full of symbolism enriched by various cinematic techniques (such as lighting and color), touching on themes such as fear, love, death and sacrifice. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay One of the most important cinematic techniques in Donnie Darko is the use of lighting. The film generally uses dim lighting, making it very dark overall. This gives Donnie Darko a very “thriller” feel. Lighting (or lack thereof) creates a very distorted and disturbing atmosphere and is often used to direct the viewer's attention towards a certain visual aspect. In fact, as the film progresses, the lighting seems to get darker and darker. The shadows on the protagonist's face become heavier as he gets closer to answering his question. While this film tends not to be heavily lit, there are a few moments where high key lighting is used. An example of this can be seen in the scenes where Donnie's life seems very normal. When he is in a field shooting cans, surrounded by friends from home, bright, intense lighting is used to help the viewer see Donnie as a typical teenager having fun. The scene appears to be lit entirely by natural sunlight, putting the audience at ease and making them feel as if nothing suddenly happens. Another lighting technique used selectively is the use of three-point lighting. This automatic transformation method creates a dynamic image and makes the subject stand out. Whenever Donnie and Frank the rabbit converse, three-point lighting makes Frank the focal point. The lighting forces the viewer to focus on everything Frank is saying to Donnie, making it easier to understand the meaning of his existence. Color gives life and relevance to otherwise normal and unremarkable environments. They develop and convey the overall tone and mood, accentuating the symbolic importance of any given object or situation. As far as color schemes go, black and white are generally easily associated with good and evil, yin and yang. Throughout the film, Donnie is usually seen wearing a plain white shirt, and this contrasts with his encounters with Frank. Whenever Donnie interacts with the rabbit, he always wears a black or dark-colored shirt of some kind, signifying that something is about to go awry. One interesting specific interaction to note is when Gretchen is present while Frank joins Donnie. Up until this point, Donnie has always faced Frank alone. Coincidentally, Donnie wears a white shirt with a black jacket over it, which represents the parallel between Donnie's battle against good and evil. Additionally, the rabbit's dark color enhances its disturbing characteristics, adding to the sinister feeling of this depiction of Donnie's rabbit. fragile psychological state. Frank's color scheme is an easy way to subconsciously hint at the impending doom the rabbit brings. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay On a broader note, the big picture lack of color accompanies excessive shading in order to determine.