The Stuff that Dreams are Made Of Sleep paralysis is a medical condition that affects thousands, if not millions, of people every day. It is defined as “a temporary inability to move or speak that occurs when you’re waking up or falling asleep” (NHS). Due to minute personal experiences with the subject, Rodney Ascher became fascinated with the innerworkings of sleep paralysis. This obsession led to the creation of his critically acclaimed documentary, The Nightmare, in 2015. The Nightmare is told through the eyes of eight individuals who recollect on their past experiences with sleep paralysis. Ascher’s goal of the documentary was to persuade the audience that sleep paralysis is a horrifying and arduous condition that can happen to anyone
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The majority of the film, notably the dramatizations, utilizes low-key lighting. Low-key lighting is defined as “a lighting effect that uses a hard light source to enhance shadows in your scene” (Ward). Such lighting is usually implemented to convey dark tones such as fear, anxiety, and mystery. Throughout the reenactments within the documentary, we’re subjected to copious amounts of low-key lighting in order to enhance the aforementioned tones and convey the gravity of the situation. An example of this is when Forrest B. recites his occurrences with sleep paralysis. We observe a point of view shot inside a crib that’s facing a solitary door. The only lighting in the room is a faint glow situated on said door. This instance of low-key lighting allows us to focus on the door, which induces anxiety and mystery due to unforeseeable outcomes, which then soon opens to showcase the frightening anthropomorphic beings Forrest was describing. Ascher implemented this illustration of low-key lighting to stress the apprehensive and foreboding tone of the scene and to further the claim he’s making. Another way he attempts to validate his stance on sleep paralysis pertaining to lighting is through targeted use of color. Almost every occurrence of a dramatization is partnered with some usage of red. The color red is often associated with feelings of anger, fear, strength, power, and/or danger. During …show more content…
Throughout The Nightmare we’re subjected to an abundance of sound techniques, the first being music. The opening scene serves as our introduction into the ofttimes eerie and sinister inflicted music. The low-key, red toned lighting of the scene is accompanied by haunting background music in the hopes of portraying the anxious mood that Ascher anticipates for the rest of the documentary. The addition of music to support his claim can also be seen when conversing with Jeff R. As Jeff chronicles a specific time he’s dealt with sleep paralysis, the music has been steadily increasing in volume and speed until it reached its crescendo, most notably when Jeff had arrived at the climax of his story. The music’s climactic progression serves to elicit feelings of unease and trepidation from the audience. Another sound technique that is widely used in the documentary is silence. In multiple aspects of The Nightmare, predominantly with both the dramatizations and interviews, we’re subjected to its diversified usage. Most notably, this technique was utilized in connection with the reenactments of the victims’ accounts of sleep paralysis. An example of this can be seen through Korinne W.'s testimony. She discusses an instance in which she had succumbed to the paralysis. Korinne mentions “the shadow man” and how she felt utterly powerless to defend herself. After she states
The majority of the film, notably the dramatizations, utilizes low-key lighting. Low-key lighting is defined as “a lighting effect that uses a hard light source to enhance shadows in your scene” (Ward). Such lighting is usually implemented to convey dark tones such as fear, anxiety, and mystery. Throughout the reenactments within the documentary, we’re subjected to copious amounts of low-key lighting in order to enhance the aforementioned tones and convey the gravity of the situation. An example of this is when Forrest B. recites his occurrences with sleep paralysis. We observe a point of view shot inside a crib that’s facing a solitary door. The only lighting in the room is a faint glow situated on said door. This instance of low-key lighting allows us to focus on the door, which induces anxiety and mystery due to unforeseeable outcomes, which then soon opens to showcase the frightening anthropomorphic beings Forrest was describing. Ascher implemented this illustration of low-key lighting to stress the apprehensive and foreboding tone of the scene and to further the claim he’s making. Another way he attempts to validate his stance on sleep paralysis pertaining to lighting is through targeted use of color. Almost every occurrence of a dramatization is partnered with some usage of red. The color red is often associated with feelings of anger, fear, strength, power, and/or danger. During …show more content…
Throughout The Nightmare we’re subjected to an abundance of sound techniques, the first being music. The opening scene serves as our introduction into the ofttimes eerie and sinister inflicted music. The low-key, red toned lighting of the scene is accompanied by haunting background music in the hopes of portraying the anxious mood that Ascher anticipates for the rest of the documentary. The addition of music to support his claim can also be seen when conversing with Jeff R. As Jeff chronicles a specific time he’s dealt with sleep paralysis, the music has been steadily increasing in volume and speed until it reached its crescendo, most notably when Jeff had arrived at the climax of his story. The music’s climactic progression serves to elicit feelings of unease and trepidation from the audience. Another sound technique that is widely used in the documentary is silence. In multiple aspects of The Nightmare, predominantly with both the dramatizations and interviews, we’re subjected to its diversified usage. Most notably, this technique was utilized in connection with the reenactments of the victims’ accounts of sleep paralysis. An example of this can be seen through Korinne W.'s testimony. She discusses an instance in which she had succumbed to the paralysis. Korinne mentions “the shadow man” and how she felt utterly powerless to defend herself. After she states