Strange Lights: Analysis

Strange Lights from Joe King & Rosie Pedlow on Vimeo.

Strange Lights begins with a series of time lapses, showing the starry night sky's rotation and constellations. Shooting stars criss cross the frame and a haze of clouds and atmospheric dust flow underneath, depicting a massive, morphing but beautiful landscape. This series of lengthy time lapse shots is paired with a haunting soundtrack; high pitched sounds ring out and clash with deep mechanical groans and there is an aggressive desert storm wind that continues throughout. Though the imagery captivates, there is a sense of something sinister and far darker than the stars in the sky. That sense pervades the beginning of the film and lays out an eerie feeling for the rest of the feature.

I think that Strange Lights succeeds in creating an unnerving and off beat tone, especially through the use of radio chatter and real dialogue, as it dramatises the events being depicted in the film. There is a rising action during the film, in which the lights begin to flash more frequently and chaotically, darting and streaking in seemingly random directions, the static chatter from the radios blaring in each time, showing the technical strength of the film.

Overall, Strange Lights successfully creates an ominous and unnerving atmosphere that also plays into a conspiracy style narrative through its use of a haunting soundtrack and archived dialogue.