Yeah!
So lately I am... dabbling more in colorspaces and such, but from a game dev perspective...
Basically, I think I understand what you're saying, technically, its just that the lingo I would use is maybe a bit different... or maybe I don't actually understand it, technically, lol...
But I can't of a way to phrase it more accurately than what you said, and that... yeah, you hit the balance between the factors/methods you're using perfectly, imo, its ...
...right between 'is this intentionally colorgraded/balanced to seem foreboding?' and 'or is it just actually that the shot itself is framed and composed and lit, naturally, in a foreboding way?'
Yeah I just really like this... I'm going to call it a picture, not an 'image', lol.