Results tagged “#lighting”

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The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari a classic German expressionism silent film. The film is regarded as one of the most famous in the progression of the horror genre. This scene in particular shows the sleepwalker kidnapping a virgin. Being the expressionistic and horror film it was meant to be, the film definitely has significant lighting effects.

This photo makes use of chiaroscuro lighting and low key lighting to create contrast between the environment and the characters. The space and the occupancy of light is on the sleepwalking almost like a spotlight. This is to show the situation and how, at that moment, it is critical that he get away. The use of these lighting techniques and how it shows contrast, especially in horror films, is to show the mystery or perhaps the evil in characters. In this photo, the contrast is so strong between the sleepwalker and the virgin, showing how different and opposite the two beings are, almost light good from evil.

This picture is of Gisele Bundchen in a recent Versace ad campaign. What I really love about this picture is the colors. The first I saw this, I was blown away by the beauty of the colors and lighting that they used. The blue florescent lights and the shadowing was done really nicely. If you all haven't seen this campaign ad in full, each of the ads have this blue color to it but the shadowing on all of them are different. Because they are shooting not only the model but the clothing especially. So the lighting that they used always had to be different.
In this specific picture from the collection, I think they used Key Light and Backlight because that means that the back light rims top and separates the subject from the background. Also the key light is clearly on one side of her because the other side in faded black. The key light is the ultimate source of illumination and reveals the basic shape of the object.

This picture is from Rear Window (1954) that I watched in 2010. This picture, undoubtedly, shows low-key lighting which is a very important lighting in the movie. Low-key lighting usually leaves most of the background as well as part of the scene dark. Overall, the light is very few, so we can only see part of the character. Low-key lighting usually is used as a way to show a mysterious person or a person who is going to commit crime. Also, even in some horror films, low-key lighting is really popular to be used to show horrific atmosphere. In this movie, Jeff, a photojournalist, breaks his leg in an accident, so every day, he stays at home, watching his neighbor's life through the rear window in the apartment. However, one day he notices Thorwald (who is the guy in the picture) is cleaning a large knife and handsaw, and his wife is gone, so Jeff suspects that Thorwald kills and split his wife. Jeff wants to prove that, but Thorwald notices that Jeff is watching him every day. Thus, Thorwald tries to kill Jeff so that there won't be any people who suspect him anymore. This picture is the time when Thorwald enters Jeff's apartment. With low-key lighting, audience can feel mysterious towards Thorwald because shadows hide most of his face, giving us a sense of horror. Also, the shadows on his face not only cover his face, but also represent his purpose and what he will do is unclear. Therefore, I think using low-key lighting can vividly portray Thorwald, a murderer who killed his wife, and tried to kill Jeff.

Here is the video clip where Thorwald goes in Jeff's room.

#2: Light & Lighting. Post by 8 pm Jan. 29.

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This image is from Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island. This is one of the first scenes where Leonardo DiCaprio is first introduction. He is acting as a US Marshall. The diffused/ambient style lighting gives it a very realistic style. In this psycho thriller, the appearance of reality is very important.

This clip is from a movie called "Ghost." The lighting in the end scene is so prominent that I decided it would be good to analyze.
If you haven't seen the movie, be prepared for spoilers. First off, Sam (Patrick Swayze) gets murdered in the beginning of the movie and stays around as a ghost to protect his love interest, Molly (Demi Moore). As the movie progresses we find out who murdered Sam. Sam will try anything to protect Molly, but because ghosts can't be seen or heard it is hard for him to do so. Latter he learns how to move objects as a ghost and also meets Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg), a medium, who can hear him and helps him out. This scene follows immediately after the death of the "bad guy" in the movie.
Since Sam was only a ghost so he could protect Molly, this last scene shows his goodbye and him being lifted to heaven. The lighting at first is dimly focused on both Molly and Sam's faces. We then see a light appear that becomes brighter and brighter from behind Sam that allows Molly to finally see her loved one. This brightening light exemplifies the heavens coming to take Sam, but allows him his last goodbye to Molly. The same light also embraces Molly, symbolizing the good in her life now arriving. The backlight from behind Sam, which also flickers onto Molly, represents their ongoing flame of love in their hearts. By using a lot of low key lighting in this scene it really contrasts both Molly's and Sam's facial expressions towards each other making the emotion that much more powerful.
As you can see these lighting choices in this scene are very important to the meaning and helps tie the movie together.

#2: Light & Lighting. Post by 8 pm Jan. 29.

Find a still image or clip from a television show, film or video game that you feel exemplifies an interesting use of light and/or lighting techniques.

Post the link to your image or clip and briefly introduce it (tell us what movie or show it's from, provide a little context). Then explain what lighting concept(s) or technique(s) it exemplifies. What lighting choices were made? What kind of an impact do those choices have?

Be sure to reference specific concepts covered in the Zettl reading in your response. You might, for example, consider fast v. slow falloff; focused v. diffused light; high v. low key lighting; three point lighting; predictive lighting; chiaroscuro lighting; flat lighting; the 'inner orientation' functions of the lighting choices; etc.

Please the use tag #lighting when making your post.