FILM AND TV LANGUAGE : lighting

 Alezey

lighting 


1 STILL IMAGE ANALYSIS

  1. Identify examples of high and low-key lighting.
  2. Say which depict top, back or under lighting.
  3. What effects are created by the lighting in each image? 
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E:\My docs\My Pictures\Film Stills\18631_Bladerunner-3.jpg

1. low-key lighting, patches of darkness in the background.
2. top lighting, highlighting her face while leaving parts of the frame hidden.
3. The lighting emphasises smoke, making it glow from the artificial lighting. This encodes mystery and danger, possibly linking her to femme fatale as she looks mysterious but also untrustworthy.


E:\My docs\My Pictures\Film Stills\Annex%20-%20Dietrich,%20Marlene%20(Shanghai%20Express)_03.jpg

1. low-key lighting, with contrasts and chiaroscuro effects.
2. top lighting, casting shadows under her features.
3. produces mystery and tension, setting up enigma codes about her identity and motives. The shadows contribute to a sense of film noir and femme fatale stereotypes.



E:\My docs\My Pictures\Film Stills\macbeth_rgb.jpg

1. high-key lighting/low-key lighting, with dramatic use of shadows.
2. under lighting, which makes his face appear harsh and menacing.
3. constructs a threatening and powerful representation. The unnatural shadows encode him as intimidating or villainous 
(binary opposition) between light vs dark or good vs evil.


E:\My docs\My Pictures\Film Stills\Sin_City_005.jpg_cmyk.jpg 

1.  low-key lighting, with heavy shadows and contrast.
2. back lighting, with light shining from behind almost creating a silhouette effect.
3. encodes character as mysterious and powerful. The shadows set up enigma codes about his identity, making the audience question if he is the protagonist or antagonist.



E:\My docs\My Pictures\Film Stills\Psycho_1.jpg

1. low-key lighting; strong contrasts and a dramatic shadow cast across the wall.
2. back lighting, the light comes from behind and also to the side which creates a large shadow of her body on the wall.
3. The lighting creates fear and suspense by casting a shadow on the wall, which encodes danger and entrapment. This sets up enigma codes as the audience wonders what is making her look scared.


E:\My docs\My Pictures\Film Stills\18631_Bladerunner-4.jpg

1. low-key lighting, with strong contrasts and shadows .
2. back lighting as the blinds’ shadows are projected onto the characters.
3. encodes romance and perhaps secrecy, setting enigma codes about their relationship.

E:\My docs\My Pictures\Film Stills\clockwork1.jpg



1. low-key lighting, with the figures kept mostly dark.
2. back lighting, creating strong silhouettes against a bright background.
3. creates mystery and anonymity, building suspense about their characters.



E:\My docs\My Pictures\Film Stills\chienandolou1_cmyk.jpg
1. low-key lighting, which is typical due to it being film   
   noir style.
2. top lighting, which casts shadow down her face and on the wall behind her.
3. encodes fear and danger, positioning her as vulnerable and setting up enigma codes about the threat she’s facing.

E:\My docs\My Pictures\Film Stills\Joanofarc1.jpg


1. high-key lighting, with clear and bright exposure.
2. under lighting, which is illuminating the face unnaturally from below.
3. produces intensity and drama and intensifying the emotion of the prayer, connoting desperation or struggle.



E:\My docs\My Pictures\Film Stills\H_003_rgb.jpg

1. low-key lighting, surrounded by darkness and sharp contrasts.
2. back lighting, creating a slight silhouette effect and long shadows.
3. connotes danger, the glinting knife stands out against the darkness and makes the weapon as the key symbol encoding threat and violence. The shadows on the walls resemble prison bars, connoting entrapment and fear.


E:\My docs\My Pictures\Film Stills\double.jpg


1. high-key lighting, with exposure across both characters.
2. top lighting, illuminating their faces.
3. connotes romance and intimacy but also creates an enigma codes due to the gun. The bright, clear light removes ambiguity which makes the audience focus on the tension rather than hidden shadows.




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2 FILM NOIR ANALYSIS

- Research film noir - focusing on the genre’s distinctive lighting style. Make notes on the genre and particularly the use of lighting.

key features:
  • time period - classic film noir was popular in the 1940s-1950s. Neo-noirs (new-noir) are more from 1970s to present time.
  • common themes - crime, fatalism, ambiguity, corruption etc.
  • characters - detectives, criminals, femme fatales.
lighting style:
  • low-key lighting - dark tones, sharp contrasts, heavy use of shadow.
  • chiaroscuro - dramatic interplay of light and dark.
  • back lighting - often used to create silhouettes.
  • top lighting - highlights features while leaving shadows under eyes or cheekbones.
  • practical lighting - street lamps, blinds, cigarette smoke; used to create realism. 
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3 FILM NOIR YOUTUBE CLIP ANALYSIS

- Finally, find a YouTube clip that fits the film noir genre and embed it under your research (the clip can be classic noir from the 1950s or something more recent - neo-noir). 

How does the clip's lighting fit the film noir genre? 

DOUBLE INDEMNITY


The clip’s lighting fits the film noir genre because it uses low-key lighting and chiaroscuro to create strong contrasts and deep shadows. The top lighting on the woman makes her appear glamorous but also mysterious, also linking to her being a femme fatale; setting up enigma codes about her intentions. The shadowy atmosphere around the man builds tension and secrecy, while the light and darkness also act as an action code, hinting that betrayal could follow. This combination of mystery, tension and ambiguity is typical of classic film noir.



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