Close Watching

Waterloo Bridge

(A preliminary scene in which Roy walks along Waterloo Bridge, reminiscing about his relationship with Myra – just before flashback)

In a medium – wide shot of Roy walking along Waterloo Bridge, he is lit very brightly, while his surroundings are very dark and grey. This scene was memorable to me due to his angelic glow during the scene. His entire figure is lit very evenly and very brightly, creating misty haze along the outline of his body; light glistens from his hat.. He appears to be blatantly in a spotlight, as no shadows cast upon him. The camera cuts to a wide shot of Roy stopping on the side of the bridge, looking out over the water. He steps forward into a shadow from one of the steel beams of the bridge that falls just under his collar. As the camera zooms in on Roy, a distinct circle of light closes in on a his figure from the waist up, enhancing the spotlight light approach. The dark shadow under his collar, combined with the dark beams surrounding his face, further the awareness of a distinct frame around Roy’s face. The black and white lighting in this scene implies a sad, tragic mood. The gloomy tone of the scene is furthered by it’s association with film noir, which is classic for sharp shadows and black and white images. Conversely, the bright, angelic lighting depicts Roy’s character in a positive manner; he is clearly a “good guy” if not the protagonist of the story. Through lighting the audience is given the impression that this is sympathetic character placed in a cruel setting.

The Lives of Others

Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck in 2006, The Lives of Others begins with an extreme close-up of a gloved hand using a metal, cylindrical lock-breaking device to open a door. The lighting is dark, but light bounces off the shiny gloves and metal. The gloves and door are similar shades of grayish-green, which is the colour palette of the entire scene (and of the film). They represent the cold, industrial and gloomy feel of Communist-era East Berlin. The somber score is also integral to the mood created. Once the door is opened, the director cuts to a shot of the open doorway, from which bright natural light floods in. On either side of the door are dark green walls. Several men enter through the door, their figures silhouetted darkly against the brightness of the open door. In the next shot, they climb a staircase, again set against a green wall. The staircase is dark and heavily shadowed. I think dark, shadowed lighting with high contrast was used to emphasize the ominous mood of the scene: the men are Stasi operatives wiring an apartment for surveillance. The men, dressed in grays and browns, open another door. It is much brighter inside the room they enter, a natural room light. Brighter light is used here to highlight shots of them placing wires in the walls, the telephones, and so on. We see several extreme close-ups of them doing so. There is a shot where one of the men, Wiesler, crosses in front of a large window framed on both sides by yellow-green curtains. He is silhouetted in black against the bright white light. This reminds us of his role as the protagonist in the film, even though his position is mid-level and he is seemingly uninfluential. In most of the shots he is in, he is framed in the middle. In a later shot, we see him stand out starkly in the light through the dark circle of the eyehole in a door. We then see him walk up to the door, half of his face in shadows, and ring the bell. Again, the lighting and shot choice here lends the scene a sinister feel. On the other side is a woman who has witnessed the activities of the men and knows she is going to be asked to keep quiet. The lighting in this film is deliberate and part of the story. It works to create a mood of suspicion and portent. I think the director focused light on certain objects to highlight them and let the surrounding areas be dark or in shadows. For the shot in which Wiesler walks past a window, the window seemed backlit (although it was meant to appear as bright sunlight), but I’m not sure how he got the actor to be in silhouette. He might have used coloured light or gels to create the greenish colour tone of the film, although that could also have been adjusted in the editing process.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4ke3ns0giw

Fritz Lang's M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VMgLJJKiaA (3:18-4:32)

In the first scene (4:45 to 6:00 on the DVD) of the noir/expressionist film M by Fritz Lang, the lighting is used to set a mysterious mood and then later, suspense. This is accomplished by setting the hard light one directionally so to create a lot of shadows against the back wall of the set and to make the ground dark with the frame getting lighter as you move up in it. This type of low-key lighting creates the closed style of filmmaking that M is made in, because it makes little use of off-screen space with the sides of the frame often being quite dark and shadowy. Since it is a black and white film, the light does not affect the coloring but what the lighting in M does is make very clear distinctions between the whites and the blacks by making most of the movie very gray. This way, when the shadow of the killer enters the frame for the first time, you can make out his silhouette clearly. This is accomplished by putting the light source and the actor close to the set so that less of the light is defused. It appears as if the key light is about level with the head of the actor because when he enters the scene standing his shadow is perfectly clear but when he bends over it becomes distorted. Having the shadow projected on a white poster also helps with the quality of the image. Lighting in M appears to be very mechanical and the source of the light is more apparent and less natural then a film shot primarily in a city would feel. It never seems as though they are outdoors even though many scenes in the film do take place exterior. Most of the lighting comes behind the camera, which creates most of the shadows and the flat feel on the buildings. One shadow in particular that is clear is that of Elsie when she is walking with her ball; her shadow is projected on the sidewalk in double vision. This probably means that there was a light source coming in not only from behind but also from off-screen right. Noirs are notorious for dark, dreary, and shadowy lighting and M is no exception. Because shadows are so important in this film, the lighting is definitely part of the story as well. The only thing I would do differently in this scene is create more of a contrast between the lighting in the indoor and outdoors scenes. It would make the streets appear more dangerous and sinister. This could be accomplished by having a less intense key light on the set from above and counter balance that with some backlight to separate the actors from the background and a fill light to give the scene more light in general to emulate daylight.

Field of Dreams

Shot 1: A medium shot of a man standing in his dining room. He is lit from the front by a lamp, and the back by a chandelier (which is also lighting the room behind him. As he moves, the camera pans left to follow him. He moves through darkness first, although the light sources remain constant and can be seen lighting the borders of the shot, but not the center (where the man is). He moves into light again, and a light source can be seen coming from his right, lighting his right shoulder briefly. He then moves into complete darkness. For a slight second, you cannot see him at all. He then emerges from the darkness, facing a window. The light has now changed dramatically: it’s blue, meant to represent the natural moon lighting, and lights his face from the front. The shot lasts about 20 seconds in total, and moves from a medium to a close-up gradually through a pan to the left.

Shot 2: A long distance shot of a man standing in the middle of a baseball field at night. There is a bright light shining on the field, lighting from the end of the infield all the way past the outfield into a corn field. The man is in the center. From his long shadow, we can tell that the light is set up to the right of the shot, and is at a low-ish angle. However, the man’s body is completely surrounded in light, indicating a second light source which doesn’t cast a shadow, but does light the other half of his body. The light is also too full to be just one light. This shot was likely taken using a flood light, meant to simulate moonlight. It lasts about 3 seconds, and there is no camera movement.

Shot 3: A medium shot of the man in the house, but shot from outside the house. He is still lit from the front by the “moon light”, and though the house lights are on behind him, they don’t appear to effect the lighting on his body. The light is clearly set up from right (our left). The shot lasts about 8 seconds.

Shot 4: A medium shot of the man on the field, who is now standing in darkness. The “moon” lights him from behind: this is the key light in the shot, as it provides the most light and accentuates the mysterious nature of this man. The slight difference in coloration on the grass in the front of the shot (greener) vs. the back of the shot (bluer) may indicate a fill light on the right side of the shot. However, this color issue may simply be a result of how the key light falls on the grass, or a problem with the resolution (movie was watched in lower resolution than desired). The shot lasts about 6 seconds, and the camera does not move.

Shot 5: A lower angle shot of the man and woman at the window, staring. This shot is from inside the house. It lasts only a few seconds, but again, they are lit by the moon, while what can be seen of the house is lit by the house lights. The blue effect of the moonlight was probably aided by the man and woman wearing green and blue shirts, respectively, and the wallpaper being red. This would allow the filmmaker to use a neutral light, which would light the people in a bluer tint, and the red wallpaper in a redder tint, thereby providing the perceived difference in light source.

Shot 6: A close up of the man on the field, with the key light to the right of the shot. This appears to be the only light used in the shot, as the light on his face is as pure as the darkness behind him. The contrast is crisp, and not muddy. He kneels. The shot lasts about 5 seconds.

Shot 7: This shot is a continuation of shot 6, but the camera has cut back to give us a medium shot of the man kneeling on the field. The key light now appears to be behind and above him, though still on the right side of the shot. There is a very strong backlighting effect here, as there is a defined “outline” around his body, where there is light. He stands, and the camera moves up with him. This shot lasts close to 10 seconds.

Shot 8: As the man from the house exits onto his porch, there are two different lights on his face. On the left of his face (our right), there is the bluish moonlight. On the right, there is still the house light. Behind him, there is a dim porch light, which doesn’t light him but does light the ceiling above him. As he moves, the camera rolls back and to the left, to follow his hands, which are moving towards a light switch. As he moves farther from the doorway, he loses the house light completely, and the moonlight to some extent, but not entirely. He flips the switch. Shot lasts about 10 seconds.

Snatch

The scene that I’ve chosen in Snatch, directed by Guy Ritchie, begins at 1:02:50 and ends at 1:04:21.

The lighting in the scene greatly affects the emotional integrity of the characters and the action as a whole. The film highlights the dirty business of underground London, and the subject of this particular scene is revenge. The scene begins in an arcade, obviously occupied by artificial lights. But, the arcade is very musty and unclear, the fluorescent lights are low and apparently dingy, not top quality. The tone, represented strongly by the ominous and minimal lighting, of this portion of the scene is very dangerous; the main character walks into the arcade to find a group of “gangsters” destroying the machines and accessories of the buildings with baseball bats. A fight ensues and the danger increases. The lighting of the scene is perfect in this sense; vision is slightly blurred because of the low and broad and sprawling lights; individual people or objects are not spotlit and the whole room contains the same thick, unclear light. The scene then fades (but continues) to an outdoor setting of a trailer burning to the ground. This creates a rapid and intense contrast from artificial light to natural light. The tone of the scene remains much of the same thing; the subject matter is still revenge so the emotional content is consistent. But, the lighting is obviously implemented differently. The enormous fire is the source of light, so people are easily and strongly silhouetted in front of the natural light source. This creates a great chiaroscuro in the scene, which looks beautiful while the content is devastating. In this portion of the scene, when the camera focuses on characters watching the trailer burn, a light (probably a very dim and yellowed key light) is used to emulate the fire in the background. The artificial light being used must be very low-key because all light in the scene looks completely natural. As the shot on a character gets closer and closer on his face, shadows increase and enhance the emotional tone as he watches his mother burn inside of her trailer.

Vicky Christina Barcelona

The clip starts at 38 min 5 sec.  The scene duration is 2 min 10 sec. 

1. LS Tilt Down and Pan Right
2. MS
3. MCU (over the shoulder of Juan Antonio)
4. MCU (over the shoulder of Vicky)
5. MCU (over the shoulder of Juan Antonio)
6. MCU (over the shoulder of Vicky)
7. CU (over the shoulder of Juan Antonio)
8. MCU (over the shoulder of Vicky)
9. CU (over the shoulder of Juan Antonio)

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glQHG92Yvoo  

This is a scene in a public park with an interaction between Juan Antonio and Vicky.  I feel like this exchange can be taken two ways. One, it is a dramatic exchange between two characters who are romantically linked. However, you can also look at it as a bit of frivolity. Two people are arguing over such a minute thing as a phone call. Both of these interpretations work with the lighting scheme of the scene and the movie. The whole movie, including this scene, is very brightly and warmly lit.  It evokes the ideas of summer and old memories.

 

In this specific scene, the characters are outside and the sunlight provides a broad warm light. It reflects off of the various sculptures and structures inside the garden.  The light is very clean and bright.  It is slightly yellow but very natural.  The light is slightly saturated.  The source is soft and is coming from in front of the camera, off-screen at a diagonal towards the right of the frame.  The light and shadows that are cast from this source of light suggest that this scene takes place during mid to late afternoon in an area without out a lot of obstruction to the key light.  The light and shadows also define the creases of the character’s clothing, create shadows on the actor’s faces (outlining them), and define the background space.   

The key light is high and suggests that the light is the sun.  During the over the shoulder close-ups of Juan Antonio, the quality and angle of the light remains the same as the long and medium shots.  For the over the shoulder close-ups of Vicky, the tone of the light remains the same, but Vicky’s face seems to be lit a little with a fill light in order to compensate for the key light acting as a sun casting light from behind Vicky’s head, obscuring the front of her face in shadow.    

The colors of the park are vibrant. There are greens, blues, and ceramic tiles of varying colors that reflect the light. If you take the idea of the exchange being dramatic, it acts in direct contrast to the warm light, which would usually indicate a happy scene. However, if you take the idea of frivolity, it matches up to the lighting scheme; the bright, warm light evokes a feeling of care freeness.  The night of lovemaking becomes this frivolous tryst that occurs during a summer vacation. I’d say the lighting in this film plays a part in the story. It adds to the emotional meaning of the character’s actions and helps to evoke the idea that this is a memory, a wild vacation that occurred in the past of the character’s lives. I don’t think I would change the lighting very much. It portrays everything and everyone beautifully.  

I think that the key light may have been the sun acting as a practical light coming from behind at a diagonal towards the actors.  A fill light augments this light, brightening faces to make up for overcast shadows from the sun.  The fill light seems to be coming from below and the left or right depending on which over the shoulder close up.  It looks like the angle of the sun provides a very small amount of back light to the actors but I don’t think any actual light-kit light was used for a back light.  There also don’t appear to be any lights illuminating the set.   

Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind

From 00:35:15 to 00:37:10 of Michel Gondry's Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind, Joel Barish begins to lose the most recent memories of his ex-lover Clementine Kruczynski. The memory is of Joel’s dimly-lit apartment, where Clementine walks into Joel’s living room from the kitchen and lays down on the sofa. The shot is a medium close-up, and moves with Clementine out of the kitchen before moving back and forth between the characters as they speak. The light at the start of the conversation is warm and relatively low-key, apparently only casting light from a lamp next to Joel (this single source means that lighting on both characters’ faces is quite hard and leaves half their facial features in shadow). However as the scene progresses, lights become more low-key as more and more sections of the space disappear completely into darkness. For example, as Clementine gets up to leave, the sequence moves into the heavily blurred and shadowed living room, then into the bathroom, which is a colder and brighter white light. Clementine heads for the door through the fluorescent kitchen, Joel following closely, and walks out the door into the hallway. The hall is apparently lit by a very strong white key light directly outside and to the left, and is so pronounced that the characters appear to be walking into a bright summer day. As Joel leaves to follow Clementine, the shot switches to the corner of the hallway outside the apartment. The camera is static, and only the hall corner directly in front of the lens is lit and in focus. Everything is lit blue, and both ends of the hallway vanish into pitch black. The camera moves from the right, where Joel comes out of the apartment door, and pans to follow Joel as he enters out of the darkness, moves into the light and into focus, then walks down the left hallway, out of focus and into the dark. The light here serves as a distinct part of the story. It is a representation of the limits of memory, where the lit world suddenly vanishes into nothingness, presumably where peripheral vision ended in the original occurrence. Because of this, lighting in each memory scene begins with plenty of light, and eventually ends up largely in shadow. If I re-shot this scene, I would set up a full light kit (key, spot, fill, back, etc.) on a power strip, and unplug them one at a time as the memory faded, until only a flashlight remained, and then black.

Crash

The opening sequence to “Crash” is initially lit with a stunned and ascetic tone.  The blurred headlights—red and incandescent lights diffusing off of the water droplets—illustrates the experience of being dazed in aftermath of a violent collision.  When the camera focuses on the inside of the car, the main character’s face is revealed in the frame, lit by a light blue.  The headlights continue to blur by. After he delivers the opening line, an officer approaches and the lights become a combination of emergency lights: red sirens, yellows flood lamps, blue sirens, the police officer’s flashlight, and a pale blue that seems to be “general” evening light.  I think we are meant to assume that this is the glow of L.A. from a distance (the scene of the accident is situated on a ridge). Later, as the characters emerge from the vehicle, there is a strong key and fill effect that plays with red and blue light on each half of the actors faces.  I would argue that this fragmentation of color and the sporadic light sources help to prime the viewer for a similar fragmentation of storyline.  The reds and yellows contrast with the blue “nighttime” light (and have a jarring effect), and we descend from the unity of the first credit lighting—simply headlights moving along—into the many different “colors” of racism.  Perhaps the different colored lights on the faces of the actors reveals their own internal duplicities and the many “faces” racism take on.  

Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window

I have chosen to analyze one of the last scenes from Rear Window. Throughout this movie Mr. Jeffries watches people out of his window. During the day his room is filled with sunlight however, at night it is very dark. During the nighttime he keeps his lights out and stays in the darkness in order to observe a murderer. In the scene where the murderer find out that Mr. Jeffries is watches him he comes to Mr. Jeffries apartment. This scene is filled with terror. The lighting in this scene is very sparse however, darkness is used to convey the feeling of fright and distress. Mr. Jeffries has turned off all the lights in his room and we can only see the outline of the murderer and Mr. Jeffries. The objects in the room are barely visible. He then uses the camera light flash to blind the attacker. This lights up the room illuminating and expanding the space. It also points out that the murderer is becoming exposed. The lighting in this scene serves as a way to accompany the story. During the nighttime bad things happen in this movie, this shows that darkness represents danger. If I were to re-shoot this scene then have more light in the scene start to appear as the fight. This would bring the murderer to his final demise because it would represent truth and him becoming completely exposed.

Lighting is combined with sound in this scene to create suspense. From the beginning, when the murderous neighbor, Lars Thorwald, is in the hallway of Jeffries’ apartment complex, the sound of slow footsteps is heard. The viewer sees a horizontal strip of light at the bottom of the door. Then the light goes out. Jeffries scoots back until his face is cloaked in darkness. However—curiously—his body is lit by moonlight. The rest of the room is dark…indeed, there are darker spaces in which Jeffries could have hid. Instead, he occupies that space. There is a cut to the door, and as Thorwald steps through it, only a narrow strip of his face is illuminated by the light from the “rear window.” There is an interesting juxtaposition, here: Thorwald, the ominous, violent figure, is plainly visible; Jeffries, the protagonist of the film, is obscured by the black. Jeffries is presented as more powerful, as having the upper hand in knowing who Thorwald is and what he’s done. Thorwald’s ignorance is represented by Jeffries’ lack of tangible identity. The lighting seems to be mostly natural, but could just as easily be artificial. The source is from outside the window. Clearly (from the above description), lighting plays both a technical and narrative function. Lighting establishes the characters’ balance of power, as well as the mood of the room, which is somewhat dull. The frame is dominated by black (the absence of light) and drab grays. When Jeffries flashes his flash blubs near the end of the scene, it is clear how much lighting has driven the narrative action.

This is a scene from Rear Window, by Alfred Hitchcock, about 10 minutes from the end. Its duration is of 3 minutes 20 seconds. Lighting is notable in this scene as it is essential to the development of the mood Hitchcock wishes to create and makes the scene credible. A justified light shines in from the right, where the window is supposed to be on the set, probably created by a dim or diffused spot light. The housekeeper and Jefferies, who are speaking urgently and secretively in the dark, are illuminated solely by the light coming from the apartments opposite and perhaps the moon, only faintly lights them. It is just enough to more or less define colors, the wrinkles in the clothes, and the two’s silhouettes. As the reflection on their foreheads and the chair frame shows, the light’s real source is probably a dim key light illuminating them from the front and right. This throws the rest of the apartment into darkness and creates a high lighting contrast with large shadows on the faces and folds in the clothing. In fact the only truly discernable things are Jefferies, Stella, and the wooden chair behind her, situated respectively further and further away from the window. Through this, Hitchcock intensifies the suspense he wished to build up for this scene and the imminent climax, unfolding and end of the film in the next ten or so minutes. The cinematographer has shown us, through Jeffries’ window that the suspected culprit has exited his apartment after glaring in the camera’s direction. Now, contrastingly, the viewer is restricted, in the dark, to the protagonist’s point of view. We know something the protagonist does not, but we are restricted in the light. After Stella rushes off to pay Lisa’s bail, the camera closes in on Jeffries and the lighting increases slightly. As Jeffries notices the culprit’s apartment is dark, the camera frames Jeffries in a close up, letting the light illuminate the whites of his eyes. This creates tension, making the audience more and more nervous, as he darts his eyes anxiously back and forth. Due to this low-key lighting design, Hitchcock creates suspense and unease in the audience, and thus as he wishes, is able to frighten the viewer in the scenes to come. I think it might be interesting to increase the light coming from the back, so as to create a sort of halo around the heads of the two actors, and take advantage of Jefferies’ white shirt to reflect some of the same light. This might increase the eeriness of the mood of this scene. I would keep the high lighting contrast created by Hitchcock, though as it strengthens the tone of the film noir that Hitchcock wanted.

The Truman Show

In The Truman Show, the scenes shot on the beach have notable lighting. It is clear to the viewer that the moon is fake. It is too big, too bright, and always full. The light reflecting off of the water looks staged; we can clearly see where the “horizon” is. A useless and miniature “lighthouse” spins beams of light across the frame. It is clear that the makers of the television show have put much effort into recreating this false world. The beach itself is well lit by another elevated light source. All of this light, which is clearly artificial to us, seems real to Truman. The lighting creates a phony atmosphere. The ocean is, in our reality, a grand enormity over which humans have little control. It can not be manipulated by people; it is a symbol of the wildness of our natural world. The too-white lighting on the sand and the finite “Earth” created by a short horizon enhance the viewer’s understanding of Truman’s world. We pity him because even the seashore, a space that should be organic, has been created by other humans. Truman goes to the ocean with Sylvia. In another film, this could be a beautiful and private moment. But because of the artificial lighting on the water and on the characters, we are reminded that the scene is part of a television series. Later in the film, when Truman escapes the cameras, the moon turns into a bright spotlight. This epitomizes the phoniness of Truman’s world. The moon is a heavenly body, and should not be under the control of humans. Throughout the film, and especially during these scenes on the beach, the conspicuous lighting creates a tone of falsehood and manipulation. We are reminded of Truman’s naiveté. The artificial lighting on the ocean adds to the viewer’s feeling of compassion for Truman, and we look forward to his ultimate escape.

Edward II

Edward and Gaveston Upon the Throne The shot opens with two dancers in all black performing in an open doorway. The scene opens with an extreme long shot of the two dancers who appear to be dancing in a large open space. The two are doing a dramatic piece when one dancers falls and the camera cuts to a long shot, so we better see the dancers face and movements. The light on the two men appear to be natural sunlight shinning in from the doorway. The shadows of the two men are crisp and clear. The camera then cuts to look at Edward and his lover. The lover, who is seated in front of the throne, is looking out into the distance laughing as if amused, while the king flirts with him. This look gives the allusion the two couples are in the same room and one is watching the other. The scene then cuts back to the dancers who are now in a long shot that fully fits the scene. The attention of the dancers is outward. The scene then cuts back to a long shot of Edward and his lover. The two then kiss. The current setup shows a thrown atop a large pedestal with a path in front of it. It gives the allusion of depth and ands to the overall grandeur of the scene. The dancers are dressed in all black and contrast the grayish tan color of the walls surrounding them. Edward and lover on the other hand are dressed in all white sitting on a red and gold throne. The two have a light shining from a right angle onto their hair and faces which accentuates their purity and beauty. The scene itself does not include much color however the music and the movements of the characters set up the romantic and yet forbidden tone of the shot. The misenscene in this movement relies on the “simple” lighting and character movements. The lighting throughout the scene remains constant as if there are enormous windows outside the room letting in sunlight onto its occupants.

Old Boy

Directed by Chan-wook Park, Old Boy is about a man who is kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years only to be released to seek revenge in five days. I chose the fighting scene—among other very well lit scenes—due to the fact of its “sickening” texture it gives off. For the most part it’s lit from incandescent lights that emit a bright, white/blue hue. Also, there is a strong use of shadows in spots that don’t have the hall-lights. The camera tracks along in third person in medium shots of the crowd swarming onto the main character, Dae-su. While this is happening the lights that appear to reflect off of the wall are greenish, which is the color that dominates the entire scene, giving the room a confined, dirty, sick mood. Furthermore, the lighting creates the feeling of constant tension, because all we see is fighting in tight, sickly spaces, where we are prone—due to duration and demonstration of everything that has transgressed—to believe only negative activity is going to continue to occur as long as we are surrounded by this type of “atmosphere.” After the fight scene is over tension is “relieved” as he leaves the parking lot to the outside filled with natural sunlight. Lighting throughout the entire movie plays a key role, for example, during the love scene the room is covered in a burgundy, maroon, deep-red color, where the sheets themselves are blood red silk color, which emphasizes the passion between Dae-su and his girl Mi-do.

MULHOLLAND DR.

Please use the link below to watch the “Club Silencio” scene. The two sequences I focused on are between 03:30 and 04:35. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW1D9MH4uMY&feature=related

The “Club Silencio” scene from David Lynch’s 2001 movie Mulholland Dr. is notable in terms of its lighting.

The scene begins with two women, Betty Elms (Naomi Watts) and Rita (Laura Herring), entering the mysterious theater/nightclub “Silencio.”

Initially, the bar is poorly lit and there is a spotlight on the announcer standing on the stage. Lighting becomes interesting on the third minute of this scene (03:30 on the video provided in the link below). The dim but warm and yellowish lights in the theater turn into white flashes that resemble a stormy weather.

In this 30 second long sequence, the emotional atmosphere completely changes during this sequence as warm lights that give viewers a sense of security are replaced by white flashes that are scary and alarming. This mood change can be observed in Betty as she starts trembling involuntarily before the announcer’s disappearance. Betty’s stress and fear are visible as she holds Rita’s hands tightly and moves herself closer to Rita. This intense sequence ends with the announcer’s magic in which he vanishes mysteriously. After this magic trick, the white flashlights are replaced by subtle, wavy and bluish neon lights that make the viewer feel as if she was in an underwater world lit by moonlight. Beams of bluish light are wiggly and very visible during this 35 seconds long sequence that ends as the next performer is announced to the stage. In this second short sequence, characters are no longer feeling edgy since they visibly relax and lean back on their seats. So overall, there are two consecutive sequences that change the emotional content of the characters. In the first sequence (03:30-04:00) there is an alarming tone that unsettles the viewer (as well as the two main characters). The lights in the second sequence (04:00-04:35) have a soothing effect that suggests some sort of resolution for Betty and Rita. Thus, it can be said that the lights in this scene do not solely function as technical details and contribute to the character transformation that takes place in the movie.

The Searchers

The scene is the final few moments from John Ford’s The Searchers (1956). Ethan Edwards (John Wayne) has found Debbie (Natalie Wood) and is bringing her home. The scene begins with a group of people standing outside of a house, a lighting source coming from behind them - intended to be the sun but it could have been shot on a studio with a backdrop. There is bright light shining on the front of the porch and the dust and sand of the landscape, but the characters have shadows on their front bodies because of backlighting. As the camera dollies backwards, everyone but Ethan follows and is swallowed by the darkness of the interior of the house. Eventually, only the outer doorway is visible, with no light coming from the side or the front. The outer two thirds are dark; Ethan stands in the center of the doorway, his shadow extending in front of him onto the floorboards. He is left in the West, which is clearly visible and brightly lit. All other people have entered into the darkness of the house, the comfort and security of their family. The shift from exterior to interior and the comparable shift of lighting towards a much darker finish enhances the audience’s understanding of the space of the West and the house, also developing an understanding of the character of Ethan. For him, the exterior lighting is warm, soft, and natural. The interior lighting is hard with sharp shadows and he is unable to make the transition from exterior to interior. He is caught in the middle of the lighting - when he turns to walk away from the house, his shadow becomes gradually less and less pronounced. The lighting is gradually less and less hard, and he begins to blend in with the wind and the landscape. The door closes and the light from the sun is completely removed, leaving only black and the house interior left in the frame. The lighting definitely plays a large role in the scene, not just an afterthought or addition; it gives details of the interactions of all characters, central themes of the film, and provides a distinct atmosphere and development of space.