- This topic has 6 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 3 weeks, 5 days ago by
.
-
Topic
-
-
Replies
-
Very much depends on context. All kinds of lighting were in use by the time the German expressionists were at work and their influence led to the look of American film noir. Cinematographers like Nicholas Musuraca and Gabriel Figueroa were masters of backlighting.
Strong artificial backlighting dates back to the 1910-20s when carbon arcs started being used on sets. The technical reason was that it provided separation in b&w but the most common aesthetic reason is that it is beautiful. There are other reasons it might be used depending on the context.
For instance shutter Island heavy back light and revolutionary road back lighting. Genre wise both film very different. Can you talk about little bit revolutionary road back light scene. Where Kate lying on dicaprio laps. I you can’t remember I can post the image.
I know Nicholas Musuraca. I have watched couple of his films. I didn’t know Figueroa. There are lots of cinematographers using back light. What’s so special in these two cinematographers from your perspective. Do you feel these cinematographers using back light very meaningful and suitable context.
These two cinematographers did projects on which they used quite extreme backlight. It was a style to some extent but also their interpretation of the story.
I don’t remember using backlight on Revolutionary Road in other than a naturalistic way. Sometimes I might enhance an effect if it suits a particular scene but it was not the aesthetic of an overall approach. It was hardly Out of the Past (1947) or The Spiral Staircase (1946), both of which Musuraca photographed. Neither did those films look anything like The Jack Benny Program, which Musuraca shot in the 1960s.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.