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Film Noir Lighting Techniques
- 1. Light your subject in film noir style Presented by Kathy Cuyler
- 5. Let’s define film noir lighting:
- 6. Film noir lighting uses stark contrast between light and shadows to create a moody atmosphere.
- 8. Like this: Before film noir lighting After film noir lighting
- 10. Know your lights. Key Light
- 11. Know your lights. Key Light Fill Light
- 12. Know your lights. Key Light Fill Light Back Light
- 13. We will use symbols to designate the different lights.
- 14. The key light will look like this: K
- 15. The fill light will look like this: F
- 16. The back light will look like this: B
- 17. Let’s discuss the characteristics of each of these lights:
- 18. For your key light . . . . . . use a light with a focused, direct beam.
- 19. For your fill light . . . . . . use a soft, diffuse light.
- 20. Traditional lighting ratio is . . . F Intensity K = Intensity
- 21. Traditional lighting ratio is . . . F Intensity 2 K = 1 Intensity
- 22. Film noir lighting ratio is . . . F Intensity K = Intensity
- 23. Film noir lighting ratio is . . . F Intensity 4 K = 1 Intensity
- 24. For your back light . . . . . . use a light with a focused, direct beam.
- 25. Caution!
- 26. Don’t touch the lights!
- 27. Don’t touch the lights!
- 28. Position the subject in front of the camera. Camera
- 29. Position the subject in front of the camera. Subject Camera
- 30. Now we’llbring in the . . . Key Light
- 31. K Subject Camera
- 32. K Subject Camera
- 33. K Subject Camera
- 34. K Subject Camera
- 35. K Subject Camera
- 36. K Subject Camera
- 37. K Subject Camera
- 38. K Subject Camera 45°
- 39. Subject
- 40. K Subject
- 41. 45° K Subject
- 42. Here is the subject with just the key light: Before key light After key light
- 43. Now we’llbring in the . . . Fill Light
- 44. F K Subject Camera
- 45. F K Subject Camera
- 46. F K Subject Camera
- 47. F K Subject Camera
- 48. F K Subject Camera
- 49. F K Subject Camera
- 50. F K Subject Camera
- 51. Here is the subject with the fill light added: Before fill lighting After fill lighting
- 52. Now let’s bring inthe . . . Back Light
- 53. B F K Subject Camera
- 54. B F K Subject Camera
- 55. B F K Subject Camera
- 56. B F K Subject Camera
- 57. B F K Subject Camera
- 58. Subject
- 59. B Subject
- 60. B Subject
- 61. Here is the subject with back lighting: Before back light After back light
- 63. Prepared byKathy CuylerPrepared for TECM 5285.
- 64. Graphics from Silver, Alain and James Ursini, ed. Film Noir Reader. New York: Limelight Editions, 2006.Wikipedia.org. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder,_My_Sweet> <http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Casablanca_(film)> 27 April 2010 Works ConsultedAscher, Steven and Edward Pincus. The Filmmaker’s Handbook. New York: Penguin, 1999.Silver, Alain and James Ursini, ed. Film Noir Reader. New York: Limelight Editions, 2006.
Editor's Notes
- Narrator: Hello, my name is Kathy Cuyler. In this presentation, I will show you how to light a subject in film noir style.
- Film noir uses a variety of methods to create different moods—from using backlighting to silhouette the subjects
- Narrator:to using a side light to cast one half of the subject in shadows and the other half in bright light. Film noir lighting expresses the psyche of the subjects and their conflict between good and evil.
- Narrator:Although film noir lighting is complex, this presentation will instruct you in the basic method of lighting a stationary subject in film noir style.
- Narrator: First let’s define film noir lighting. Film noir lighting
- Narrator: Uses stark contrast between light and shadows
- Narrator: Uses stark contrast between light and shadows
- Narrator: Here is a sketched example contrasting regular lighting with film noir lighting. Before film noir lighting, the subject looks flat and unemotional. Now, look at the picture to the right. The stark contrast between light and shadows along with the glossy halo-like back lighting are both characteristic of film noir lighting. This type of lighting adds depth and emotion and symbolizes the subject’s psychological struggle between right and wrong in a world full of “shades of gray.”
- Narrator: Before we get started, you need to know the three major kinds of lights used in photography and film.
- Narrator: These are: The key light
- Narrator: The fill light
- Narrator: And the back light.
- Narrator: Throughout this presentation, we will use symbols to designate the different lights.
- Narrator: The key light provides the main focus of your lighting. In this presentation the key light will look like this.
- Narrator: The fill light diffuses or tones down the shadows produced by the key light. Throughout this presentation, the fill light will look like this.
- Narrator: The back light separates the subject from the background. Throughout this presentation, the back light will look like this.
- Narrator: First let’s define film noir lighting. Film noir lighting
- Narrator: Now let’s discuss the characteristics of each of these lights. For film noir lighting, your key light must have a focused, direct beam.
- Narrator: The fill light softens the stark shadows of film noir, so choose a light that has a soft, diffuse beam.
- Narrator: The relationship between the key light and the fill light is the most distinguishing characteristics of film noir. For traditional lighting, the ratio between the intensity of the key light and the intensity of the fill light
- Narrator: is two to one. This ratio means that the key light is only twice as bright as the fill light, and the distinction between light and shadows is comparatively vague.
- Narrator: In film noir lighting, however, the ratio between the intensity of the key light and the intensity of the fill light is
- Narrator: four to one. This ratio means that the key light is four times as bright as the fill light. Film noir lighting makes a strong distinction between light and shadow. For extreme film noir lighting, directors often eliminate the fill light altogether.
- Narrator: Your back light needs to provide bright halo-like highlights to your deep shadows and draw the distinguishing line between the character and the background. To accomplish this effect, choose a back light with a focused and direct beam.
- Narrator: Before you start setting up your lights, remember you need to be careful when you are handling the lights!
- Narrator: Do not touch the lights with your bare hands.
- Narrator: The lights used in film making are extremely hot and could cause severe burns. To avoid severe burns, always wear thick leather gloves when working with the lights.
- Narrator: Before you bring in the lights, your first job is to set up the camera and
- Narrator: Position the subject in front of the camera.
- Narrator: Next, set up the key light.
- Narrator: Position
- Narrator: The key light
- Narrator: On the side where you want
- Narrator: Your strongest light to fall.
- Narrator: Position your
- Narrator: key light
- Narrator: at a
- Narrator: 45 degree angle from the camera.
- Narrator: Let’s look at the key light in relationship to the subject.
- Narrator: Angle the key light downward toward the subject
- Narrator: at a 45 degree angle.
- Narrator: Here is the subject with just the key light. Notice the deep shadows to the left of the subject and under the subject’s hat brim and chin. In contrast, the right of the subject is brightly lit with light glinting off the subject’s lapel.
- Narrator: Now, if we desire a softer film noir look, let’s bring in the fill light.
- Narrator: Position
- Narrator: the fill light
- Narrator: on the shadowed
- Narrator: side
- Narrator: of the subject
- Narrator: The fill light should be opposite of the key light.
- Narrator: Also, the fill light should be quite close to the camera.
- Narrator: Here is the subject with the fill light added. The shadows are now softer and more transparent.
- Narrator: Now, for the finishing touch! Let’s bring in the back light.
- Narrator: The back light is the distinguishing factor between professional lighting and
- Narrator: amateur lighting.
- Narrator: As the name suggests,
- Narrator: the back light should be behind the subject—but out of view of the camera’s lens.
- Narrator: so that when you open up the light, it will fall on the shadowed side of the subject’s head and shoulders.
- Narrator: Let’s look at the back light in relationship to the subject.
- Narrator: Place the back light high above the subject and
- Narrator: angle the light downward so that the beam hits the subject’s head and shoulders. This way, you will avoid the light shining directly into the camera’s lens and causing flares.
- Narrator: Here is the subject with all three lights—the key light, the fill light, and the back light. Notice how the back light provides bright glints of light on the subject’s left arm, shoulder, and hat brim.
- Narrator: Now you know how to create the mood… the starkness… the shadows…the intimacy… the glamour…and the psychological impact of film noir lighting.