Drama 16 Stage Lighting

1. A shot from the film The Third Man
2. With the tunnel drawing to a vanishing point, the light source in this shot can be considered as one single point, which applies to the theme very well. From the viewer’s perspective, the man almost blocks the whole vision to the end of the tunnel because he is very close to us. So that we don’t know what is out there at the end where the light is from, which creates a sense of being trapped and blocked. That’s because in a dark environment, we tend to look for some light, as if the light is the hope.

2) Flickr- GPC photos

3) Mysterious

4) This photo was basically the first thing that came to mind when I thought of mysterious, It plays with light, and shadow and is in black and white.  The photo shows someone peering through the blinds on a window, and being illuminated with light.

http://desirnoir.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Film_Noir_by_kidspy.jpg

Theme: Shadow

Shadow is the main form of lighting in film noir movies. The lines of darkness created by the blinds in this movie still create dramatic shadows across the actress’s face. The shadows behind the chair and around the woman create a sense of intrigue and mystery.

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THEME: Intrigue

When I hear the word ‘intrigue’, I think of it more as a noun than an adjective. Roughly translated, ‘intrigue’ means some combination of secrets and mystery. As far as lighting goes, I picture high contrast, black and white films a la film noir. Naturally, this combination led me to ‘The Thin Man’ series, starring William Powell and Myrna Loy, in which they play a detective and his wife (respectively). Solving mysteries and unearthing secrets in a very effective way, this movie series is the epitome of intrigue for me. The high contrast in this picture really emphasizes their fronts, casting their shadows in sharp relief behind them and making the beam of the flashlight severely accentuated. Despite the shadows that lurk behind and around them, Nick and Nora will continue looking forward and searching for the truth behind the mysteries.