Lights!

In the cinema you can arrange the lights in such a way as to leave darkness between the area illuminated by the backlight and the area illuminated by the fill light, depending on how moody you want the shot to be. This works very well and usually the light is always used to enhance the expressions of the characters’ faces. It is the basic technique to put the character “in the spotlight”.

The Cabinet of Dr Caligari

1910s to 1930s

During the latter half of the 1910s, filmmakers adopted two significant new techniques, both derived from other art forms. One was the use of carbon arc spotlights, which had previously been used in theater and which allowed a strong light to be directed from a distance onto a particular actor or area of the set. The other was the use of diffusing screens, which already belonged to the repertoire of the still photographer. Diffusers could be used to transform a hard light into a soft light that did not cast such severe shadows. The increasing use of soft lighting techniques, whether they relied on reflectors or diffusers, had particular benefits for facial lighting. Soft lighting produced more flattering effects and, with the rise of the star system during this decade, it was becoming ever more important to make the actors look attractive. The dark was used to shoot movies with more drama, or for horror movies like Nosferatu by Murneau (1922). In the 1930s movies continued to be in black and white. They only used bright light in order to convey a happy emotion and to shoot comic films. 

The Third Man

1940s

In the 1940s, the techniques were more or less the same as in the 1930s. For example The Third Man by Carol Reed or The Birds by Hitchcock used the same techniques as in the 1930s.

1950s

In the 1950s, many movies ended with a sunset. The directors used really intense lights and filters. Sometimes, six filters were used on the camera, one to control the shadow and the other ones to control the colors.

Ivan's Childhood

1980s

In the 1980s, directors insisted on the landscapes which were lit with the natural light of the sun or really bright spots. They preferred natural elements. The movie Ivan’s Childhood by Tarkovski is the perfect example of this technique. There is a scene where a child goes straight in the marsh and a torch crosses the screen before the sunset.

The Silence of the Lambs

1990s

Using lights of different color temperatures was one of the techniques used. This means using lights of different colors in the same shot. It can be use to reinforce the emotions that the movie director wants to convey. It’s the technique the director of The Silence of The Lambs used to inspire fear when Hannibal Lecter appears… 

A.I.

2000s

One of the most used techniques in the years 2000 was silhouetting. It uses a dark subject and a very bright background to give a mysterious and a dark mood to give suspense. Also, the movies of this decade used a lot of light, especially in action movies like Avatar. In the movie A.I., the light reflects danger and mystery, a feeling of adventure. Then the lights convey hope when the child gets the possibility to talk to his mother. It is an angelic light, a really intense one. The visual elements became really important in the 2000s: the colors and the camera motions. The light has major importance in this decade. The use of a punctual light has an influence on the perception of the visual elements which must captivate the eyes of the spectators.

Lincoln

2010s

The movies of this decade favor grey tones. The movies are dark, like Lincoln by Steven Spielberg. The directors want to tone down colors in their movies. Warm colors have disappeared, the colors used are mostly grey and blue. The light must be blocked because the themes are dark and the directors don’t want the light to undermine this.