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Anyone know the name of the lighting technique used quite often in classic films, particularly noir filrms, where they would shine a beam of light across an actors eyes?
They did it as a running joke in the Addams family films where anytime Morticia's face is shown it is always in this noir style. for the life of me I cant find a proper name for it.
Side note there are two very similarly related lighting terms. First is "catch light" where the reflection of lights and objects in a persons eyes are noticeable and pronounced. The other is Chiaroscuro which is any sort of lighting where the dynamic range is cranked up so there is high contrast between light and dark in an image.
Attached is an example.
#movie #movies #film #photography #lighting #noir #classicfilms
@freemo ive always called that motivated lighting. take one of the key lights (usually pepper lights) and close down the barn doors and add boards to the sides until you get the correct effect. super distinct, super weird looking. not that common.
@freemo motived because it's meant to inspire emotional motivation as if the light was a natural catch from the sun
@ringo is that term specific to lighting across the eyes? I know its not common in modern films but the effect I'm talking about was extremely common in films pre-1980. It was done, for example, in soylent green when one of the "furniture" was being sexual suggestive.
IIRC traditionally in films the lighting effect was done by reflecting the light off a mirror. While I saw it in several 70's film it seems to be more common in older black and white films and often very exagerated.
@ringo thanks for your help.
@freemo 'course amigo. thanks for finding all those cool stills !
@freemo here is a whole video about the topic with techniques to create the effect
I found my answer, see this post for details:
https://qoto.org/@freemo/107165392901144829