Film lighting techniques and their effects

Reader’s question:

I’m writing a How-To book for comic book creators and am trying to learn more so I can, obviously, teach more. I use a combination of film, comic book, and photography techniques in my teaching as they all apply to graphic storytelling.

In this particular case, I’m trying to learn more about lighting, such as silhouette, backlighting, lighting from the side/top/bottom, etc. and what each technique can represent symbolically. I want to make sure I have a complete grasp before I go putting my foot in my mouth. So I guess my question would be:

How many techniques are there and what meanings do they represent regarding Light & Shadows?

My answer:

This is a very difficult question to answer, because it is appears to be predicated on the assumption that every technique will have a unique and predicable effect on the audience. While it is true that shadows are moody while flat lighting makes a scene moodless (not the same as happy), the effects do sometimes overlap.

Similarly, lighting from the bottom used to be only for male villains in film noir — now it is one of the most glamorous techniques known (when done with soft light).

Backlight is generally essential in film, because without it everything tends to go muddy. But there are also plenty of exceptions — e.g. “Minority Report,” which has some beautiful shots with no backlight. Lack of backlight can work well if the scene has a chiaroscuro quality to it, like Caravaggio’s paintings. For a stong example, see the painting below (“The calling of Saint Matthew,” by Caravaggio):

This painting by Caravaggio shows how some exceptionally moody lighting can be achieved without backlight (“The calling of Saint Matthew,” 1599-1600)

The most helpful answer I can give is this: watch your favorite films repeatedly and make detailed notes on the trends you spot with respect to techniques vs. effect achieved. In this way you will produce a guide that is consistent with your tastes.

I think you will find that there is no straightforward relationship between lighting technique and the effect it achieves, notwithstanding the general principles we all know (low contrast = happy; high contrast = more serious).

Another example has just come to mind: pools of soft light. They can be moody in film noir, but super-glamorous in a skin cream commercial.

Silhouetting — meaning dark subject against very bright background — is quite a dark technique. Example: di Caprio’s meeting with his dad in the bar in “Catch me if you can.”  The dark mood of the lighting reflects the subtext of the scene: his dad now knows that his son is a fraudster, and di Caprio is upset because his dad refuses to ask him to stop. Outstanding and classic use of silhouette.

I hope this helps!