Even if our beloved cinema is two-dimensional in nature; because we work in a two-dimensional environment, there’s nothing worse than having a two-dimensional image composition. For any movie you want to make, it’s critical to add depth. By the way, not only movies, but also any kind of visual, such as paintings, comics and other examples, and nothing better to give depth than our beloved light.
As you may have noticed, there are many ways to add depth to your movie: can you place objects in the foreground and background, use a low depth of field, or use the paranage effect, but are there any techniques you need to know and use each time you create a frame that involves lighting, especially if your ambition is to create depth using contrast.
- This video by Jordy Vandeput explains the details of this lighting technique (which is actually more of a principle): how it works.
- How to use it.
- And how artists like the great Vermeer used it in their own paintings.
In essence, does this lighting technique seem simple enough?Use blinding and brighter lights in opposite succession to create contrast (light/dark); however, you will soon discover, when dealing with things as heavy as lights, that what they say is true: is cinematography essentially about painting with light?and painting is not an easy task.
And as we are on the subject of painting, the technique of using high-contrast or light-dark lighting was very popular in the Baroque era (1600), when Vermeer, like my son Caravaggio, was busy producing the famous painting Girl with Pearl Brinco and The Prison of Christ, respectively; however, this type of lighting did not make its time in cinema until the 1940s, with the rise of film noir (but still, it could be said that it gained popularity in the 1920s during the German Expressionist movement). . )
The reason I really liked this video is that I have a great story with nerds and things like that, basically, if you mix cinematic techniques with any amount of art history, I spend hours on this subject, without even realizing it. Yes, it’s good, to learn how to light up a scene to create depth, but it’s also interesting to know where the technique comes from and how it’s been used (and how it evolved) throughout history.
Light is a great storyteller that ancient painters already knew, but if we don’t know how to use it to its full potential, you may miss the opportunity to tell more robust dimensional stories. In this other tutorial, you will find other professional tips, to improve the use of light in your movies.
The important thing to remember here, especially for beginners, is the concept not only of producing light, but of controlling it. This is explained when you talk about how the window pattern alone will not create depth, but using carefully placed black floppy disks:
How do you create depth in your compositions?What is your favorite painting by Vermeer / Caravaggio?Let us know what you think of the comments below.