Camera Style: Lighting

One of the most common conventions of film noir is the contrast of lighting. Film Noir literally means 'black film/cinema' this reflected the tensions and insecurities of the time period after the war. This was a counter-balance of the optimism of Hollywood's musicals and comedies. Fear, mistrust, bleakness, loss of innocence, despair and paranoia are readily evident in noir, reflecting the 'chilly' cold war period when the threat of nuclear annihilation was ever-present. the criminal, violent, misogynistic perspectives of anti-heroes in film noir were a metaphoric symptom of society's evils, with a strong undercurrent of moral conflict, purposelessness and sense of injustice.

Chiaroscuro Lighting

• The technique of using light and shade in pictorial representation.
• The arrangement of light and dark elements in a pictorial work of art.

This style of lighting may seem minimalistic, but it yields very dramatic results. the high illumination contrast creates a 3D depth on an otherwise 2D surface. often this technique is achieved by having one bright solitary light-source.


"If it wasn't for light and shade, would she look as good as she does here?"
-Marlene Dietrich