Hollywood movies as lighting tutorials

Occasionally when I see certain films I am inspired by the quality of the lighting. I think one of the most useful things someone wanting to learn lighting can do is watch a movie and pay attention to where the light is coming from, the ratios of key to fill. Is the lighting coming from locations that would be organic to the setting, or is it manipulated for effect? What I would like to ask the members here is to contribute the title of any motion picture that you think is well done, and perhaps a few words about what a newby should look for.

I was reminded to start this thread after watching "Meet Joe Black". The lighting in this film was amazing. Pay attention to the direction of the direction of light, notice that its consistent with the implied source, and that the delicate fill is always at a ratio that gives depth, bot not too much or too little. The outside night party scenes toward the end aee an absolute texnook example of key, fill, and seperation light comng together.

What films inspire you? .

Anything by Ingmar Bergman. Sven Nykvist was his cinematographer and was outstanding.

Not a movie, but the new hannibal TV series.
Season 1&2 are great, season 3 is hard to follow as it jumps around a lot.

The while lot is rather violent, not safe for work or when kiddies are around.

I remember old B&W movies where they didn't just light for one shot indoors, but they had to light the entire set for a tracking shot of moving actors that lasted a minute or longer as they moved through the set. For film with a speed of ASA (ISO) 10 to 40.
That took a lot of planning & talent that you don't see much of anymore. I don't remember the specific titles for the tracking (dolly) shots, but any of the Bogart films would be a good place to start.

Blade Runner and City of Lost Children come to mind. It's interesting watching stuff from the 30's and 40's before there were rules for lighting. I watched a really old Sherlock Holmes and it had lots of Monster lighting from below. I guess that probably comes from old stage lighting techniques, but Monster lighting was used a lot in the early horror movies.

For me, the gold standard is Citizen Kane. For example, it is credited as being the first studio production where ceilings were built into the set and are visible. This required that the overhead lights be located elsewhere and, of course, the ceilings must themselves be lit. A diversity of other sets that needed lighting: offices, the Great Hall, beach party, convention halls, opera houses (including the flies).

For years I've been evaluating set lighting. Even my wife is intrigued with trying to figure out how and what's been used.

Alfred Hitchcock movies were always eye catching to me.
Fantastic lighting.
Kudos to the guy/gals that light movies.
Cannot be easy at all.

Gregg Toland. He was the cinematographer for Citizen Kane. I believe he came up with special lenses to get the deep focus effects. He was also DP (director of photography) on The Best Years of Our Lives, The Grapes of Wrath and Hitchcock's Notorious (now you know why that crane shot to the key in Ingrid Bergman's hand looked so familiar).

If you like the Archer films, then Jack Cardiff is the guy who did most of those. And then there's Vittorio Storaro. You know his stuff. Really. Little movies like Apocalypse Now. And he's probably done the only color noir film, Bertolucci's The Conformist. And after Dick Tracy and The Last Emperor, you now you know why Rosco's named those super-saturated gels the "Storaro" series.

Take a spin through the IMDb to see what a particular cinematographer has done.

Highly, HIGHLY recommend finding the documentary, Visions of Light: The Art of Cinematography, which takes you through some of the Hollywood DP greats.

I'd also say look at television these days, too. Right now, I spend half my time watching Hannibal just to gape at the lighting and photography. One of their directors is Guillermo Novarro who been DP for Robert Rodriguez and Guillermo del Toro.

Agreed - from TV, Hannibal definitely has amazing cinematography - lighting, angles, symbolic subject matter, DOF, AoV, perspective. Film students can learn a lot from it.
Those with a strong stomach

Another film to add to the list is Blackthorn starring Sam Shepard. Beautiful outdoor scenes in mountain and desert terrain immaculately lit.

1960s star trek

scokar wrote in post #17621046
Agreed - from TV, Hannibal definitely has amazing cinematography - lighting, angles, symbolic subject matter, DOF, AoV, perspective. Film students can learn a lot from it.
Those with a strong stomach

Just had to make that a bit more obvious - but given the name, and the books/movies with the same characters, it is to be expected.

Touch of Evil......Orson Wells wrote, directed and stars. The use of light and shadows is great.

...the Stobist talks about the lighting on Doctor Who:

http://strobist.blogsp​ot.co.nz …or-who-as-lighting-u.html