nancy s. Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 Tonight.. after walking 4 miles.. after mowing grass for an hour.. after dog training and cleaning house and after all the work was done.. I decided to turn on the movie channel. There, to my delight, was a black and white movie from what looked to be the early 50's or late 40's. I love old Black and White movies for the photography. This one was no exception. These guys really understood lighting and how to enhance the looks of everyone. The key light was perfect. The fill was just right. The short lit Rembrandt light on the actress' face was stunning and the highlights in the back ground brought your eye right into the subject. Really good stuff. There were no special effects and no digital enhancements (that I could detect). Just perfect perfect lighting and exposure... and even tho it was Black and White you knew her complexion to be creamy and her hair was strawberry blond. He was dark and handsome in a rugged way.. and lit to enhance that effect. I looked at these actors and actresses and they were far from the perfect beauties of today.. but they were real attention grabbers anyway. They had the right expressions.. they had depth and character and (again) that perfect lighting which enhanced the mood and their better features. I really enjoyed this. I would suggest that if you really want to learn how to light someone so they look their best, you might want to look at some old Black and White movies. Sure wish they were making 'em like this today (the films and the actors/actresses)! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelging Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 If you ever get a chance to see the 1945 film, La Belle et la Bete (beauty and the Besast) by Jean Cocteau watch how the B&W movie was lit. It has the most beautiful lighting and tones in it. It was made right after the war and is a classic. In fact Phillip Glass, wrote a Opera that is played over the sound tract. The scene with the Torches is wonderful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emre Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 I don't miss it for a day. Old B&W movies mostly employed the "good old" three-point lighting formula. Cinematography today is way more sophisticated. If you want to see amazing B&W in the age of color see "Wings of Desire" (DP: Henri Alekan) or "Schindler's List" (DP: Janusz Kaminski) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emre Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 Beaten by Michael! Hahaha...what a coincidence. You'll never guess who shot "La Belle et la Bete". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelging Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 According to IMDB , Henri Alekan, the same person who was the DP on Wings of Desire. We both have good taste,Emre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spanky Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 Over the past few years I've become a huge film noir buff. While I do not try to mimic the style for which this genre is famous for, I have been tempted to do some shots of dark streets in the rain. I just have to find someone willing to hold the umbrella for me while I shoot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emre Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 Just thought of another one: "The Man Who Wasn't There" (DP: Roger Deakins). Especially relevant since he was trying to emulate the 50s' style. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougsmiley Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 Watch "The Third Man" from the late 40s. Great moody b&w filmed mostly at night in post-war Vienna. I believe it won an Academy Award for best cinematography. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norma Desmond Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 Check out "Night of the Hunter," directed by Charles Laughton (his only directing credit) and cinematography by Stanley Cortez. It's a stunning black and white and mesmerizing film. We didn't need dialogue. We had faces! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Kahn Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 Here's another vote for "The Third Man", plus one for "The Seventh Seal" (Ingmar Bergman). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_lantz Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 "The Third Man" gets my vote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_zaiger Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 For all the reasons listed in the initial post and all the responses that follow are why I am working in B&W film and experimenting with the various techniques which make it art. Motion pictures don't allow for darkroom effects, but still photography does. For this, I am grateful and pleased. Enjoy the beauty of the minimalism presented by Black & White, for composition and layout have to make up for the lack of vibrant color. Present mood, feeling, emotion as the story, not the distraction of color to convey the message in B & W. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captjack Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 there was an article about Speilberg testing B&W emulsions before he started filming Schindler's List. Kodak made a special/custom run of a Plus-X emulsion just for Speilberg to film the movie with - Very KEWL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captjack Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 here's a link to 18 images from Schindler's List http://tinyurl.com/2g8mmo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelging Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 Jack , as you remember the whole movie was not in B&W. The little girl in the Red coat, walking down the street was wonderful use of spot color. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emre Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 ...and now it's been copied to death. Every week someone asks how to "keep the lips red". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancy s. Posted September 17, 2007 Author Share Posted September 17, 2007 I too loved the way Schindler's List looked. Now we know why... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emre Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 Well, it sure wasn't just because Kodak made them a special batch of film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancy s. Posted September 17, 2007 Author Share Posted September 17, 2007 I agree Emre.. Light is the study in progress on that film, not the film itself! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougsmiley Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 Wonder why Spielberg chose Plus-X over Tri-X. TX would've looked even better, in my estimation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captjack Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 Smiley- I would guess grain structure- Plus-X grain is at least twice as fine as Tri-X - it might also have been film speed? Plus-X is ISO-125 & Tri-X is ISO-400. He was using lights so he didn't need the 400 speed film and Plus-X has a much smoother tonality Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emre Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 I think that's Kaminski's call, not Spielberg's. Besides, it appears that it was shot on Kodak 5222 (aka Double-X): http://www.cinematography.com/forum2004/index.php?showtopic=1408 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captjack Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 that's interesting because the article I read was that it was Plus-X and it was Spielberg's decision? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emre Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 I didn't ask Kaminski or Spielberg myself, so my knowledge is second-hand: http://www.cinematography.com/forum2004/index.php?showtopic=1408 If you have the back issues of American Cinematographer you can get more reliable information. If you read it there, it must be so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captjack Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 I think I read it in People magazine? back around the time the movie was out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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