How do you know when you are totally obsessed with photography?
When you watch a movie and start thinking about lighting and composition. Are you like me yet?
So, I have just re-watched the blockbuster movie “The General’s Daughter”, great movie, awesome acting and great plot, watch it if you have not already.
As a photography nut I could not help notice in the final scene, the use of the following lighting technique:
Rembrant lighting used in final scene
Yup, the old dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn, used this technique to add a 3D look to a 2D canvas. The way you can notice this lighting technique is to look for the triangle on the cheek on the opposite side of the main light. Notice how the main light illuminated Johns right cheek, and leaves the right side of his face in shadow. There is a backlight too, notive the light on the back of his neck. Now none of this is left to chance, all of these lights are there for a reason – too add a dramatic three dimensional look to a two dimensional medium – film. I use this lighting in my studio when ever I can, it’s awesome!
See the triangle on his cheek and the backlight in the image below. Compare it to the original image above.
Great lighting techique used for John Travolta. Adds drama to this final scene.
Something else I noticed is the use of composition in this final scene.
The Rule of 3rds – compostion:
See where John Travolta is positioned in the frame. Why is his head cut off and he is on the left of the frame? This is called the rule of thirds, and I explain this in more detail in my photography eBook & videos here.
Check it out:
What part of this image is the focal point?
His right eye is the focal point, because it falls in the top left 3rd of the whole scene. Classic rule of 3rds composition.
OK, enough about the lighting and back to my movie, where is my red wine? Brent
Oh, yes, please leave comments below 😉