Film Light
Meaning and Emotion
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Manchester University Press
Published:1st Oct '15
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
This insightful book examines the pivotal role of lighting in cinema, exploring its emotional and narrative significance through various film analyses, including Film Light.
In Film Light, Lara Thompson presents a comprehensive and thought-provoking exploration of the crucial role lighting plays in cinema. This pioneering work delves into the aesthetic and emotional dimensions of light, revealing how it shapes the viewer's experience. From the construction of star personas to the manipulation of natural light and the creation of fantastical realms, Thompson examines the multifaceted ways in which illumination affects storytelling. The book also addresses the captivating allure of darkness and the fading echoes of the past, highlighting how these elements contribute to the overall cinematic atmosphere.
Thompson's study is groundbreaking in its approach, offering readers a fresh perspective on how lighting has evolved from a mere technical aspect of filmmaking to a vital narrative device. By analyzing over fifty internationally acclaimed films, Film Light showcases the interplay between light and emotion, illustrating how illumination can evoke feelings and enhance character development. The insightful combinations of film examples span from the earliest days of cinema to contemporary digital works, making the book relevant for both film scholars and enthusiasts.
Accessible yet intellectually stimulating, Film Light serves as an essential resource for anyone interested in the artistry of film. Whether one is a budding filmmaker or a casual viewer, this book provides a deeper understanding of how light influences our perception and emotional engagement with the cinematic world.
‘In this fascinating study, Lara Thompson unfurls the history and expressive potential of cinematic lighting. Thompson's nuanced readings, which span screen images from the silent to the post-digital era, are both complex and accessible, extending beyond formal analysis to engage with our experience of light and its significance in moving image culture. An exciting contribution to the field, Film light invites us to take a fresh look at the power of light in the cinema.’
Pam Cook, Professor Emerita in Film at the University of Southampton
'Thompson's careful choice of case studies and their contribution to the argument continually bring questions of materiality into dialogue with film aesthetics and film history. In the book's perhaps most engaging chapter, she explores the way in which light and darkness mingle at dawn and dusk, suggesting that these threshold moments illuminate cinema's own liminality. This is a passionately written as well as intellectually acute work.'
Laura Mulvey, Professor of Film and Media Studies at Birkbeck College, University of London
ISBN: 9780719086335
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
172 pages