Hollywood Lighting from the Silent Era to Film Noir

Film and Culture Series

by Patrick Keating

Lighting performs essential functions in Hollywood films, enhancing the glamour, clarifying the action, and intensifying the mood. Examining every facet of this understated art form, from the glowing backlights of the silent period to the shaded alleys of film noir, Patrick Keating affirms the role of Hollywood lighting as a distinct, compositional force.

Closely analyzing Girl Shy (1924), Anna Karenina (1935), Only Angels Have Wings (1939), and T-Men (1947), along with other brilliant classics, Keating describes the unique problems posed by these films and the innovative ways cinematographers handled the challenge. Once dismissed as crank-turning laborers, these early cinematographers became skillful professional artists by carefully balancing the competing demands of story, studio, and star. Enhanced by more than one hundred illustrations, this volume counters the notion that style took a backseat to storytelling in Hollywood film, proving that the lighting practices of the studio era were anything but neutral, uniform, and invisible. Cinematographers were masters of multifunctionality and negotiation, honing their craft to achieve not only realistic fantasy but also pictorial artistry.

Genres: Film, Art, Nonfiction

296 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2009

About the author

Patrick Keating is an associate professor of Communication at Trinity University. He teaches courses in film studies and video production. Additionally, he has served as the chair of the interdisciplinary minor in Film Studies.

He earned a B.A. (Film Studies) from Yale University, a M.F.A. (Film Production) from the University of Southern California, and a Ph.D. (Communication Arts) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a native of Los Angeles.

He has previously taught at Washington University in St. Louis, Stanford University, and Hofstra University.

Reviews

[Caroline]

Really interesting look at how cinematographers shot films from the beginning of filmmaking to film noir, and how the lighting reflected those new concepts in cinematography. I enjoyed this book a lot, and thought that the author's writing style was clear and effective without getting too technical. I would definitely recommend this book to cinematographers, gaffers, or really anyone interested in film lighting, as it is very insightful and engaging.

[CC]

Read for a class on Hollywood Cinema. A bit dry, overall, but proved useful on some of the assignments. Enjoyed it most when films I'm familiar with we're used as examples - easier to visualize his points - other examples could sometimes be more obscure.

[Peter Steven]

This is an excellent book -- well-researched, strong on details and analysis, and written in an accessible style. Highly recommended for serious film students.