Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly such that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classical film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s. Film noir of this era is associated with a low-key, black-and-white visual style that has roots in German Expressionist cinematography.

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Lighting a film noir scene involves more than just adding light to the subject. In film noir, lighting is used to create shadows and give the viewer a sense that danger lurks just around the corner. As such, lighting a scene is arguably the most important task in film noir photography. So it's no surprise that three of our five tips cover lighting.

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The first tip is to add dimension to your shots by lighting them from the side instead of the front. Subjects lit from the front are bright and easy to see. However, they're also flat, lacking a sense of true size or depth in relation to the setting. These bright, flat images aren't consistent with film noir style.

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To create sharp, clean shadows, use a single point of light. Some commercial lights have reflective surfaces that break up the light and cast it in multiple directions. This can cause multiple, overlapping shadows at different levels of contrast. A single point of light casts a single shadow that's easier to position and bring in focus.

 

The style relies on a high contrast between the darker and lighter parts of the scene. Thus, your goal should be to use the light and camera lens so that the shadows and dark corners enhance the dark mood of each shot.

To create this contrast, you'll want to capture as much detail as possible in the faces and objects on which your primary lighting falls. In both digital video and digital still photography, keep the ISO low for a higher film speed. This reduces noise, which can ruin the details in high contrast shots.

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