Historical references

A lot of influences with lighting techniques in video games derived from historical and cultural examples. In old paintings, plays, movies and even literature, light was an important asset to convey emotion or atmosphere within a scene. For thousands of years the concept of light and dark has been represented in many different art forms. Even from traditional cave man paintings, light and shadow was conveyed  in a variety of ways that usually resembled mythological qualities.(Currell, 2007) Darkness and light were expressed within spiritual beings, demons or other types of entities. It is commonly noticed that the more demonic and evil types of entities appear as 'shadows' whereas the good spirits or gods appear as 'light'. Through the years, the concept of light and shadow paintings developed into a way of story telling. Even in modern times, there are puppet theaters which demonstrate shadow and light into interactive plays. For centuries, shadow theater has been an atmospheric and dynamic form of entertainment. Within using a variety of objects, shapes, materials, textures, colours and light sources, Shadow play was and still is a traditional form of cinematics. ' Shadows can appear elegant, lively, playful or grotesque, mysterious and sinister'(Currell, 2007) This statement highlights how shadows can be manipulated to generate different themes or emotions. With traditional shadow play, this concept was expressed in many cultures that used light to tell emotional stories usually based around folklore or religious tales. The concept of shadow and light as an active theme of story telling inspired many iconic writers, such as Edgar Allan Poe with 'Shadows' and Oscar Wilde 'The Fisherman and His Soul'. (Currell, 2007)
 
Through time, light and shadow became an important element in story telling and captivating audiences. Whether in shadow play or paintings, light was used to set atmosphere and emotion. Van Gogh, a famous artist who expressed the power of light and dark through the application of colour. Darkness was never represented with blacks or greys as we may perceive, but instead with cool blues, purples and greens. Light was shown through warmer tones like yellow, orange or red.  (Mcquillan, 1997) Using colour to convey light made Van Goghs art pieces very emotionally moving. We naturally link colours to emotions or feelings the same as we perceive light or dark. Yellow is a colour associated with light, warmth and comfort, whereas blue is a calming, cool tone that can easily link with shadow.  (Mcquillan, 1997) Combining the way we link emotion to colour makes us able to relate to the light portrayed in paintings on a more coherent level. Giving the light emotional depth through colour application is what many artists used to captivate their audience and set a thoughtful atmosphere.

'Painting with Light' (Alton, 1991), focused on how Film Noir cinema celebrated the fact that they only had light as their primary asset to show atmosphere in a scene. The beauty of black and white cinema, is that lighting can be used in such diverse ways to represent a story without a need for colour imagery. The strong contrasts of light to dark and all methods of lighting properties, such as diffusion and reflection are all accentuated to reveal the theme of a story. "Black and white are colors," (Alton, 1991) this states how the lack of colour technology did not affect the portrayal of a story within classic cinema. Depending on the use of light and how a scene is illuminated is enough strength to represent any aspect of a scene in classic cinema.

For example, Traditional Murder Mystery or Crime movies used particularly heavy lighting methods to portray the intensity of the story, where needed. When we think of Murder or Crime, we perceive it to be evil, dark, curious or suspicious. 

This image is from a scene in Canon City;(Wilbur, 1948) a crime mystery made in 1948. With the theme of 'Crime' in this movie is very well presented through the expression of lighting methods. Using black and white as a helpful tool to build sharp contrasts, this type of genre can be powerful presented if the lighting is correct. Black and white compliment well with harsh lighting techniques and that is why the crime genre can be a very dynamic and atmospheric part of classic Film Noir. For example, the image above shows that of a lady and a man separated by a wire grid. It is evident from the setting that the two characters are in some kind of prison, but it isn't so much the obviousness of the environment, it's how light is used to represent the emotion within that scene. Lighting is being used to convey not only the environment in which the characters are set, but the emotions striking between the two. The lady is very brightly illuminated with little shadow to her figure, whereas the man is practically shrouded in darkness, only with a slight touch of light that we would consider is coming from the lady opposite him. With the particular theme of the story, we can indicate through the clever use of lighting, that this man is the criminal and the lady is someone important to him. If we analyze the picture, we can indicate the lady is innocent by her clear illuminosity, she has no dark imperfections like the man opposite her. He has committed a crime and is therefore enveloped in darkness. However, the soft light on his face is clearly being lit by the lady in front, highlight small facial features. It is as if the lady opposite him has some kind of importance to him, whether relative or loved one, she is framing his face with her innocence. Maybe he isn't such a bad guy after all? 

It is interesting to see how lighting was used significantly more so in classic film, as with the lack of colour came supposed lack of expression. But it is evident from this analysis that it is certainly not a necessary aspect to produce a dynamic atmosphere. Lighting is a crucial part of story telling as it accentuates all elements that are relevant to the genre or theme.


Bibliography:

Currell, D. (2007) Shadow Puppets and Shadow Play. The Crowood Press LTD.

Mcquillan, M. (1997) Van Gogh. Thomas and Hudson LTD.

Park, L. (2012) Cafe Terrace at Night. [image online] Available at: http://leslieparke.com/blog/2012/11/van-goghs-cafe-terrace-at-night/ [Accessed: feburary 14]

Alton, J. (1995). Painting with light. Berkeley, University of California Press.  

Canon City (1948) [film] Colorado: Crane Wilbur.

King, G. and Kryzywinska, T. (2002) Screenplay Cinema/Video Games/ Interfaces. Wallflower press.