Magical History Tour – The Art of Lighting Design

In the beginning, there was light – a concept inextricably linked to cinema. The projection beam passes through the film strip and the lens, makes its way through the glass pane of the projection room and into the auditorium, hitting the screen at the speed of light as the film begins. The brightness of a high-wattage projection bulb is like a radiant final echo of the fundamental subject of film and cinema: light. It is impossible to shoot a film without daylight or artificial light, without key or fill lighting, without floodlights or soft light, or, above all, without the work of the camera and lighting team responsible for designing the lighting and positioning it on set. Lighting forms an essential artistic resource for the director, capable of telling stories or affecting how they are told, creating moods and unleashing emotions. We will be dedicating this month's Magical History Tour to the varied art of lighting design in film both by showing 11 films spanning 80 years and presenting the new edition of Richard Blank's book Film & Licht (Alexander Verlag) on June 16.