Can anyone suggest a good book for lighting to achieve a film noir / classic horror look. I know they are not directly related, but i am talking about stark contrast, shadow usage and as little greys as possible, colour and black, deep deep black.


I am shooting on a xl-1s so maybe a video related book covering this subject may be useful.

I am in australia so finding books can be hard and amazon is not an option as it is hella expensive for me. Maybe i can use borders.

kermie

I don't know of any book that's topical to such a narrow genre of film and lighting. In general, if you learn to light you'll automatically learn to achieve such a dark, high-contrast look.

The book I highlighted in the thread below is very thorough and comprehensive. Spend some dedicated time reading it and experimenting with setups and you'll have no trouble accomplishing your look.

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2342

Being a Focal Press (British) publication you should be able to find it down there.

Kermie, try the book "Painting With Light." The following is a quote from the web site at exposure.co.uk:

"The first book written about film lighting, 'Painting with Light' is a classic text which can still teach us a lot today especially if you are working in black and white (an artform of its own) or if you're trying to recreate film noir style lighting. OK, so it has dated a bit, and in parts become unintentionally funny - but it was written half a century ago (in a world where filming 'ladies', 'steamboats' and 'criminal faces' are vital for a film). If its recommended by Martin Scorcese its good enough for me!"

Visit: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN%3D0520089499/exposure00A/002-9787112-9924858

Hope this helps.