Chapter 12:Lighting -A response

This chapter of the book discusses lighting, in all of its forms. First is discussed Rembrandt lighting, which emphasized the shadow and contrast to light and dark. I enjoy this approach to lighting, as Rembrandt is one of my favorite painters and his lighting style is moving. Type the second, is TV lighting. This essentially describes a lighting akin to any usual tv show set. The lighting is bright and captures all angles, eliminating shadow. This is described using the "I love Lucy" parody from Natural Born Killers. Next it goes on to underline candlelight lighting, which causes soft features and warm glow. Motivational lighting is light that clearly has a purpose, but is generated at some logical point, possibly on screen. Next is the unmotivated light. This is my favorite of these examples, as it has been used to such power. It is a light of unexplained origin that helps persuade the audience one way or the other. The text describes a scene from The Professional, a film I very much adore, in which the Assassin saves young Natalie Portman from a herd of mobsters, revealing himself in a bath of light. A similar instance of this, I noticed, appears in another one of my favorite films, Pulp Fiction, when Vince opens the ever coveted 'Briefcase', and is showered in light before closing it again. After this is moving light, which is basically meant to evoke fear. It is manifested by fast, swinging light bases, which cause hectic shadows and movements. As the text explained, this is well visualized by the flashlight wielding cops in Spielberg's E.T.

I would like to shortly discuss the scene I watched for this reading from Apocalypse Now, in which 'Rembrandt' style lighting is used. This particular sort of lighting effect impacted me, as it is a trope I have seen used multiple times in films and never knew there was a title assigned to this style of shot and lighting. I would like to know more on how to achieve this particular effect, and how it can be utilized to illicit different sorts of emotions from the audience.