Why is it so difficult to make night scenes look real? We expect believable darkness in our cinema, but also storytelling clarity: two goals that frequently clash. How do filmmakers square this circle? Are we heading towards a more realistic depiction of night, or are we simply rearranging cultural signifiers?
In our first live episode, we explore the aesthetics and science of day-for-night cinematography from the early work of Georges Méliès to the silhouette-heavy work of midcentury studio cinematographers to modern digital solutions such as those found in Mad Max: Fury Road, Nope, and Knives Out.
Edited by Griffin Sheel
Post-Production by Moving Image Agency
Gaffers: Shafi Sekalala, Deejay Papin-Giroux, Elijah Marche
Lamp Operators: Vlad Salyuk, Riley Berger-Tse, Julie Le Hegarat
Practical Lighting: Lucy Nie
Key Grips: Mina Greenberg Motamedi, Rebecca Jaimes Jaspe
Grips: Latascha Hartarto, Masayuki Iwase
Camera Operators: Alex Maksymec, Mackenzie Boyle, Olivia Niese
Camera Assistants: Zoe Li, Sage Laing, Shuvo Shadique
Monitor Technician: Toad Chow
Location Sound: Quinn Funk
Assistant Director: Ella Grace
Supervisor Leif Bergsma