Throughout my research I came across a large variety of websites which show lighting in film and give a very detailed example of how it is used within the shot to give emotion and stylistic representations within the shot. I found one that I truly liked and decided to share on my blog to enhance my work on lighting through the eyes of a person in the field.
Below are “The 10 Most Exquisitely Lit Films of All Time” according to (tasteofcinema.com)
10. Barton Fink
Dark, ominous, and depressing.
A renowned New York playwright is enticed to California to write for the movies and discovers the hellish truth of Hollywood.
9. Django Unchained
Overhead light sources, and strange lights found in the middle of no where. Should seem weird but obviously Tarantino expresses it as a very bright moon, but no one seems to notice.
8. Schindler’s List
A black and white film which show lighting as art and creates mood through despair, hope, anger and triumph.
7. Bringing Out The Dead
Lighting highlights misery and brings out the theoretical spotlight on Nicholas Cage’s character.
6. In the Mood For Love
Shadowy illuminations, and manages to create it own separate narrative through the use of lighting.
5. Shadow Of A Doubt
Hitchock was the master of suspense as well as the master of light and shade. This film used lighting as a way to express mystery but also expressed light in a positive way when showing family as it represented safety.
4. A Bittersweet Life
A south Korean film that uses lighting as graceful.
3. 2001: A Space Odyssey
lighting in this film is seen as absolutely amazing throughout the mind boggling film. Through reflective lights and lights expressed from the moon Kubrick has to explore fiction vs reality.
2. Citizen Kane
Moody and deliberate. Shadows shadows and more and more shadows. Lighting can humanise a lot and show emotions far greater than imagined.
1. Angel Heart
This film relies heavily on the mood created by the light.