Robin challenged us to write two separate posts analysing the lighting in a film scene and a painting, but I have decided to twist this by using a scene from one of my favourite films Todd Haynes’ Carol and looking at the artwork Automat by Edward Hopper that inspired a lot of the shot composition and cinematography of the film. They were both what immediately came to mind when reading this assignment.

Hoppers work often emphasised loneliness and isolation, a pondering of ones place in life that is both relatable and unsettlingly sad. The artwork Automat illustrates these themes through it’s composition, colour palette and lighting. Hopper uses pastel colours that appear soft and blend into each other – creating almost a softly lit scene with a subdued feel. But when you look closer you notice the hard shadows that the overhead lights are creating on the floor behind the figure and under the brim of her hat. Her hat and shoulders, as well as the table are highlighted by the row of warm lights over head, but besides that she almost seems shrouded in darkness because of the brim of her hat and the black background behind her. It is easy to believe that the scene is softly light primarily because of Hopper’s art style and the way that the oil paint has been utilised here, but once you look deeper you are able to see the detail in this deceptively complex artwork.

This still from Carol ellicites the same sense of loneliness and pensivity that Automat evokes. The lighting is cool and soft, with hard shadows in the background, similar to the lighting in Hopper’s artwork. Daylight is being utilised as a keylight with shadows progressively wrapping around the subjects face. The glass acting as a reflective surface to bounce back light onto the subject – it is a recurring technique in the film to use reflections to mirror the way the character is reflecting on their own situation. There is some overhead light as in Hoppers artwork, but I believe it is acting as a fill light to the foreground of the scene, thus illuminating the subject and allowing for a progressive darkening shroud of shadows behind the subject. This all comes together to create a visually stunning scene and adding to it’s reflective mood.

We were encouraged to analyse the lighting in films we care a lot about and Carol is that film for me, I’ve seen it many times and am always finding new things to discover in every aspect of the film. There are so many lighting scenarios in the film that I could analyse, so I’ll definitely return to this film in the future on this blog.

This video further shows the influence of Edward Hopper over Carol and other films directed by Haynes.