Since we ventured into the area a few weeks ago in class, I’ve been thinking about all the possible applications of the cuculoris and why they aren’t as prevalent today as they were in the past. The origin of the term and the creation of the cuculoris is mysterious and seems to have originated in Hollywood, apparently one was created seemingly by accident at first, just like many things in this world start out.
So, let’s talk about the practical applications of a cuculoris. There a few different types of cuculoris, the first are hard cookies, made of plywood or heavy poster-board with random shapes cut into the body. The second are soft cookies or “celo” cookies, made from plastic impregnated screen, with the shapes also cut or burnt out. The third type are brancholorises or dingles, which are other basic objects, shapes or tree branches that are used to the same effect as the previous cookies; That is that they are placed between the light and the subject.
Upon finding this information I was also led down the path of researching a similar tool called a gobo (go-Between), but from what I’ve found these are more of a stencil or pattern, which create harder lines, whereas the cuculoris offers softer, undefined edges. 
These tools both allow for so many creative patterns to be made in combination with lighting. They add an extra layer of interest to a shot. I think the cookie is something that would be more applicable to fiction than the gobo, as you can really use any item to make a cookie and have it accentuate the mise-en-scene (like in the below photograph). The gobo could be great for art installations and I can imagine many other applications for them, but they are far more regimented and defined than the cookie. Therefore, their use in fiction films, where there needs to be an onscreen reason for their incorporation, is rarer.
The practice behind these tools reminds me of the silhouette animation technique, specifically those done by Lotte Reiniger in the early 20th Century. Both manipulate shadows/silhouettes and light using crafted objects and I’m sure both practices were being developed at a similar time. Silhouette animation is a technique I’ve experimented with in the past, so I’m pretty familiar with the technique, so having explored that makes me even more interested in the cuculoris. As it brings similar elements of silhouette animation into live action filmmaking and marries those two elements together, in an interesting way.
