Venice, by Jialu
The Moment
It has been long. I have almost forgotten the night in Venice, its blinking lights, its dreamy night.
Observe, the scattered lights of red, yellow and blue in the distance and at the dining table.
I walked by the grand canal, looking at the people surrounded by those lights in a haze. It was raining.
They sat by the tiny waters, still having meals late at ten.
The sky was of dark blue color. The faces were lit dimly yellow by the candles. A sense of warmth and intimacy.
Lights, coming from all directions, but only dimly, they reflected on the water and touches the many faces and bodies at night.
You almost forgot time.
The Similar
I have seen a similar lighting effect in Brideshead Revisited. For a section of it, the characters went to Venice for the summer. I think the light quality is exactly like what I saw in Venice last summer, but the mood here is used a bit differently.
Snapshots from Brideshead Revisited
The scene filmed the Carnevale. The three main characters, Charles, Julia and Sebastian dressed up to celebrate the carnival. Julia got lost in the crowds and Charles went to search for her. Sebastian was jealous of them when he saw them kissing. The “scattered warm lights” I mentioned above is applied here when the three were together in the crowd. People’s faces are dimly lit and one can see the light spots one by one in the background. This is the light of celebration. During the search for Julia, there was a mixture of the “water reflected light” and the “scattered warm lights”. The torch lights move fast and the music was creating tension. Then, when the two were kissing, the moonlight reflected from the water and falls on their face. It gives a sense of intimacy and secrecy. And romantic.
Melbourne, by Jialu
The Reproduction
There are two places that I thought of can reproduce a similar light. One is in the small towns in south-eastern China, where there are similar small canals as those ones in Venice; the other, if we search somewhere closer, it would be the Yarra River.
I have seen the similar “scattered lights” by Yarra River in those restaurants—people talking over the meals when a candle is lit on the table. And it could also be easily reproduced in small towns by adding a fair amount of tungsten lights. The moonlight reflection would be easier to reproduce in the small towns since the geography is similar to that of Venice. Perhaps, the moonlight won’t be enough. One may need to use a strong light to create such a reflection effect. Becuase I find the kind of light in Brideshead is much more obvious than what I’ve seen in Venice. I could be wrong.
Such a lighting quality can be used in many different ways. I’d say it could be used to create such effects: mysterious, romantic, dark, nostalgic, intimate, horror, seductive…
