Painting With Light by John Alton Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Painting With Light
Book Review: The Best Basics about lighting effects
Summary: 5 Stars
Even though the subject of the book deals with B&W lighting effects for film and TV, as an artist, it helped me in creating paintings with better "moods" and making them more dynamic.Book Review: The Film Noir Lighting Bible
Summary: 3 Stars
[Note: I'd give this 3 and a half stars if the system would let me] Alton's book is indeed pioneering and along with The 5 C's of Cinematography make up the seminal volumes on cinematography that film makers used for almost 3 decades. Alton's writing style is very formal and at times can be almost condescending; at times he seems to imply that his way is the only "right" way to light something. However, for the genre and period he was lighting for I think it is appropriate. He pretty much invented film noir lighting and in this book he reveals just about every technique to do so yourself. I liked the many photos and stills from real movies, and he does have a chapter on the grip and lighting fixtures available in those days. Ironically many of those fixtures are still staples in any hollywood soundstage, so things aren't outdated in that sense.
Another interesting section is his analysis of natural light and the qualities of the various times of day and how to emulate them on a set.
Book Review: The Ideas & Techniques of An Iconoclastic Cinematographer.
Summary: 4 Stars
"Painting with Light" is a reprint of cinematographer John Alton's 1949 book that began as a series of articles for "International Photographer" magazine. The book earned Alton appreciation among students of cinematography and the ire of those already working in the field. Students welcomed a how-to book by one of Hollywood's masters. Cinematographers found Alton lessons arrogant and too narrow, as the book advocates Alton's signature, somewhat controversial, style of using few lights. In any case, John Alton is one of the most studied cinematographers in Hollywood history, best known for his low key lighting in film noirs such as "T-Men" and "The Big Combo". And "Painting with Light" provides insight into why and how Alton chose the style he did.
An Introduction by film critic and documentarian Todd M. McCarthy provides a biography of John Alton and a filmography. John Alton starts out by saying that his techniques may be applied to still photography, and there are a couple of chapters toward the end of the book dedicated primarily to still photography, so photographers take note. The equipment that Alton describes is outdated, of course, but the reasoning and techniques may still apply, especially to those interested in low key lighting. The book starts out by introducing the cinematographer's equipment and describing basic lighting set-ups. Film noir fans may be particularly interested in Chapter 3, "Mystery Lighting". Alton found "the most beautiful photography is in a low key, with rich blacks", and he talks about creating it here. Chapter 4, "Special Illumination", explores some situations also common to film noir, such as streets, rain, fog, and moonlight. Chapter 5, "The Hollywood Close-up", might be applied to portrait photography as well as movies. Other topics include "Outdoor Photography", photographing snow, a just-for-fun article on shipboard photography that seems intended for vacationers, discussion of the beautifying power of light and the brain as "human television system".
"Painting with Light" makes it clear that John Alton was an opinionated, ambitious man who saw the world around him expressed in light, always noting its direction, intensity, and effect. He made a career of "capturing bits of light at rest on things of beauty", and this record of his theories and techniques is an interesting read.
Book Review: The Lighting Bible
Summary: 4 Stars
This is the "Lighting Bible". The book has a lot of out dated facts but, is great for setting up shots on a black & white shoot. John Alton was a master of his craft and it really shows in this book. I gave the book a 4 out of 5 stars because it doesn't apply to most film making today but, if you ever need to make a period piece, black & white feature, or "noir" style film; this is a recommend reading.Book Review: This book is a time capsule from the era of Film Noir
Summary: 5 Stars
I have had a photocopy of a photocopy of this book for about seven years, so I was understandably extatic to learn of the recent reissuing of this long out of print and much sought-after title. For decades, critics have discussed Film Noir as the apex of American film in terms of style as well as content. And Academy Award winner John Alton has long been hailed as perhaps the most important cinematographer of his era. Such was his passion for the art and craft of cinematography that he wrote a book on the subject at a time when such books just were not being written. Painting With Light has great verve and wit, and serves as a very practical how-to exploration of cinema- tography as it existed at the time. But, as such, it is now also a fascinating slice of movie history. In the end, however, I believe it is most valuable as a tool to help the modern cinema- tographer rediscover the texture and mystery brought to the screen in an era when films pulled you in instead of trying to leap out at you. The book co