Full Metal Jacket And Lighting
Full Metal Jacket And Lighting Stanley Kubrick typically had worked with John Alcott in cinematography. However, Alcott’s right hand man - Douglas Milsome – made his debut in cinematography working on Kubrick’s film Full Metal Jacket in 1987. Full-Metal Jacket has a wide range of cinematography and lighting. Depending on the given situation and time the lighting compliments the cinematography. The techniques of lighting and camera-work are complementary of certain moods – comedy, gloomy, sad, and etcetera.
Douglas Milsome uses hard and soft lights to create the different moods seen throughout the film. The techniques that stand out most to me are those within the boot camp barracks and those on battlefield. Within the barracks the lighting is harsh which show the “warmer” side to war; and then you go to the battlefield, where the lighting is softer but darker, emphasizing the shadows – even the uncertainty and fear of war. I am, first, going to highlight the passage of time within the film. The sequence I am highlighting is the scenes after the shooting of the lieutenant and “Cowboy” becomes the squad leader. The group is pinned down and afraid to push on due to enemy snipers. The sun is setting as the scene progresses and the group becomes more and more anxious. After losing two men to the sniper attack, the entire group decides to push on, realizing that there is only one shooter. The group fills the immediate area with smoke, so that it is difficult to tell whether or not the sun is setting. The only way of telling that the sun has set, after the infantry has moved inside the building where the sniper is located, is the slight highlights of blue from the doors and window. Outside, before the elimination of the sniper, the sky has a constant blue transition, from a lighter to a deeper blue. The sequence in which Pvt. Pyle has his first, and last, mental breakdown due to the abuse endured at the boot camp emphasizes the use of lighting as a character.
Douglas Milsome uses hard and soft lights to create the different moods seen throughout the film. The techniques that stand out most to me are those within the boot camp barracks and those on battlefield. Within the barracks the lighting is harsh which show the “warmer” side to war; and then you go to the battlefield, where the lighting is softer but darker, emphasizing the shadows – even the uncertainty and fear of war. I am, first, going to highlight the passage of time within the film. The sequence I am highlighting is the scenes after the shooting of the lieutenant and “Cowboy” becomes the squad leader. The group is pinned down and afraid to push on due to enemy snipers. The sun is setting as the scene progresses and the group becomes more and more anxious. After losing two men to the sniper attack, the entire group decides to push on, realizing that there is only one shooter. The group fills the immediate area with smoke, so that it is difficult to tell whether or not the sun is setting. The only way of telling that the sun has set, after the infantry has moved inside the building where the sniper is located, is the slight highlights of blue from the doors and window. Outside, before the elimination of the sniper, the sky has a constant blue transition, from a lighter to a deeper blue. The sequence in which Pvt. Pyle has his first, and last, mental breakdown due to the abuse endured at the boot camp emphasizes the use of lighting as a character.