MovieChat Forums > Advise & Consent (1962) Discussion > Comments on the lighting work throughout...

Comments on the lighting work throughout this movie:



Was anyone else annoyingly distracted by the poor lighting of many of the scenes?

Lighting is so important to convey mood and highlight action, especially in a black and white film.

In Advise & Consent I found many scenes which had multiple shadows that seemed unnatural and interior shots that obscured the focus on the characters. There were also more than just a few scenes were shadows of the camera equipment was obvious.

I will usually forgive one or two such errors or oversights as equipment goofs, but this movie had so many that I began looking for them and it interfered with my enjoyment of the movie. Not good in my book.



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A lot of it was filmed on location in Washington. Only a closed set could afford complete control over lighting for a scene. This is one of the reasons why Alfred Hitchcock hated to shoot on location.

On a side note, the fact that they were able to shoot at locations actively used by the federal government is pretty amazing. Definitely impossible now after 9/11.

Okay, well... filibuster.

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