On Thursday mornings through May, cinematographer Devan Scott takes us on a journey through the history of lighting in cinema, tracing its development from the sunlit studios of early silent film through the three-point setups that defined classical Hollywood realism and film noir to modern techniques of motivated lighting. We’ll explore how artistic trends and evolving technologies — from early incandescent studio lamps to today’s RGB LEDs and digital workflows — have shaped cinema throughout the past century, unpacking the linguistics of lighting via interactive live workshops.
Each talk will last approximately 45 minutes, with case study screenings starting at 12:00 pm.
Devan Scott is an experienced cinematographer, colourist, educator, and director. His work has screened around the world at multiple film festivals, as well as at VIFF. He holds a BFA in Film Production from Simon Fraser University, teaches at the University of British Columbia and the Emily Carr University of Art and Design, and hosts the podcasts Film Formally and How Would Lubitsch Do Itin addition to a series of independent video essays on YouTube. He’s regularly presented talks at the VIFF Centre, most recently on Mexican noir cinematographers Gabriel Figueroa and Alex Phillips.