Tag: Noir

Analysis of the Cinematography, Colour, Film Noir, Painting and Light of “Rajeev Jain ICS WICA” – Th

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Analysis of the Cinematography, Colour, Film Noir, Painting and Light of “Rajeev Jain ICS WICA” – The Best, Famous, Greatest and Top Indian Cinematographer of all time

 

Cinematography literally means “lighting in movement”. It is often referred to as painting or writing with light. The cinematographer on a film, otherwise known as the Director of Photography or “DP”, has a wide range of options when it comes to selecting how the film will be shot and how the “look” of the film will be determined. The use of tonality, speed of motion and perspective are included in these options, as is lighting.

 

Lighting is central to cinematography and can have a number of functions in a film’s narrative; for example, it can highlight a number or important characters or objects within a frame by drawing the audience’s attention to them with the use of a bright light source. It can also create a range of atmospheric qualities in a scene, which can contribute to both characterisation and setting.

 

The cinematographer (an alternative term is ‘lighting cameraman’) is the principal operator within the camera crew.

 

Three Point Lighting : The classical Bollywood studio film is an example of three-point lighting – key, fill and back lights used in combination to light the subject. Three-point lighting is the most commonly used lighting scheme and it can enable us to understand how lighting affects one’s perception of a character or a setting.

 

The key light is the main source of illumination, but if used alone it will leaves shadows.

 

Another light is therefore required to fill in these areas of darkness and to soften the shadows the key light has cast. This has become known as the fill light, a secondary light source of slightly less intensity than the key light which is placed at eye level.

 

Yet even this combination of key and fill light is must be supplemented further if a director is seeking to create a sense of depth. The third light source that provides the necessary depth is known as the back light, as it is placed above and behind the subject. Used on its own, the back light alone would create a silhouette of the subject. But the triple combination of key, fill and back lights, separates the subject from its environment and creates a feeling of depth.

 

Lighting techniques can be divided into high key or low key categories. A low contrast ratio of key and fill light will result in an image of almost uniform brightness. This is termed high key lighting. This is a standard, conventional lighting scheme employed in Bollywood musical genres (film with songs).

 

A high contrast ratio of key and fill light will result in low-key lighting, producing dark shadows and a night time effect, faces will often be bleached white against a black background. Genres such as horror and film noir employ low-key lighting for its atmospheric shadows and intense contrast of light and darkness.

 

Cinematographers use light and shade to direct the audience’s attention to a particular part of the filmic space. Lighting can often be used as a characteristic of the style of a whole film or over a number of scenes. The classic Bollywood film is usually characterised by a full lighting effect – high key lighting. This approach to lighting was developed in the early days of the studio system to ensure that all of the money spent on creating the image, designing the set, etc, could clearly be seen.

 

The use of low-key lighting to create shadows and atmospheric effects originated in Indian Expressionist cinema. These stylised techniques were incorporated into the Bollywood style of lighting in the 1970s and 1980s in a series of films that later became collectively known as film noir. Many of these films were directed by Indian émigré directors who had worked on the original Indian Expressionist films.

 

Deep focus cinematography is a technique used to keep several planes of the shot in focus at the same time (foreground, medium ground, background). By allowing several actions to be filmed simultaneously, deep focus cinematography offers an alternative approach to the use of editing to present actions in a series of separate shots. More often than not, directors employ a combination of deep focus cinematography with extended long takes to enable them to dispense with editing. Some directors, such as Manika Sharma, use these techniques in order to generate a better, more assured performance from the actors.

 

Kalpvriksh – The Wishing Tree This film is an example of low-key lighting. He employs this lighting style throughout the film to creates a mood of threat and danger. The opening sequence of Rain Forest provides a useful introduction to the art of cinematography. The film includes many examples of both high key and low-key lighting.

 

In the work of Rajiv Jain, the long take and deep focus cinematography are combined to create stunning compositions. Rajiv Jain is one of the most celebrated director of photography in film history and his film, Kalpvriksh – The Wishing Tree has been consistently the best film ever made. In this famous scene from Kalpvriksh – The Wishing Tree, Rajiv uses the long take with deep focus cinematography to execute a brilliantly expressive backward tracking camera move and keep three planes of the shot constantly in focus – the young boy Shawn in the background; his father in the medium ground; and his mother (character played by Shernaz Patel ) in the foreground. This technique is also known as composition in depth and for Rajiv it was an aesthetic in itself.

 

A Wine Lover’s Weekly Guide To $10 Wines – A Pinot Noir From South Africa

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We have reviewed several South African wines lately, and many of them have been quite successful. Pinot Noir can be a fine grape; I often am fond of it. I like its classic tastes of earth and mushrooms and the fact that it isn’t very tannic. And it’s considered food-friendly. The site where it’s made is fantastic, at the conjunction of the Pacific and the Indian ocean. It’s not only beautiful (what vineyard isn’t?) but it’s said to be a winemaker’s dream. On the down side, Pinot Noir is not usually at its best in South Africa.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Two Oceans Pinot Noir 2008 13.1% alcohol about $ 9.50 Let’s begin by quoting the marketing materials. Tasting Note : Pale ruby color with a slight hint of garnet; aromas of blueberry, cherry, and earth; dry, medium bodied, with flavors of toasty oak, and raspberry on the long smoky finish. Serving Suggestion : Serve with roast chicken or duck. And now for my review.

At the first sips the wine was almost mouth filling, with touches of earth. Its first pairing was with a ready-made chicken potpie. The wine was thick, earth tasting, and quite short but there was the taste of the underbrush. When I added zesty green jalapeno pepper sauce the Pinot Noir gained in roundness and perhaps length.

The next meal involved chicken meatballs and a barbecued chicken leg with a black bean, corn, chickpea, and pimento salad. This time the wine was almost hefty; it was fairly dark with lots of chocolate and good length.

My final meal was composed of hamburgers, green beans in a tomato sauce, and a salad described below. The wine was dark and had a slight aftertaste. There were dark cherries but no tannins. It was stronger with the green beans but the aftertaste remained. With the accompanying red, yellow, and orange plum and cherry tomatoes and basil leaves this Pinot Noir had a touch of harshness and not much flavor.

I ended the bottle with two local cheeses. With a virtually tasteless brick cheese the wine did not have much taste. So in a way, it was a balanced pairing. With a somewhat stronger yellow cheddar the wine perked up a bit and I tasted some oak.

Final verdict. I do not intend to buy this wine again. While it did manage some fairly good wine pairings it was far from consistent. And with all the inexpensive wines on the market that just isn’t good enough.

Related Pinot Noir Wine Articles

I Love Australian Wine – A Pinot Noir From Southeastern Australia

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This is our second review of Australian wine in only a few weeks. You may realize that Australia is a major wine exporter in particular supplying the United States and the United Kingdom. While this wine was bottled in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales in Australia’s southwest, the grapes come from the Geographical Indication of Beechworth in New South Wales neighbor, Victoria. Beechworth was once a great place to dig for gold and is now considered a fine wine region, especially for Chardonnay and fortified wines. If money is no object search out Giaconda’s wines, including their Pinot Noir.

Wine Reviewed Pinot Noir New South Wales (Brokenwood Winery) 2005 14.0% alcohol about $ 20 There were no marketing materials so I’ll quote the back label. “This Pinot Noir is sourced from Victoria’s exciting Beechworth region, in the lower region of the Alpine Valleys. A very hot, dry season giving concentrated flavors… This is a ripe style with background French Oak and sappy/cherry Pinot fruit. The palate has strawberry flavors and lingering soft tannins. Drink over the short term with duck and Asian dishes. Our wines are now sealed with screw cap to guarantee quality and consistency.” Re screw caps: I want to mention that when I used adjustable pliers the bottle opened nicely. And now for my review.

At the first sips the wine was quite powerful with good length and tobacco but no tannins. Its first pairing was with an over dry commercially barbecued chicken breast but its paprika-dusted skin was nice and moist. This Pinot Noir was very present with some chocolate. With the tastier chicken leg it was excessively acidic. On the upside, this wine was chewy and mouth filling. Once again there was tobacco and no tannins.

The next meal involved a middle-eastern specialty known as kube, ground beef in crushed bulgar jackets accompanied by Swiss Chard and a slightly sour, delicious broth. This Pinot Noir was thick. I even got a taste of tar and black licorice. There was a lot of body but, at the risk of repetition, there were no tannins. They didn’t seem to be missing. I tasted dark fruit, especially black cherries. I finished the meal with smoked almonds and tasted tobacco and some earth.

My final meal involved fatty beef ribs cooked slowly with soft wheat kernels and accompanied by a moderately spicy guacamole. The Pinot Noir was round and thick with a lot of oak and a good length. Its acidity worked well with the meat’s grease. Not only the meat was chewy and it presented black, black cherries. The wine retained some power and all of its length when paired with the guacamole.

Before starting on the traditional two cheeses I enjoyed some Matjes herring. The wine was long, balanced, and mouth filling. The herring did not get in the way. A local Provolone actually weakened this Pinot Noir at first its acidity became slightly harsh. A tastier Swiss slightly weakened the wine, which was still powerful and long, oaky with the taste of tobacco.

Final verdict. This wine is definitely worth buying again and again. Next time I won’t waste it on the cheese. And maybe someday I’ll try Giaconda’s offerings. You’ll be the first to know.

What Kind of Wine is Pinot Noir?

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Pinot Noir [pee-no nwahr] wines are world famous and grown world-wide. It is both the name of a wine grape and the name of a red wine. And, it is a notoriously difficult grape to grow and wine to make. And, like all red wines, this wine has demonstrated health benefits when consumed in moderation. Also, Pinot has four times the compound resveratrol than other red wines-a compound shown to improve quality of life in laboratory animals.

The Places

Keep in mind that although most New World wine labels will list the grapes in the wine, many Old World wine labels only list the place. The most famous Old World place for Pinot Noir is the Burgundy region of France (in French: Bourgogne [boohr-go-ny]). But you’ll also find Pinot wines from Italy (where it’s called Pinot Nero [pee-no neh-(l)ro]) and Germany (where it’s called Spätburgunder [spayt-boo(r)-g(oo)n-deh(r)].

In the New World, you can find many of these wines from the USA, Chile, and New Zealand. Less common, Australia, Argentina, and South Africa produce fine wines from this grape as well. The Willamette Valley in Oregon produces world-class wines of this varietal. Its relatively cool climate and rolling hills mimic the terrior [the-hrwahr] (soil, geography, climate, etc.) of Burgundy allowing this finicky grape to fully mature and a cool region for the wine to properly ferment and age.

Perhaps because Pinot Noir is a notoriously difficult wine to make, prices of the wine are sometimes quite high; especially from famous regions like Burgundy, France or Willamette Valley, Oregon. Look for value-priced wines from New Zealand and Chile. They make some great wines without the “great” (high) prices!

The Grape

Of all commercial wine grapes, this grape is the most susceptible to common wine grape diseases and maladies including frost, mold, and rot. It has a relatively thin skin making the berries vulnerable. This thin skin also affects the wine making process.

The grape vines are just as finicky as the grapes. They tend to be thin and are prone to mildew, mold, viruses and are susceptible to a variety of grape vine pests.

Due to the sensitivity of the Pinot Noir vine and grape, there are perhaps a thousand clone varieties worldwide. Compared to Cabernet Sauvignon, which only has about a dozen clone varieties, Pinot is one of the most diverse wine grapes in the world.

The Wine

As mentioned, the grape has a relatively thin skin. Since the color in red wine comes from the skins of the grape (the juice is lightly colored to almost clear), it can be difficult to achieve and keep the expected red color through the wine making process. Wine makers usually intensify the color by drawing off some of the juice after the grapes are crushed in order to increase the ratio of wine skins to juice during a process called maceration (soaking the juice with the skins, seeds, and stems). Wine makers must also pay close attention during fermentation and aging to avoid a loss of color before (and after) bottling.

Single varietal Pinot Noir wines (those not blended with other grape varietals) have several classic attributes:

A light red color 
Aromas and flavors of cherry or strawberry 
Often earthy aromas such as mushrooms or what is often called “barnyard” (in other words, it may stink!) 
Acidity that is well balanced by fruit flavors and light tannins in the best wines.

Like all wines, the aromas and flavors can vary significantly from vineyard to vineyard, wine maker to wine maker, and vintage to vintage.

Pairing With Food

Because Pinot Noir wines have lighter body with complex aromas and flavors, they best compliment foods that won’t overwhelm the wine. Grilled or broiled salmon, prime rib, lamb and duck are all great meat choices. Any mushroom dish works really well. But go lightly on the spices which may mask the delicate flavors.

Although the grapes are difficult to grow and the wine making process finicky, several regions of the world produce amazing Pinot Noir wines that are great with food or just with friends and conversation. Many also age well; ask a knowledgeable wine steward for an age-worthy wine before purchasing one for that purpose.

Find More Pinot Noir Wine Articles

Pinot Noir: A Fine Wine

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One of the finest wines is the Pinot Noir from the Burgundy Region of France. Of course it goes without saying that this wine is produced in many parts of the world now but the original Pinot Noir comes from Burgundy in France and the vintages made from the burgundy wines are rather expensive. The burgundy based Pinot Noir is one of the most complex red wines and the grape producing this wine is extremely difficult to grow.The Pinot Noir Grape thrives in cooler climates. Cool climates, with ocean breezes, early morning mist and fog, all affect the Pinot Noir grape and affect the taste of the final bottled product. Possible because of the fact these grapes are easily affected by the climate and thrive in cold weather; well grown Pinot Noir grapes create a wine that is lighter in color as compared to the normal full-body red wine. And it may be possible that it is this light color and delicate flavor and texture that attract the Pinot Noir fans to this fine wine.The light and delicate wine has a very soft texture that tastes almost the same as a piece of silk on the body. Depending upon where the Pinot Noir grape was grown, it can also have many flavors including earthy, spicy, herbal, floral, cherry and even light tannin flavors. red winesuits all people from the regular wine drinker to the new wine drinker as well and is a perfect accompaniment to any meal. The kind of wine it is, the Pinot Noir can also be paired easily with any kind of food but generally goes best with Seafood, Beef, Fowl, vegetarian dishes, mushrooms and more. Pinot Noirs are best served in the large balloon like burgundy glasses. These glasses allow for a lot of swirling around and the aroma that spreads amplifies the taste of this beautiful Wine.

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