Silhouettes have been a huge part of cinema, but telling stories with shadows<\/strong> is nothing new. You can go all the way back to the Han Dynasty of China (between 206 B.C. and\u00a0220 A.D.) to find some of the earliest records of shadow puppets. This ancient form of storytelling and entertainment has captured audiences for centuries<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Many directors and cinematographers have made legendary film sequences using silhouettes. Here’s a look at how silhouettes can be used to create suspense, a feeling of isolation, or a romanticized view of the world.<\/p>\n Perhaps the most prominent use of silhouettes come from the noir films of the 1940s and 50s. The French term film noir <\/em>literally translates to black film<\/strong> or dark movie<\/strong>. Those Hollywood noir films were actually heavily influenced by the German Expressionism<\/a> of the 1910s to 1930s. German silent cinema\u00a0of that era\u00a0was decades ahead of Hollywood.<\/p>\n The Babelsberg Studio<\/a>,\u00a0located just outside of Berlin, is one of the oldest film studios in the world. The studio began producing films in 1912, and was home to countless projects like\u00a0Fritz Lang’s<\/a>\u00a0classic\u00a0Metropolis<\/em><\/a>. In 1924, Babelsberg collaborated with the UK studio Gainsborough Pictures<\/a> on the film The Blackguard<\/em><\/a>. That film was the first by Gainsborough to be produced abroad. To work on the film, they sent over assistant director and art director Alfred Hitchcock<\/a>.<\/p>\n I acquired a strong German influence by working [in] Berlin. –\u00a0BBC Television<\/a><\/sup><\/p><\/blockquote>\n German expressionism\u00a0would be a huge part of Hitchcock’s signature style on countless films. The director’s use of silhouettes helped him earn the moniker The Master of Suspense.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n He frequently used the technique to focus the audience on a threat<\/strong>. In 1941’s\u00a0Suspicion<\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>Hitchcock used a silhouette of actor Cary Grant<\/a> carrying a glass of milk.<\/p>\n Cinematographer\u00a0Harry Stradling Sr.<\/a>\u00a0worked with Hitchcock to create this eerie image, which makes\u00a0the audience wonder if the glass of milk is poisoned. This sequences cuts to a scene of Grant pressuring\u00a0his co-star Joan Fontaine<\/a> to drink the milk. Without the silhouette, the scene wouldn’t be nearly as ominous.<\/p>\n This particular Hitchcock silhouette pays homage to the 1922 German film Nosferatu<\/em><\/a>, which featured the vampire Count Orlock creeping up a\u00a0staircase.<\/p>\n You can’t mention Hitchcock’s use of the silhouette without mentioning the legendary shower scene in Psycho<\/a><\/em>. The entire sequence disguises the murderer<\/strong> in silhouette, failing to give the audience a real glimpse of the attacker.<\/p>\n The shower sequence was storyboarded by Saul Bass<\/a>, who was tasked with capturing screenwriter Joseph Stefano’s<\/a>\u00a0notes that stated the scene should give:<\/p>\n …an impression of a knife slashing, as if tearing at the very screen, ripping the film. –\u00a0TCM<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Cinematographer Roger Deakins<\/a>\u00a0could have an entire masterclass written just on his use of silhouettes. Many of his films feature at least one silhouette. When it comes to choosing when to use a silhouette, Deakins admits it comes down to instincts.<\/p>\n Most of he choices I make are instinctive, so I can’t really give you a reason for when I shoot a\u00a0silhouette<\/span>\u00a0shot. Obviously, it comes from the script and the scene, but a\u00a0silhouette<\/span>\u00a0can be used for a romantic moment as much as it can be used for something more sinister.\u00a0<\/span>– Roger Deakins<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Deciding on the shot also comes down to the the circumstances of a character’s situation.\u00a0More often that not, isolation is a\u00a0key factor<\/strong> in Deakins’ silhouettes.<\/p>\n A\u00a0silhouette<\/span>\u00a0could<\/span> signify isolation and loneliness or it could signify a threat. Context is key. – Roger Deakins<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Isolation\u00a0doesn’t only mean that the character is alone. The feeling of loneliness can be portrayed with the right framing. In the below still from Jarhead<\/a><\/em>, notice there are actually several Marines in the shot, but only one stands out by himself.<\/p>\n Deakins pulled off a similar\u00a0shot in Sicario<\/em><\/a>, however this time\u00a0the audiences feels the isolation as they walk alongside Emily Blunt<\/a>. Blunt plays\u00a0an outside agent caught up in an\u00a0operation against a drug cartel \u2014 an operation that the others want her being no part of.<\/p>\n Like Deakins mentioned before, silhouettes can also be used to romanticize a moment. This isn’t merely referring to romantic relationships, but as a way a presenting images in an idealized way<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Steven Spielberg<\/a>\u00a0is a\u00a0director known for using silhouettes in a variety of situations. The blockbuster master used silhouettes to terrify people out of the water in Jaws<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n Spielberg whisked\u00a0audiences to magical heights\u00a0with his famous lunar flyby in\u00a0E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial<\/em><\/a>. The silhouette was so instantly iconic, it became the director’s signature; the image now represents his production company,\u00a0Amblin Entertainment<\/a>.<\/p>\n He made us feel the brutal heat of the desert\u00a0sun in Raiders of the Lost Ark<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n Spielberg even took audiences far across enemy lines in Saving Private Ryan<\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>accentuating the impossible task of finding one unknown man among many armies.<\/p>\n An examination of Spielberg’s work alone showcases the silhouette’s ability to transcend storytelling. His silhouettes evoke so much more than the image presents on screen. So many of his silhouettes have become iconic film images in their own right, proving the silhouette can not only set a mood \u2014 but define an entire film.<\/p>\n As a cinematographer, you have many options when using a silhouette. You can easily use the technique to romanticize a moment or accentuate action. You can terrify audiences by building suspense or feel the isolation of a character. How do you like to use silhouettes?<\/strong> Let us know in the comments below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The perfect silhouette can immerse audiences into a story without ever revealing too much information.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":72624,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4519,3843,583],"tags":[1093,536,472],"class_list":["post-class-post-72359","post-class-post","post-class-type-post","post-class-status-publish","post-class-format-standard","post-class-has-post-thumbnail","post-class-hentry","post-class-category-cinematography-2","post-class-category-filmmaking-2","post-class-category-video-production-2","post-class-tag-cinematography","post-class-tag-filmmaking","post-class-tag-video-production"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nThe Suspenseful Silhouettes of Alfred Hitchcock<\/h3>\n
![\"Setting](\"https:\/\/pbblogassets.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Hitchcock_Silhouette.jpg\" "\\"Setting")
\nImage:\u00a0Alfred Hitchcock Presents<\/a>\u00a0via CBS<\/em><\/p>\n![\"Setting](\"https:\/\/pbblogassets.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Hitchcock_Suspicion.jpg\" "\\"Setting")
\nImage: Suspicion<\/a> via RKO Pictures<\/em><\/p>\n![\"Setting](\"https:\/\/pbblogassets.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Nosferatu_Silhouette.jpg\" "\\"Setting")
\nImage: Nosferatu<\/a>\u00a0via\u00a0Jofa-Atelier Berlin-Johannisthal<\/em><\/p>\n\n
![\"Setting](\"https:\/\/pbblogassets.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Hitchcock_Psycho_Silhouette.jpg\" "\\"Setting")
\nImage: Psycho<\/a> via Paramount Pictures<\/em><\/p>\n
\nThe Isolated Silhouettes of Roger Deakins<\/h3>\n
![\"Setting](\"https:\/\/pbblogassets.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Jesse_James_Silhouette.jpg\" "\\"Setting")
\nImage:\u00a0The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford<\/a> via Warner Bros.<\/em><\/p>\n![\"Setting](\"https:\/\/pbblogassets.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Skyfall_Silhouette.jpg\" "\\"Setting")
\nImage: Skyfall<\/a> via Sony Pictures<\/em><\/p>\n![\"Setting](\"https:\/\/pbblogassets.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Jarhead_Silhouette.jpg\" "\\"Setting")
\nImage: Jarhead<\/a> via Universal Pictures<\/em><\/p>\n![\"Setting](\"https:\/\/pbblogassets.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Sicario_Silhouette.jpg\" "\\"Setting")
\nImage: Sicario<\/a>\u00a0via Lionsgate<\/em><\/p>\n
\nThe Romantic\u00a0Silhouettes of Steven Spielberg<\/h3>\n
![\"Setting](\"https:\/\/pbblogassets.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Jaws_Silhouette.jpg\" "\\"Setting")
\n<\/a>Image:\u00a0Jaws<\/a>\u00a0via Universal Pictures<\/em><\/p>\n![\"Setting](\"https:\/\/pbblogassets.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2016\/03\/ET_Silhouette.jpg\" "\\"Setting")
\n<\/a>Image:\u00a0E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial<\/a>\u00a0via Universal Pictures<\/em><\/p>\n![\"Setting](\"https:\/\/pbblogassets.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Raiders_Ark_Silhouette.jpg\" "\\"Setting")
\n<\/a>Image:\u00a0Raiders of the Lost Ark<\/a>\u00a0via Paramount Pictures<\/em><\/p>\n![\"Setting](\"https:\/\/pbblogassets.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Private_Ryan_Silhouette.jpg\" "\\"Setting")
\n<\/a>Image:\u00a0Saving Private Ryan<\/a> via Dreamworks<\/em><\/p>\n
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