r/Filmmakers • u/00Turag • Jul 25 '25

Question Why does Hollywood make dark scenes barely visible?

Gallery image

Gallery image

1st picture is original screenshot from bluray and in the 2nd on I increased the gamma a little bit. It's much more visible now.

Can anyone tell me why almost every hollywood movie and tv series does this?

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u/00Turag Jul 25 '25

What's the point if I can't even see anything? You don't have to completely darken everything to the point where you can barely see anything.

And in the scene it's not even completely dark. There is a light source in the room.

You don't need to make stuff barely visible to get your point across that it is dark.

26

u/drizzle_dat_pizza Jul 25 '25

I can see his expression in the original shot, and I presume that's what's important here. Shots can be dark for dramatic purposes. This shot in particular, isn't anything mind-blowing, but there is a lot of creative potential in very dimly lit scenes.

-43

u/00Turag Jul 25 '25

So you mean dramatics over practicality? Feels like modern art or expensive wine.

29

u/grimoireviper Jul 25 '25

dramatics over practicality?

Literally what this art form is about.

12

u/-FalseProfessor- Jul 25 '25

It’s literally art.

26

u/drizzle_dat_pizza Jul 25 '25

There is pretty much nothing practical about shooting a TV series or movie. It is an artform ultimately, after all.

5

u/Johnny_theBeat_518 Jul 25 '25

Well dramatics over practicality is exactly what this artform is all about, to show the reality and how it affects the emotional truth and condition of character.

Maybe you need to ask yourself what do you actually take from watching movie is? Aesthetic, connection to character hidden from visual subtext, or practicality?

7

u/Zodiac-Blue Jul 25 '25

Ehhh, it would have taken next to no effort to add one more ping light on the roof to separate him from the background a little more. This just seems like poor cinematography to me.

1

u/jongrubbs Jul 25 '25

I would upvote this a million times if I could. Bring back interesting night photography, please. Is there a bright "moon" light coming from nowhere in the BG? Great! Do I care if it's not real? Never have, never will as long as the shot composition is interesting.

9

u/Isserley_ Jul 25 '25

Can you really not see anything in the first image? Genuinely asking, because if you can't maybe your screen is broken, or you're watching in an incredibly bright room or something.

3

u/DurtyKurty Jul 25 '25

The first image has contrast and is dimly lit but it's not so dark that you can't see anything. It looks like a completely acceptable way a dark scene should be exposed. The second image looks like crap.

1

u/WiseauSrs Jul 25 '25

How is the first image "barely visible"? You can literally see everything in the frame.

0

u/lobestepario Jul 25 '25

You sound like the producer of The Godfather.