AMERICAN NIGHT

Filming in " nighttime " is a cinematographic technique that allows exterior scenes to be filmed during the day that are supposed to take place at night.

The night effect is characterized by a black sky and contrasting lighting. Very often, images are underexposed, meaning they are dark. If the shot is in color, the dominance of the blue color will be very present.

He points out that for a good filming in American night, it is imperative to have a completely clear sky, without clouds or flying objects. A polarizing filter can make the blue sky much darker.

In both color and black and white, graduated filters are used to darken the upper part of the image (when the plane is fixed).

Color shots are taken in a way where a bluish or violet filter is added, imitating the Purkinje effect, allowing the blue color to be perceived more precisely in the dark.

Regarding the pink colored parts of the skin, these must be made up in order to darken them and keep a color as close to "natural" as possible.

We talked about the Purkinje effect above, here is a mapped explanation:

We might think that the image is everything, but no, the soundtrack plays a very important role.

For example, in nature, nighttime sounds are easily differentiated from daytime sounds. Sound processing can contribute to a nighttime effect when done well.

When do we use American night?

Very often used in the 1980s, this technique is much rarer these days. Interest will focus on scenes that take place in the countryside or mountains, avoiding any stray lighting as much as possible.

This technique is more economical, shooting at night outdoors is much more expensive.

Note that the expression "American night" is only used in France.