Chapter 5 - Tone

Tone

Definition

  • Tone refers to the brightness of objects, not script tone or sound qualities.
  • The range of brightness can be illustrated using a gray scale.
  • Controlling brightness is crucial in both black and white and color productions.
  • Color can be a distraction from the important visual control that tone provides.

Directing Attention and Affecting Mood

  • The tonal range helps direct the audience's attention; the brightest area usually attracts attention first, especially without movement.
  • It also affects the mood and emotional feeling of a picture.

Controlling the Gray Scale

  • Three ways to control tone (brightness):
    • Reflective control (art direction).
    • Incident control (lighting).
    • Exposure (camera and lens adjustments).
Reflective Control (Art Direction)
  • Brightness range controlled by the reflectance values of objects.
  • Dark look: use dark scenery, clothing, and objects; remove bright objects.
  • Bright look: remove dark objects and replace them with bright ones.
  • Contrasty look: use very dark and very bright objects.
  • If reflective control is used for an entire production, lighting must be shadowless and flat.
  • Tonal control is in the hands of the art director and costume designer.
  • Example: Television situation comedies and talk shows use reflective control due to multiple cameras and the need for even lighting.
  • Art director controls the tonal range, or brightness, of the production with brighter tones appearing light on screen and darker costumes appearing dark.
Incident Control (Lighting)
  • The gray scale is controlled by the amount of light falling on objects.
  • A white wall can appear dark if shadowed.
  • Brightness controlled by light, not the object's actual tone.
  • Bright objects can be made to look dark, and vice versa, through lighting.
  • Examples: Film noir movies emphasize incident control.
  • Silent films depended on expressive lighting to communicate moods and emotions.
Exposure
  • Adjusting the lens or camera affects the overall picture brightness.
  • Less selective than reflective or incident control.
  • Adjusting the camera’s shutter or the lens’ f-stop will either make the entire picture brighter or darker.
  • Cannot selectively adjust the brightness of individual elements.
  • The entire tonal range is shifted when adjusting the f-stop.

Coincidence and Noncoincidence

  • Refers to the relationship between the tonal organization and the subject.
  • Coincidence of tone: tonal range reveals the subject.
  • Noncoincidence of tone: tonal range obscures the subject.
  • To determine coincidence, the picture maker must identify the subject.
  • The subject can be obscured by any portion of the tonal scale.
  • Obscuring the subject must be accomplished through the control of tone.
  • Films use coincidence of tone because the subject is clearly visible allowing the audience to know where to look.
  • Comedy uses coincidence of tone to help add clarity to jokes.
  • A key ingredient in horror, mystery, and suspense films is the audience’s inability to see the subject, for example, the attacker, victim, witness, confidant, etc.
  • Noncoincidence often makes the audience more aware of the sound, such as dialogue, sound effects, or music.

Contrast and Affinity

  • Contrast and affinity can occur within a shot, from shot to shot, or sequence to sequence.
  • Maximum contrast of tone is black and white.
  • Maximum affinity is any two grays next to one another on the gray scale.
  • Tonal control must be overt to be useful; a shot designed for maximum contrast must eliminate intermediate shades of gray.
  • Affinity of tone is difficult to achieve and maintain; limiting the tonal range is more practical.
  • Restricting the tonal range to only the upper or lower half of the gray scale is not as effective, because a middle gray and a white or black tone can appear too contrasty.

Controlling Tone in Production

  1. Find the subject: Know where you want the audience to look; without movement, they'll look at the brightest area.
  2. Don't confuse color with tone: Evaluate lighting by ignoring color; use a black and white test or monitor.
  3. Hide or reveal objects: Use tone to emphasize important objects and hide unimportant ones; consider noncoincidence of tone.

Films to Watch

  • Contrast of Tone

    • T-Men (1947)
      • Directed by Anthony Mann
      • Written by John Higgins
      • Photographed by John Alton
      • Art Direction by Edward Jewell
    • Raw Deal (1948)
      • Directed by Anthony Mann
      • Written by John Higgins
      • Photographed by John Alton
      • Art Direction by Edward Jewell

  • Contrast and Affinity of Tone

    • Kill Bill (2003)
      • Directed by Quentin Tarantino
      • Written Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman
      • Photographed by Robert Richardson
      • Production Design by Yohei Taneda and David Wasco

  • Tonal Control Due to Reflectance or Incidence

    • The Conformist (1969)
      • Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci
      • Written by Bernardo Bertolucci
      • Photographed by Vittorio Storaro
      • Production Design by Fernando Scarfiotti

  • Repulsion (1965)

    • Directed by Roman Polanski
    • Written by Roman Polanski
    • Photographed by Gilbert Taylor
    • Art Direction by Seamus Flannery

  • Manhattan (1979)

    • Directed by Woody Allen
    • Written by Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman
    • Photographed by Gordon Willis
    • Production Design by Mel Bourne