Integration: Revealing Volumes

The concept at the center of this study is best displayed in this shot from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

The clip above shows that atmospherics can be hidden in a scene until revealed by a specific lighting condition. Visual interest is added to a shot not only when light is given an atmospheric texture, but when light discovers atmospherics.

Revealing VOLUMES

I learned that this same concept is more interesting when shown in bursts. It contrasts a massive reveal with hiding the element. Like in fireworks:

Different lights can reveal different sections of the hanging atmosphere:

In a Disney fire show, it takes this concept further by revealing atmosphere at different depths:

The more atmosphere you have, the more chroma-spread you’ll have in the frame. However, even with the large wash of color, it’s important to keep the texture of the atmosphere that you’re illuminating like in this video below. (You can also look for subtle atmospheric movement within the searchlights)

REVEALING LIGHT

On the flip side, atmospherics themselves can reveal. The previous examples showed atmospherics being revealed within the confines of light. However, there are cases when you can reveal an effect strictly within the atmospherics themselves.

In the opening scene from Spectre, the laser sight is only revealed within moving atmospherics (dust and smoke).

This is actually a similar concept to rainbows. They can only appear when hitting drops of water in somewhat frontal sunlight. This allows for more interesting integration of rainbows in scenes because they don’t have to be at full opacity and can be masked by a patchy texture for more variation and visual interest. This can be found in fog, mist an water.

Frederick Edwin Church “Rainy Season in the Tropics”:

Yosemite Falls: