visual interest: distorted shadows

This study started when a good friend of mine introduced me to the concept of a moving shadow across an even surface as visual interest. He pointed me to the classic Nosferatu - where moving shadows over an uneven surface can create misalignment or distortion of the element:

By casting a shadow on an object that is round, has changes in planar direction or has surfaces elements at different depths (the video above), shadow distortion can add visual interest because there is change in form.

In Blade Runner 2049, The moving shadow over the stairs creates a stepped, almost stop-motion animated effect because of the surface shape it’s casting onto. The character’s shadows also the same visual interest, distorting as the characters stay constant.

Another example is from The Rocketeer. Notice the shadow in the bottom screen right with the variation of surfaces the plane casts onto. Imagine if the ground was flat, it wouldn’t have the same jittered energy.

The last example is a visualization from NASA. It shows two types of distortions: curved and extended shadows over the plane of Saturn’s rings.