How is Moonlight, nominated for the Oscar for Best Photography, painted?

Color mixing compares the original image in the camera with the final image in the film.

Earlier in the pre-production, Jenkins and Laxton will share photos with bickel, expressing that this is the light quality they want. "They started testing materials, and I could see the light contrast and design. My job is to achieve the emotional infection they want through color matching, "bickel said.

Bickel brown moonlight is divided into three steps: extracting some colors from the middle tone to make it look better, adding some blue to the black part and combing out bright colors, so that the image will show the effect of white light reflection.

Bickel marveled at Laxton's technique of casting light into shadows to shape characters' faces, but there were still many details to be dealt with. "When dealing with outdoor scenes during the day, colors need high contrast, so it's hard not to use a lot of black and white," bickel said. "And this movie has a lot of skin color to deal with, and it always happens that the details can't be separated."

After working closely with Jenkins and Laxton, bickel often conducts color matching experiments to meet the requirements of photography directors and directors. Three people think that the first thing to do is the image of Juan (played by Mahershala Ali).

The original image in the camera contrasts with the final image in the movie.

"This photo has everything about moonlight," Laxton said. "There are dense tropical palm trees in the background, which are clear and Wan Li with saturated colors. The Miami sun shines on the skin of Mahsala, and the skin color is very positive, while the skin color is darker. To some extent, it has achieved the effect we want the movie screen to present. "

Bickel added that this film has become particularly important for the three collaborators, who have always regarded this film as the standard for the rest of the film.

Imitate three different movies

In cooperation with color scientist BillFeightner, bickel has learned to use LUTs, which can display colors according to the effect of specific film shooting. Moonlight is divided into three chapters, and each chapter presents a unique picture effect by imitating a specific film.

According to bickel, the first chapter is to imitate fujifilm. This kind of film looks warmer and reflects the texture of skin color. The third chapter imitates the improved Kodak film, which is not so restrained, and the picture looks more popular and shiny.

Compared with the final image in the film, the original image in the camera is the most distinctive in the second chapter of Moonlight, which bickel attributed to Agfa film. This long-retired German film makes the bright part of the image appear blue-green, and the middle part of the film appears blue-green tone. As can be seen from the image of naomie harris above.