Forkright Films Collaborates with Local Community Theatre Company

Volunteer Work

Feb 19

Bringing Noir to Life: Cinematography Behind Hood & Dagger Productions' Gossip

As a cinematographer, few things excite me more than the chance to experiment with striking visuals and rich storytelling. Recently, Forkright Films the opportunity to collaborate with Hood & Dagger Productions, a passionate local community theatre nonprofit, on a film noir-inspired shoot for their latest play, Gossip, written by the legendary George F. Walker. Capturing the essence of noir through cinematography presented an exciting challenge—one that I was eager to take on.

Embracing the Noir Aesthetic

Film noir is known for its dramatic contrasts, heavy use of shadows, and moody atmosphere. These elements perfectly aligned with the themes of Gossip, a play steeped in intrigue, deception, and sharp dialogue. My goal was to create visuals that felt true to the noir tradition while also maintaining a contemporary edge.

To achieve this, I leaned into the core visual language of classic noir: high-contrast lighting, deep blacks, and sharp silhouettes. The interplay of light and shadow wasn’t just an artistic choice—it was a storytelling tool that heightened tension and added depth to the characters.

Cinematic Approach: Lighting & Composition

For this shoot, we worked in a dance studio, which required some creativity to shape the environment into a cinematic setting. I carefully crafted a lighting setup that emphasized strong directional light sources, creating the signature noir look. We primarily used:

Aputure 600D with F10 Fresnel: This served as our main key light, positioned at an angle to sculpt the actors' faces with deep shadows, reinforcing the sense of mystery and unease.
Aputure 120D IIs: These lights helped fill in areas subtly while maintaining the moody atmosphere.
Black Commando Cloth: We used a lot of black fabric to control spill and deepen shadows, giving us greater contrast.
Practical Lighting: Strategically placed practicals, such as dimly lit lamps, helped add authenticity to the setting while complementing the noir aesthetic.
Negative Fill: By using negative fill, we deepened shadows and created a stark contrast between light and dark areas in the frame.

One new technique I experimented with on this shoot was using a custom black and white LUT to monitor the look in-camera. I had never used a black and white monitor LUT before, so it was an interesting experience to see how it influenced my framing and lighting decisions in real time.

Overcoming Challenges

One of the biggest challenges of this shoot was controlling the light in a non-traditional space. Since we were in a dance studio, I had to adapt to the limitations of the location while maintaining a consistent noir look. Balancing exposure while preserving deep blacks without losing detail was another challenge, but careful metering and tweaking in post helped retain the intended aesthetic.

The Final Look

This shoot was a fantastic learning experience, both in terms of lighting techniques and monitoring workflow. Working with Hood & Dagger Productions was a rewarding collaboration, and their dedication to storytelling made it an enjoyable process.

Check out some of the stills from the shoot below, and let me know what you think! Have you ever experimented with noir lighting? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.