Dark Canvas - Looking at people of colour, lighting black and brown skin tones

Abstract

This thesis approaches research on cinematic depictions of people of colour predominantly through the art of lighting, one of the biggest aesthetic tools of a cinematographer. It contemplates the portrayal of people colour and brings up philosophical questions about the gaze and its whiteness. It questions the Western and Nordic perception of people of colour and wonders, how can we begin to reshape these aesthetics and decolonize imagery? Could one way be simply lighting with intention, capturing and presenting the beauty of dark skin accurately?

I looked into the racial bias of technology, as well as the statistics of BIPOC representation in Finnish cinema and television in the 2020s, and reflected on the effects of stereotyping people of colour through this imagery.

As a major part of this research, I also conducted a test shoot to see how different skin tones behave under similar lighting conditions. I tested the reflectance of skin and how different shades of black and brown skin reacted to light sources of different quality and colour temperature, different reflectors and coloured light.

And finally, I have included personal contemplation and reflection on my own experience as a creator and a woman of colour.