This image is from The American Astronaut. It takes place in the beginning of the movie when the main character is entering a saloon (in space…) and we get to see the villain's reaction to his entrance. I find this image compelling because I think it portrays the convoluted, evil nature of the character very well. This is, in fact, a type of lighting that I'd very much like to imitate. It can have many different effects depending on the context, but in this case the sharp, partial lighting of his face creates a sense of foreboding. I think this is partly due to the uncertainty that it creates; you don't really know what the left side of his face is doing. And of course, darkness in western culture is usually associated with evil.
This image is from The Big Lebowski. It's near the beginning of the movie, in the credits section that consists of a montage of images of people bowling. The whole thing is kind of tongue-in-cheek, because it's portraying a sport that most people don't take very seriously in a very serious light (pun intended). In most of the shots, it seems the director/DP are trying to portray bowling as a majestic, graceful sport. This shot perfectly embodies that idea to me. The way that everything is lined up in the shot perfectly to look like geometric patterns, the way the light from the overhead fluorescents creates wispy slices of light on everything - it all gives a sense of grace.
This shot is from Good Night, and Good Luck. I think its purpose is similar to that of the shot from The Big Lebowski in that it is trying to present something in a very serious light, but unlike The Big Lebowski it is sincere. The very stark, high contrast shadows and the faint rimlight on his shoulder complement and sort of imitate the austere nature of the character and of the subject matter.
