The Aesthetics of Shadow

Lighting and Japanese Cinema

Nonfiction, History, Asian, Japan, Entertainment, Film, History & Criticism, Performing Arts
Cover of the book The Aesthetics of Shadow by Daisuke Miyao, Duke University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Daisuke Miyao ISBN: 9780822399667
Publisher: Duke University Press Publication: March 4, 2013
Imprint: Duke University Press Books Language: English
Author: Daisuke Miyao
ISBN: 9780822399667
Publisher: Duke University Press
Publication: March 4, 2013
Imprint: Duke University Press Books
Language: English

In this revealing study, Daisuke Miyao explores "the aesthetics of shadow" in Japanese cinema in the first half of the twentieth century. This term, coined by the production designer Yoshino Nobutaka, refers to the perception that shadows add depth and mystery. Miyao analyzes how this notion became naturalized as the representation of beauty in Japanese films, situating Japanese cinema within transnational film history. He examines the significant roles lighting played in distinguishing the styles of Japanese film from American and European film and the ways that lighting facilitated the formulation of a coherent new Japanese cultural tradition. Miyao discusses the influences of Hollywood and German cinema alongside Japanese Kabuki theater lighting traditions and the emergence of neon commercial lighting during this period. He argues that lighting technology in cinema had been structured by the conflicts of modernity in Japan, including capitalist transitions in the film industry, the articulation of Japanese cultural and national identity, and increased subjectivity for individuals. By focusing on the understudied element of film lighting and treating cinematographers and lighting designers as essential collaborators in moviemaking, Miyao offers a rereading of Japanese film history.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In this revealing study, Daisuke Miyao explores "the aesthetics of shadow" in Japanese cinema in the first half of the twentieth century. This term, coined by the production designer Yoshino Nobutaka, refers to the perception that shadows add depth and mystery. Miyao analyzes how this notion became naturalized as the representation of beauty in Japanese films, situating Japanese cinema within transnational film history. He examines the significant roles lighting played in distinguishing the styles of Japanese film from American and European film and the ways that lighting facilitated the formulation of a coherent new Japanese cultural tradition. Miyao discusses the influences of Hollywood and German cinema alongside Japanese Kabuki theater lighting traditions and the emergence of neon commercial lighting during this period. He argues that lighting technology in cinema had been structured by the conflicts of modernity in Japan, including capitalist transitions in the film industry, the articulation of Japanese cultural and national identity, and increased subjectivity for individuals. By focusing on the understudied element of film lighting and treating cinematographers and lighting designers as essential collaborators in moviemaking, Miyao offers a rereading of Japanese film history.

More books from Duke University Press

Cover of the book Complexities by Daisuke Miyao
Cover of the book States of Imagination by Daisuke Miyao
Cover of the book Medium Cool by Daisuke Miyao
Cover of the book Swing Shift by Daisuke Miyao
Cover of the book The Camera as Historian by Daisuke Miyao
Cover of the book Classical Hollywood Narrative by Daisuke Miyao
Cover of the book Black Power TV by Daisuke Miyao
Cover of the book Passing and the Fictions of Identity by Daisuke Miyao
Cover of the book Rereading Cultural Anthropology by Daisuke Miyao
Cover of the book Stolen Life by Daisuke Miyao
Cover of the book Twenty Theses on Politics by Daisuke Miyao
Cover of the book The Yale Indian by Daisuke Miyao
Cover of the book Red Tape by Daisuke Miyao
Cover of the book Unsettling India by Daisuke Miyao
Cover of the book Dark Continents by Daisuke Miyao
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy