Evocative lighting strategies and engaging camera motion in Christopher Doyle's collaborations with Wong Kar-wai

Abstract

This thesis analyses the evocative and visually engaging approaches used by cinematographer Christopher Doyle in his collaborations with director Wong Kar-wai. To analyse Doyle’s distinctive approaches in diverse shooting environments, focus is placed on his lighting strategies and camera motion. The methodology consists of formal analysis, specifically comparing Wong and Doyle’s use of camera movements and lighting strategies to evoke visual moods and engage the audience in the diegesis. A narrower focus is placed on Doyle’s deliberate use of coloured lighting strategies and handheld camera movements. The assessments are supported by information from previously published theories and observations on lighting, colour, and camera motion. The analyses focus on feature films that highlight Wong and Doyle’s bold and versatile visual approach, namely: Chungking Express (1994), Fallen Angels (1995), and In the Mood for Love (2000). The results suggest that the engaging qualities of Doyle’s camera movements originate in the narrative functions that the camera movements fulfil. The evocative aspects of Doyle’s lighting strategies are varied and include conveying a three-dimensionality in a two-dimensional medium, evoking moods through aesthetics of unfamiliarity and evoking visual moods that are congruent with the mood implied by narrative content. Resulting from a certain necessity, Wong Kar-wai and Christopher Doyle’s filming approaches imbue their work with audacity and innovation within the filmic spaces set in colourful Hong Kong.