# Lighting technique

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighting-technique/823840>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 1, 2018, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighting-technique/823840 "2018-11-01T14:58:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\
**Post date:** [November 1, 2018, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighting-technique/823840/1 "2018-11-01T14:58:45Z")

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Is there a name for that lighting technique you saw frequently in old black and white movies where they do a close up head shot of an actress and project what looks like a slit light over her eyes?

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**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\
**Post date:** [November 1, 2018, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighting-technique/823840/2 "2018-11-01T15:05:54Z")

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Film Noir?

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [November 1, 2018, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighting-technique/823840/3 "2018-11-01T15:09:35Z")

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‘Eye light’.

[Lighting for Film Noir](https://filmmakeriq.com/lessons/lighting-film-noir/)  
[Eye lighting tutorial](https://nofilmschool.com/2016/10/dedolights-light-your-eye-15-minutes-lighting-wisdom).

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**Author:** ![RedSwinglineOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a9adbd/32.png) [@RedSwinglineOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedSwinglineOne)\
**Post date:** [November 1, 2018, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighting-technique/823840/4 "2018-11-01T19:44:47Z")

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I always call it “Star Trek Lighting”.

[Here](http://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/1x02hd/charliexhd516.jpg) and [here](https://m0vie.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/tos-thealternativefactor4.jpg?w=468).