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Thousands of feature films have been shot entirely with natural or available light, including the 21 iconic movies highlighted in this article. In many cases, naturally lit films achieve stunning visuals that far surpass what would have been possible with more traditional lighting setups.

Directors from all eras in film history have embraced natural lighting. From Jean Luc Godard during the French New Wave to Michael Mann in the 1990s to Robert Eggers today.

Still though, movies shot entirely with natural light are relatively rare. Despite the examples we'll go over shortly, the vast majority of filmmakers simply don't even consider it as an option.

Conventional wisdom will tell you that using a more standard film lighting setup will yield superior results. That it gives you more control over your palette and therefore opens up greater creative possibilities.

But then there are films like The Tree of Life that make the argument that no light is better than natural light. In reality though, there are no right or wrong choices - just different creative paths.

The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick

The Tree of Life (Behind The Scenes), Terrence Malick

Choosing Natural Light

Clearly there are many feature films that should not be shot with natural light. Action spectacles, superhero movies, stylized sci-fi epics, and VFX heavy features are just a few broad examples.

In many of the above cases, the highest degree of control over color temperatures and lighting ratios is critical in order to do the story justice.

By no means would I ever argue against traditional film lighting for these type of projects.

But many independent (and even studio) films in other genres thrive with a more organic aesthetic, and using natural/available light is one of the best ways to get there. It can be both stylistically superior and far more practical.

Days of Heaven, Terrence Malick

Days of Heaven, Terrence Malick

The Problem With Micro-Budget Film Lighting

In every respect, micro-budget feature films are made or broken by how well they embrace their limitations.

Nearly all failed micro-budget features share the same achilles heel: They've tried to replicate Hollywood style productions on a smaller scale.

They've aimed to make a Blockbuster spectacle for $20,000. Or they've chosen to work in a genre or scope far beyond the bounds of what is truly optimal in micro-budget filmmaking.

This issue manifests in every way - from the screenwriting phase onward. But it's most obviously found in the camera and lighting department, with the overuse of gear and over-lighting of scenes.

No matter how far lighting and camera technology evolves, bigger budgets will always produce superior results... At least with traditional lighting setups.

Attempting to compete with lesser gear and resources is simply a dead end.

Natural Light & Production Value

For filmmakers truly on a limited budget, there is perhaps no better way to increase your production value than by shooting with natural light.
The sun will always be the ultimate light source, and most Hollywood features spend millions of dollars trying to replicate its look within the bounds of a studio environment.
Lucky for us, we don't need to spend a dollar or even use a single piece of extra kit to capture similar results. It just takes a different approach.

Children Of Men, Alfonso Cuarón

Children Of Men (Behind The Scenes), Alfonso Cuarón

I certainly don't want to make shooting with natural light sound easy, however.

Any time and energy you may save on set needs to be made up for (and then some) during prep. Shooting with natural light looks easy and effortless when it works, but that's only because an immense amount of planning has gone into it.

You need to know exactly where the sun is going to be at all times of day, and how to improvise in various overcast conditions. You also need to be able to work much faster, to ensure all given shots in a scene or sequence will match. Waiting too long and letting the direction of the sun change is a recipe for disaster.

But assuming you've done your homework and are prepared to thrive under natural light conditions, the results can be spectacular.

Natural Light Vs. Available Light

Natural light typically refers to sunlight, either captured directly outdoors, or indirectly indoors - for example pouring in through a window.

Available light is every other type of light source, except for dedicated film lights.

A practical light (such as a desk lamp) could be one source of available light. Another might be a street lamp or car headlights or even the glow of a cellphone. Virtually anything can be a source of light.

One of the best examples of available light use is in Kubrick's Barry Lyndon -

Barry Lyndon, Stanley Kubrick

Unlike working with natural light however, there are some additional challenges when working with available light.
You may run into flicker issues, odd color temperatures, and challenging exposure levels. Not to mention, available light typically takes more adjustment (whether in camera or through blocking) to work with, and is not as intuitive as true natural light.

However, the benefits of using available light are still obvious.

When planned for strategically, it can speed up your process on set and make for a unique, cinema vérité type of mood.

Wild (Behind The Scenes), Jean-Marc Vallée

The Revenant (Behind The Scenes), Alejandro Iñárritu

Major Feature Films Shot With Natural Light

Below are a handful of the thousands of movies shot with natural and available light.

In most cases, these movies were shot exclusively with natural light, although in a handful of examples the films used some very minor additional lighting. Even in those cases though, roughly 95%+ of the shots in the movie were naturally lit.

Here are the films in alphabetical order, with the directors listed as well:

1. Amadeus, Milos Forman

2. Barry Lyndon, Stanley Kubrick

3. Bloody Sunday, Paul Greengrass

4. Breathless, Jean Luc Godard

5. Children Of Men, Alfonso Cuarón

6. Days Of Heaven, Terrence Malick

7. Deliverance, John Boorman

8. Festen, Thomas Vinterberg

9. Gerry, Gus Van Sant

10. Idioterne, Lars von Trier

11. The Crossing Guard, Sean Penn

12. The French Connection, William Friedkin

13. The Girlfriend Experience, Steven Soderbergh

14. The Last of The Mohicans, Michael Mann

15. The Long Goodbye, Robert Altman

16. The Revenant, Alejandro Iñárritu

17. The Tree Of Life, Terrence Malick

18. The Witch, Robert Eggers

19. Tom Jones, Tony Richardson

20. Walkabout, Nicolas Roeg

21. Wild, Jean-Marc Vallée

Final Thoughts

Natural light is definitely not the right approach for every project, but for those working on independent, low-budget productions, the benefits are hard to ignore. And there are clearly enough examples through the history of cinema to make a case for natural light as a powerful creative tool.

Many of the examples listed above are movies shot on real film stock in an era where traditional film lighting was a far greater necessity than it is today.

With modern digital sensors that are capable of producing fantastic results at very high ISOs, and have film-like dynamic range to match, it's never been easier to embrace natural light.

If you are planning to go down this path yourself, you might want to check out my article on shooting in natural light here.

Otherwise, be sure to leave a comment and let me know your thoughts on shooting this way!
And for more exclusive articles like this every Sunday, sign up for my newsletter here. When you're ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:
1. Make a feature film today: The No-Budget Feature Film Blueprint

2. Build your network and sharpen your craft in our community: The Backlot

3. Color grade & polish your footage with my post-production tools on: Cinecolor

About Author

Noam Kroll is an award-winning Los Angeles based filmmaker, and the founder of the boutique production house, Creative Rebellion. His work can be seen at international film festivals, on network television, and in various publications across the globe. Follow Noam on , Instagram and Facebook for more content like this!

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21 Movies Shot Entirely With Natural Light & Why You Should Consider It Too - Noam Kroll

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Thousands of feature films have been shot entirely with natural or available light, including the 21 iconic movies highlighted in this article. In many cases, naturally lit films achieve stunning visuals that far surpass what would have been possible with more traditional lighting setups. Directors from all eras in film history have embraced natural lighting.

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With the right approach, natural light can deliver unparalleled visual results with gorgeous color tones and striking contrast.

With poor technique however, frustration and lackluster results are almost inevitable.

Many people mistakenly believe that natural light offers an easier shooting experience, but that couldn't be further from the truth. While shooting in natural light may have some tactical advantages - namely less gear and a faster setup time - with it come more complications.

Controlled lighting allows you to dial in your contrast ratios and color balance with scientific precision, and capture exactly what's in your mind... Or at least something very close to it.

In natural light, things get a lot trickier. The elements are out of your hands, and everything is in a constant state of flux. Changes in the angle of the sun, cloud coverage, environmental lighting (causing temperature shifts), and more can all complicate your process dramatically.

My rule of thumb is always as follows -
Whatever time natural light saves you in production will be made up for in pre-production and post.
In other words, shooting in natural light may make for a less cumbersome experience on set, but that doesn't make the overall process any easier. You still need to pick up the slack in pre-production to ensure you're planning for every possible situation, and in post-production to fix any potential errors.

But today, we're not here to talk about prepping your shoot or coloring your images in post - despite those being key factors to a successful natural light production.

Rather, we'll be exploring what an optimal on-set workflow looks like under these conditions.
Below, I'll share the exact strategy I use to assess natural environments, and visualize shots that will make the most out of the available light.
Everything I'm sharing here can be applied to the most basic of setups - even for those shooting solo without any lighting equipment, bounce boards, or assistance on set.

If you know how to make natural light work for you, any shooting scenario is manageable, and environmental challenges can often lead to creative opportunities.

So here goes, a step by step breakdown on my natural light workflow on set -

Step 1: Assess the environment

The very first thing most people do once on set is turn on the camera to look through the viewfinder and take some test shots. Almost always though, that should come last.
The first step should simply be an assessment of the environment with your naked eye, which will give you an idea of how the natural light can work for your needs.
Let's use a hypothetical example, and assume we're shooting on a bright sunny beach that is partially shaded thanks to a large cliff on one side.

Upon arrival, we would start by identifying the brightest areas in our surroundings (likely the sky) and the darkest areas (perhaps the cliffside or some shrubs nearby).

We would then ask key questions about the quality, source, and intensity of the environmental light to assess which areas might work best for our needs -
How much range is there between the darkest part of the beach and the brightest? How much natural contrast am I seeing? Are there any other unique ways in which the light is bouncing around?
Taking a quick mental note of these things is always the best starting point. It gives you a global overview of your working environment, with all its challenges and opportunities, and leads right into to the next step -

Step 2 : Identify the point of optimal contrast

This is probably the most important step of all, and the skill that is most challenging to master. But once you have it, it's like a secret weapon.

You want to develop an ability to look at your environment and instantly know where to shoot based on the natural contrast ratios that you identified in the previous step.

A key factor here is having a strong vision for your shot beforehand. You have to know what you're looking for, otherwise you'll waste time with trial and error when you could be capturing the best light of the day.

Do you want to go for a soft, low contrast look? Or something more intense and high contrast? Do you want to silhouette your subject? Or is a glamor look more your taste?

You may have less control over your images in natural light than you would with proper film or studio lighting gear, but that doesn't mean you don't still have creative authorship. You just have to know what you want.
The stronger your vision, the easier it is to identify what I call the point of optimal contrast for your image.
This is the specific and exact spot within your location that (through natural forces) is creating a lighting dynamic that can serve your creative intent.

Let's continue on with our beach scenario so I can give you a more concrete example.

We'll assume it's broad daylight with little to no cloud cover, and you're trying to shoot an actor or model (not just a landscape). You've just arrived to location and quickly assessed the environmental natural light. Where do you go next?

It all depends on the creative intent.

If you're going for a silhouette look, you'll need to find the point of maximum contrast. Somewhere your subject can stand in a dark area that backs onto a very bright background. Perhaps the cliff at the beach is casting a heavy shadow, and that will allow you to expose for the sky/background and underexpose the subject.

Or maybe you're going for a softer, dreamier aesthetic. This can be a challenge mid-day with no gear, but is certainly possible. Ideally you would find an area with moderate contrast, like a spot on the sand that is partially shaded by a tree. The soft shadow may be able to act like an overhead silk, taking the harsh edge off the sunlight, and still allowing you to backlight your subject. Or alternatively you might find a corner of the beach with cliff walls that are bouncing light all over the place, acting like a natural soft box.

As a third example, imagine you want to capture a half-light aesthetic, where your subject's face is exposed on one side and in shadow on the other. If the sun is directly overhead, this could be a big challenge. But if you can identify something in the environment that can act as a natural bounce (or negative fill), you are in luck. Perhaps you place your talent next to a structure that's painted white, and have them stand at a 90 degree angle facing camera. Or do the same, but next to a dark bushy area that provides negative fill. In both cases, strong contrast can be achieved, even with the glaring sun overhead.

These are just a few examples of course, and not mean to be an exhaustive list. No two productions in natural light will ever be exactly the same, so you're always going to be at the mercy of the environment you're in... Another reason why planning/pre-production is so crucial.

Step 3: Place your talent without using the camera

After the previous step, you'll be nearly ready to start shooting. But before actually pulling out the camera and getting lost in the technicalities, I highly recommend placing your subject in the environment and seeing how they look to your eye first.

If you land at your spot and just whip out the camera for test shots, you will inevitably slow yourself down.

It's easy to tell yourself you're just going to take one test shot, and then before you know it you've spent 10 minutes tweaking settings and troubleshooting camera issues. Then you finally sort it out, but the lighting has changed and you need to start from scratch.

Don't get bogged down by your camera until it's actually time to shoot.

The goal should be to do 90% of the heavy lifting/decision making before you even look through your lens. This not only involves finding the best place to shoot (as discussed in the previous step), but also finding the best placement for your subject.

So really, this part is very simple -

Just place your talent and look at them. What are you seeing?

Is there too much contrast? Maybe split the difference between where you're standing now, and a brighter (or darker) area.

Not enough contrast? Perhaps you have to rotate your subject a bit to really offset the light to one side.

You may be able to dial in your "lighting" in just a minute or two by making minor adjustments to the placement of your talent. If you were to attempt this while also wrangling your camera/monitor/rig, tweaking settings, and so on, you might never get the shot before the light changes.

You'll still need to adjust camera settings before you actually start shooting, but at least now you have an ideal starting point to work from.

Step 4: Frame it up with your camera and make technical adjustments

With the other steps complete, now you can actually fire up the camera and take a look at your frame. And just as soon as you do, the limitations of your camera will reveal themselves.

Your eye will always see more dynamic range than your camera, and the same goes for color contrast and other key variables too. So as you look through the viewfinder, you'll start to see some issues you want adjusted - perhaps the shadows are too crushed or the image is still a touch too contrasty.

This is when you can start dialing in your camera settings, exposure, and picture profiles to get it just right. And if you nailed Step 3 (and are comfortable enough with your camera) this part should come together very fast.

This is also the time to make any final framing tweaks before you begin shooting.

As a quick side note, I highly recommend shooting with zoom lenses in natural light. Unless you're shooting at night and need the fastest prime you can get your hands on, or you plan to shoot everything on single prime lens (so you don't have to stop to switch), zooms will always keep you moving faster.

Step 5: Shoot quickly, move to your next location, repeat

Just as soon as you've captured your first shot (or perhaps before you've finished), the lighting will change. Maybe a cloud shifts or the sun drops a little bit. Or the beach sign you were using as a makeshift reflector isn't at the perfect angle anymore and now you've lost your light.

This will happen roughly every 20 - 30 minutes when you're shooting in daylight, and it only gets more extreme during sunrise/sunset hours.

This is another reason why speed is your friend on set. The faster you can get what you need, the better.

Assume that by the time you've set up your shot, you'll have just a few minutes to actually capture what you need. Always avoid unnecessary extra takes when shooting film/video, or if you're shooting stills, limit yourself to a set amount of shots so you don't run on unnecessarily.

The second you've shot out a specific area in your environment, move on quickly to the next area and start the process from scratch: Scan the environment, find the optimal point of contrast, place your subject, adjust framing, shoot, repeat.

The great thing about working at a rapid pace like this, is that it will create a sense of urgency that drives new creative ideas, despite the limitations that it imposes. You won't always capture exactly what's in your mind, but sometimes what you discover is even better.

And that's all part of the fun of shooting in natural light. If you need everything to be 100% planned and controlled, you could shoot in a light controlled studio with all the gear you need right at your finger tips.

But personally, I have a lot more fun working like this...
How about you? Leave a comment below. For more articles like this emailed to you every Sunday, sign up for my newsletter here. When you're ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:
1. Make a feature film today: The No-Budget Feature Film Blueprint

2. Build your network and sharpen your craft in our community: The Backlot

3. Color grade & polish your footage with my post-production tools on: Cinecolor

About Author

Noam Kroll is an award-winning Los Angeles based filmmaker, and the founder of the boutique production house, Creative Rebellion. His work can be seen at international film festivals, on network television, and in various publications across the globe. Follow Noam on , Instagram and Facebook for more content like this!

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Training Your Eye To Shoot In Natural Light With No Gear And No Crew - Noam Kroll

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With the right approach, natural light can deliver unparalleled visual results with gorgeous color tones and striking contrast. With poor technique however, frustration and lackluster results are almost inevitable. Many people mistakenly believe that natural light offers an easier shooting experience, but that couldn't be further from the truth.

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What is Cinematic Realism? 1/3: André Bazin

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THE TRUFFLE HUNTERS – Extended Preview | Now On Digital & Blu-ray

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Known by a variety of terms, practice-led research is a conceptual framework that allows a researcher to incorporate their creative practice, creative methods and creative output into the research design and as a part of the research output.

Smith and Dean note that practice-led research arises out of two related ideas. Firstly, "that creative work in itself is a form of research and generates detectable research outputs" ( 2009, p5). The product of creative work itself contributes to the outcomes of a research process and contributes to the answer of a research question. Secondly, "creative practice -- the training and specialised knowledge that creative practitioners have and the processes they engage in when they are making art -- can lead to specialised research insights which can then be generalised and written up as research" ( 2009, p5). Smith and Dean's point here is that the content and processes of a creative practice generate knowledge and innovations that are different to, but complementary with, other research styles and methods. Practice-led research projects are undertaken across all creative disciplines and, as a result, the approach is very flexible in its implementation able to incorporate a variety of methodologies and methods within its bounds.

Most commonly, a practice-led research project consists of two components: a creative output and a text component, commonly referred to as an . The two components are not independent, but interact and work together to address the research question. The ECU guidelines for examiners states that the practice-led approach to research is

... based upon the perspective that creative art practices are alternative forms of knowledge embedded in investigation processes and methodologies of the various disciplines of performance ... the visual and audio arts, design and creative writing ("Guidelines and Examination Report for Examination of Doctor of Philosophy theses in creative research disciplines," para. 1).

A helpful way to understand this is to think of practice-led research as an approach that allows you to incorporate your creative practices into the research, legitimises the knowledge they reveal and endorses the methodologies, methods and research tools that are characteristic of your discipline.

Additional advice and guidance on the nature and implementation of a practice-led research project may be sought from your supervisors and from the research consultants.

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LibGuides: Research Methodologies for the Creative Arts & Humanities: Practice-based & practice-led research

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LibGuides: Research Methodologies for the Creative Arts & Humanities: Practice-based & practice-led research