The Manner In Which Hospitals Are Lit, In Reality And Fiction
Nobody really thinks much about the way hospital lighting is used, yet it may have a subliminal importance. Garish, incredibly bright lights bring out the worst in peoples features, so it’s no wonder that filmmakers and television executives light their shows in ways that are not similar to a real hospital scenario. While cloud light panels could improve the look of your average hospital, it’s unlikely they’ll ever be as nicely lit as what you see in a Hollywood setting.
The reasons hospitals light each room in such a way are obvious enough. In a place where details can make the difference between living and dying, and doctors and nurses have to see every aspect of the peoples bodies they are operating on or checking up, having the least amount of shadows possible is of paramount importance.
But these hospitals aren’t really worried about how their patients and staff will look. It’s quite the opposite in the land of film and television without doubt, and this is why the lighting in the unreal hospitals of these shows is so different.
Lighting isn’t just a matter of turning on the lights when it comes to movie making. In a Hollywood film, dozens of people can be employed, all with the job of lighting the actors, actresses, settings and props in the manner the creator wants. Henry Fonda was once shooting a scene when he asked the director for his “doo-hickey”, this “doo-hickey” was in fact a tiny light that pointed into Fonda’s face, giving his eyes a wet, wistful look that was his trademark. Lighting tricks like this are the reason Hollywood stars are able to look so iconic and attractive. It’s not common that we stop to consider these differences, due to the pervasive nature of mainstream Hollywood films. Only through directly comparing the films of Hollywood with documentaries about real hospitals could we start to notice the major differences.
If you think the sets in TV shows such as House are realistic, compare the way they look to a real hospital. Even ER, a show that was routinely praised for its gritty realism, was clearly lit in such a manner that no self-respecting real doctor would let themselves work in such a place. But the creators of television stories require this kind of lighting for the reason actual hospitals couldn’t permit it: the increase in the amount of shadow. While shadow in an actual situation could mean missing a vein or losing the patient, on a film set it means more handsome leading men, and sultrier leading ladies.
It’s really no surprise that Hollywood tends to cheat to make their performers look better than they do in reality. But when you start to think about the way real situations are portrayed onscreen, it leads one to a deeper question: If Hollywood is willing to make alterations to the lights and appearance of characters of real life, what changes are they making to the way the people behave, and their social interactions? In short: never look to Hollywood film for a glimpse into real life.
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