The Way Hospitals Are Lit, In Reality And Fiction

December 25th, 2009 Posted in Tools and Equipment

Nobody really thinks much about the way hospital lighting is used, yet it may have a subtle importance. Bright, very garish lights bring out the worst in a persons appearance, so it’s no surprise that filmmakers and television producers produce their shows in ways that are not identical to a real hospital setting. While cloud light panels could improve the look of your average hospital, it’s unlikely they’ll ever be as well lit as what you see in a Hollywood setting.

The reasons hospitals light their rooms in such a manner are clear enough. In a situation where details can mean the difference between living and dying, and doctors and nurses need to see every aspect of the peoples bodies they are operating on or examining, having the most amount of light possible is of paramount importance.

But these hospitals aren’t really concerned with how their patients and staff will appear. It’s quite different in the land of film and television of course, and this is why the lighting in the fake hospitals of these worlds is so different.

Lighting isn’t just a matter of flipping on a switch 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 on a set when he asked the director for his “doo-hickey”, this “doo-hickey” was in reality a small light that pointed into Fonda’s face, giving his eyes a moist, poignant look that was his trademark. Lighting tricks like this are the reason Hollywood stars are able to appear so iconic and attractive. It’s very rare that we stop to think about 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 your average actual hospital. Even ER, a show that was often praised for its gritty realism, was obviously lit in such a way that no self-respecting real doctor would let themselves work in such a place. But the makers of television stories require this kind of lighting for the reason actual hospitals couldn’t allow 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 actors look better than they do in reality. But when you begin to think about the way real situations are portrayed onscreen, it causes us to ask a deeper question: If Hollywood is willing to make alterations to the lights and look of characters of real life, what changes are they creating to the way the people behave, and their social interactions? In short: never look to Hollywood film for a glimpse into real life.