Sean Young light at Blade Runner's Deckard Interview

Satsuki Murashige · November 20, 2015

Quoting Jordan's Operator, Thomas Del Ruth ASC, "The Eye Light was a Mole Inkey placed 90 Degrees to the right of camera projected through a 50% partial Mirror on lens Axis"

To further elaborate for Lance, the "cat's eye effect" is essentially the same as the "red-eye flash effect" for still photography. The eyes appear red because the irises are wide open and the blood vessels in the retina are made visible by lighting from close to the lens axis. With flash photography, the effect occurs because the camera shutter trips after the light goes off, but before the irises have a chance to stop down. The real trick was to get the same effect with a motion picture camera where you can't take advantage of the eye's relatively slow physiological response to light changes. With a direct light source like a traditional eyelight, the actors' irises would have closed, negating the effect. Hence the beam splitter rig to first get low enough light levels for the open irises, and also to get the light exactly in line with the lens to maximize the efficiency of the reflection off of the retinas. With greater efficiency, less light is required to achieve the same effect.

Thomas Del Ruth by the way is also an amazing cinematographer who shot "The West Wing" and "Stand By Me."

Lance Soltys · November 20, 2015

Thanks. I kinda guessed a beam splitter was involved, but I wasn't sure. It's an interesting effect.

Alexandre de Tolan · November 20, 2015

To add another "eye effect" question, does anyone knows how the opening sequence eye was achieved?

Phil Rhodes · November 20, 2015

I think you'll find that's a comp.

David Mullen ASC · November 20, 2015

They took their landscape shot, which in itself was a comp to add the fireballs, flying cars, etc., and projected it onto a white dome to create a fish-eye distortion, and then comped this over a macro shot of an eye.

Sean McArdle · January 5, 2016

How big do you suppose the 50/50 beamsplitter would have to be?

Satsuki Murashige · January 5, 2016

Big enough to cover the lens and give a large enough reflection at working distance so the actor's eyes can pick it up. Probably similar in size to your standard teleprompters, though it could be smaller.