CHIAROSCURO AS THE THIRD LIGHT IN INDONESIAN CINEMATIC (Study Case of Hanung Bramantyo’s Films in Cultural Study Perspective)

• Main Author: Gayatri Puspitasari, Dyah
• Format: Dissertations
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/37156
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Definition of chiaroscuro can be narrowed down as the visualization of lighting. At first, the technique was applied mostly in on painting. Although, during its development, chiaroscuro has also been applied in film making. Extensively, the definition of chiaroscuro is not only about its technique, but also osculating the other parts. In other words, chiaroscuro is not only covering form aspect or surface layer of dark-light and other gradation colours, but also osculating message and interpretation in its deep layer. This dissertation focused on chiaroscuro effect from three films of Hanung Bramantyo i.e. Sang Pencerah, Perempuan Sorban, and ? (Tanda Tanya). These films were selected since they objectively represented the prominent signs of this topic. The main objectives of this research were to disclose and interpret the role of chiaroscuro based on its relations with the unity development of structure and thematic aspects. From these aspects, there would be a new concept of chiaroscuro, especially from Hanung Bramantyo’s films. Moreover, cultural studies and interdisciplinary methods were used in order to obtain the objectives. By applying these methods, there were some interesting findings. First, chiaroscuro in Bramatyo’s films had been used to construct the unity of structure, which had also been associated significantly to construct thematic structure of film. In his structural aspect, Bramantyo had merged natural lighting with artificial one, which generated patterns of lighting binary opposition (lightness-darkness), shadows of lighting construction, and lighting paradoxes. Second, based on its relations with 5 thematic aspect and extensive interpretation, chiaroscuro in Bramantyo’s films was a development of visual sign system, which associated with cultural values and interpretation of region where those films were created (in Java island, especially Central Java area). In this place, chiaroscuro had become a representation of Javanese individuals whose life focus were always on cultural, spiritual, and philosophical values. Third, the relation of surface and deep layer in order to construct new knowledge (epistemology) of chiaroscuro. Previously, based on Keating’s theory, chiaroscuro is a lighting construction that has a role only to create dramatic effect and to generate specific interpretation; in Bramantyo’s films, chiaroscuro also had cultural and philosophical values. This was happened because Bramantyo created a mixture between lighting aspect in scientific technology with Javanese cultural values and interpretation of lighting. This mixture was also helped to identify new construction of enlightenment concept. If the enlightenment concept equals with bright lighting, in Bramantyo’s films, it was stated that enlightenment is also found in life endarkenment. One model or cinematic perspective of Indonesian films could be formulated based on the three findings in this dissertation. The model that focused on chiaroscuro in cultural values and perspective is called the “Third Light”. It is a lighting entity that was formed by rendezvous of dual lighting i.e. between the artificial-scientific lighting with cultural-philosophy lighting, whilst focus on lighting that stand as subject, either in human or other things. The Third Light has become a structure of lighting concept, which accommodate the basic principles (ontology) of lighting differently from the previous ones.