ADVERTISEMENT

Sometimes it’s hard to understand how much work goes into something, especially in the creative fields that require a variety of skills. Let’s be honest, the majority of us have no idea what it takes to create some of our favorite things, such as animated movies. Luckily, the masters of the craft are willing to shed some light on their work, some of them even literally.

More info: twitter.com

Recently, a lighting artist, Dan O’Brien, shared an eye-opening Twitter thread about his job.

Image credits: OtherDanOBrien

“When I tell people I do lighting for animated movies, they usually don’t understand what I mean by that,” he tweeted. To explain what his job entails, O’Brien shared a handful of shots from a brand new animated movie he worked on called “Spies in Disguise.” The provided shots feature the ‘before’ version with default lighting, and the illuminated ‘after’ version.

Before

Image credits: OtherDanOBrien

After

Image credits: OtherDanOBrien

Before

Image credits: OtherDanOBrien

After

Image credits: OtherDanOBrien

Before

ADVERTISEMENT

Image credits: OtherDanOBrien

After

Image credits: OtherDanOBrien

Before

ADVERTISEMENT

Image credits: OtherDanOBrien

After

Image credits: OtherDanOBrien

Before

Image credits: OtherDanOBrien

After

Image credits: OtherDanOBrien

Before

Image credits: OtherDanOBrien

After

Image credits: OtherDanOBrien

Before

Image credits: OtherDanOBrien

ADVERTISEMENT

After

Image credits: OtherDanOBrien

Before

Image credits: OtherDanOBrien

After

Image credits: OtherDanOBrien

O’Brien’s work clearly demonstrates that lighting plays a crucial role in creating mood, depth, atmosphere, and realism in each scene. While lighting is often added as a last finishing touch in the film, the whole scene comes to life only when the environment is illuminated.

Image credits: OtherDanOBrien

The lighting artist’s goal is to enhance other artists’ work to create a naturally and beautifully lit sequence that allows its viewers to relate to the story and its atmosphere.

Here’s how people reacted

Image credits: elle91

ADVERTISEMENT

Image credits: jacoberinmann

Image credits: thepunningman

Image credits: amoapostrophe

Image credits: met2art