Plantation Shutters and Venetian Blinds in Cinema

12/01/2018

Films are brilliant at creating a shared visual language that we can recognise instantly and subconsciously; putting together visual cues to tell us a story, create atmosphere and invoke emotion. Lighting is key to creating an atmosphere; controlling the flow, direction and texture of light plays a hugely important role in setting the tone and mood of a room.  Cinema has influenced our perception of how we perceive lighting, and helped us to create a common understanding of what it means, hugely influencing trends for home and commercial interiors. Blinds have long been popular on the silver screen, here we share some of the best examples of how blinds have been used with great effect! 

Venetian Blinds

The visual power of venetian blinds was a hugely popular motif of film noir, playing on the representation of harsh lighting learnt by audiences in German Expressionism movies. The ‘venetian blind effect’ popularised by the black and white thrillers like the 1944 classic Double Indemnity has continued into the modern day and has become a staple of film lighting. It can be seen in examples as diverse as all three Godfather films, 1982’s ET and even the music video for Beyonce’s Dance for You in 2011. 

Plantation Shutters

Although similar to venetian blinds, plantation shutters evoke a rather different response on the big screen. Famously featured in Gone with the Wind (1939) and Steel Magnolias (1989) on the large stately homes of the deep south, shutters were paired with soft curtains and epitomised a soft, romantic light. Another romantic tearjerker, The Notebook (2004) heavily focused on shutters, with the leading lady famously telling her beau “I want a house with blue shutters”. 

Visit our showroom in Norwich to see our ranges of plantation shutters and venetian blinds to suit every room and style. Call 01603 410304 or email sales@cooksblinds.co.uk for any enquiries. 

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