CLOUDS: STRUZAN PART 1

In a search to understand how Struzan lights his compositions, I then started to wonder what are typical sky backgrounds he uses. I quickly came to find that his prefers clouds that are backlit (because he often features a sun in the sky). The backlit clouds provide dramatic contrast

However, I also noticed that he uses FRONT-lit clouds. Int e piece below, we see that the front lit clouds provide the transition point in the composition:

Another front-lit example not he smoke from the plane - the smoke is front-lit, but still defined as a 3d form with the shadow:

What I was most surprised to find is that Struzan mixes front-lit and backlit clouds/smoke in the same scene:

Front-lit clouds:

Back-lit smoke:

While it’s not at all physically plausible, it’s a pleasing mix of extremes. Struzan mixes front-lit and back-lit clouds in the two posters below: