*shaking movie directors by the shoulders* NIGHTTIME AND OTHER FORMS OF ENVIRONMENTAL DARKNESS CAN BE IMPLIED WITHOUT MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE THE FUCKING MOVIE
I always think of that conversation on the set of lotr where the cinematographer was asked where all the light was supposed to be coming from in scenes like the battle of helms deep, and he just responded that it comes from the same place as the soundtrack does. sometimes you need to be a little unrealistic to make your work better and actually watchable
This, incidentally, is why "NOPE" had such spectacular and clear night scenes: master cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema just plain didn't shoot at night.
Instead, they strapped a regular camera and an infrared camera together, coordinated them with lasers...
...combined them, used the naturally black sky created by the infrared as a blank canvas, added a new digital cloud line and various other effects to create a gorgeously lit night scene.
This is a ground-breaking new technique, and Jordan Peele is correct to say it could make movies better.
Good night footage is possible.
You just have to shoot it during the day.
