In the Force Awakens, the first scene Snoke is in is sort of an unexpected visual - a giant man. We soon learn that this large figure is actually a scaled-up depiction of a presumably 7-foot-tall being. But, regarding the hologram, I have several questions regarding how his hologram figure is depicted.
In practically every installment so far, holograms are represented as a form of light projected in a 3D field above a hologram projector. However, Snoke's depiction shows that his holographic image is blocking the light in the room that the hologram projector is in.
As you can see, Snoke's face looks eerily dark in some places because he is blocking the only light source in the room with the back of his head. However, we later learn that this light source is NOT part of the hologram, meaning that this light source is one that is physically present at the scene, at the ceiling of the room Kylo Ren and Hux are physically standing in.
Assuming that the holograms are the same technology, how is it possible that a 3D image made of light (Snoke's depiction) blocks another light source opaquely. In fact, you can even see that the (our) left side of Snoke's face is lit up better because the light is not fully blocked on that side. This means that not only is a 3D image made of light blocking another very bright source opaquely, but the 3D image is also solid in some way so that it responds realistically to the lighting around it. The only way for this to be possible is if Snoke's hologram recorder is in a room where the physical Snoke sits in the exact same position with a physical light at the exact same angle and position relative to him.
Of course, this seems nonsensical and illogical so I'm looking for a better answer. Perhaps I am completely off, but I couldn't think of one, given that in the other two trilogies, the blue holograms were translucent and never responded to the destination projector room's lighting.
