Cinematography

The use of the camera to create a world that we perceive on screen

cinematography is a language

Governed by certain conventions,

but not restricted by these conventions;

reflecting and complementing the film’s other formal elements

Shots

• Setup: the camera’s position for a shot

• Shot: one uninterrupted run of the camera

• Take: the number of times a shot must be repeated (think “take two”)

Camera people

• The cinematographer

assisted by

• Camera operator and assistant camera operators (“ACs”)

• Electricians: “gaffer,” “best boy,” “grips”

Film stocks

• Gauges of film (8 mm – 70mm) – width

• Speed of film (fast, slow) – “graininess”

• Color

• Black-and-white

• Videotape vs. movie film (not in the Barsam book, but important!)

Lighting

• How shots are lit affects how we perceive them

• Lighting ratios: hard/high key, soft/low key

• 3-point system: keylight, fill light, backlight

• What’s NOT lit is an important aspect of lighting (just as offscreen space is as important as onscreen space)

Production Values

• A term that describes the number of people and amount of resources

expended on creating a film

Types of Lenses

• Aperture: an iris that limits light

• Focal length: wide, narrow angle, zoom.

Different lenses are employed for different focal lengths (prime lenses, zoom lenses)

• Depth of field: what planes are in focus

Framing

• Aspect ratio (ratio of width to height)

• Masks (placed over aperture to change the shape of the frame)

• Transition effects (iris-out)

Framing and POV

• Omniscient POV (most “usual”)

• Single-character POV (can also rotate)

• Group POV

Shot Duration

• Slow-motion emphasizes the action

• Fast-motion is usually funny

• Long take (film permits 10 minutes, but this can be extended) creates feeling of real time and space

Three Basic Shot Lengths

• Closeup shot

• Medium shot (typical)

• Long shot

and gradations of these three

i.e., XCS, XLS, MCS

Shot Depth

• Deep-space composition

• Deep-focus cinematography

• The rule of thirds

Camera Angle/Height

• Eye-level shot (from typical POV)

• High angle shot (from overhead)

• Low angle (from below)

• Dutch angle (tilted)

• Aerial view (from above – long shot)

Camera Movement

• Contrast with lens movements (earlier)

• Pan shot

• Tilt shot

• Dolly or tracking shot

• Zoom shot (a camera effect)

• Crane shot

• Handheld or steadicam shot

Special Effects

• In-camera (as in transition effects)

• Mechanical (staged), including day-for-night, split screen, blow-up

• Computer/digital

Visual themes in the film

• Thresholds – doors, windows

• Hallways

• Domestic objects

• Barred windows/enclosures