Cinematography FILM STUDY I

Cinematography Cinematography is the art and process of capturing moving images on a medium, be it analog or digital Term is derived from three Greek words: Kinesis - movement Photo - light Graphia – writing The term wasn’t coined until after motion pictures were invented.

The Director of Photography Head of the camera and lighting departments on set Responsible for: Representing the Mise-en-Scene of a scene appropriately Creating the Director’s visual intent for each scene and the film overall Filming the film itself. Though sometimes they will mitigate this to their assistants Selecting film mediums and processes that will support the directors visual choices

Vocabulary – Shot, Take, Setup Three key terms used in shooting a movie are shot, take, and setup. Shot – one uninterrupted run of the camera Take – refers to the number of times a particular shot is taken Setup – one camera position and everything associated with it

Production Process The cinematographer’s responsibility for each shot fall into four general categories: 1. Cinemagraphic Properties 2. Framing 3. Speed and Length 4. Special/Visual Effects

Cinemagraphic Properties – Film Stock Film Stock refers to the analog medium filmmakers use to capture footage, though most of the options have digital equivalents. Gauges (width of the film): 8mm, super 8mm, 16mm, 35mm, 65mm, 70mm, IMAX Larger gauges produce more detailed images Speed: Degree of light sensitivity Film with a fast speed is more sensitive to light, making it good for low-light situations Black and White: Tonal Range and Dynamic Range Color Additive vs subtractive color systems

Cinemagraphic Properties – Lighting Light Source Natural vs Artificial Light Quality Soft or Hard Direction of Light Three-point, spot, backlight, etc. Color Cameras capture light, and therefore color, differently than human eyes.

Cinemagraphic Properties - Lenses Focal Length refers to how strongly a lens converges or diverges light, making subjects appear relatively larger or smaller. Short-focal-length lens (Wide-Angle Lens, starting at 12.5mm) ◦Makes objects look further away than they actually are ◦Movement from background to foreground may appear faster Long-focal-length lens (Telephoto Lens, range from 85mm-500mm) ◦Makes objects look closer (or flatter) than they actually are Middle-focal-length lens (“Normal Lens,” range from 35mm-50mm) Zoom Lens (variable focal-length lens)

Cinemagraphic Properties - Lenses

Here, the camera’s position is moved to maintain the relative size of the subject.

Cinemagraphic Properties - Lenses Depth of Field ◦Cinematographer must decide what planes or areas of the image will be in focus ◦Short-focal-length (Wide-Angle) lens will permit many or all planes to be in focus Rack Focus (shift focus, select focus, pull focus) ◦Shifting focus from one plane to another in the same shot

Cinemagraphic Properties - Framing The Aspect Ratio of an image refers to the proportional relationship between its width and height. It is commonly expressed as a ratio, as in 16:9. ◦1.33:1 Academy (35mm flat) ◦1.85 American Widescreen (35mm flat) ◦2.2:1 Superpanovision (70mm flat) ◦2.35:1 Panavision and CinemaScope (35mm anamorphic) ◦2.75:1 Ultra Panavision (70mm anamorphic)

Cinemagraphic Properties - Framing

Cinemagraphic Properties - Framing Extreme Long Shot (XLS/ELS)

Cinemagraphic Properties - Framing Long Shot (LS)

Cinemagraphic Properties - Framing Medium Long Shot (MLS)

Cinemagraphic Properties - Framing Medium Close-Up (MCU)

Cinemagraphic Properties - Framing Close-Up (CU)

Cinemagraphic Properties - Framing Extreme Close-Up (XCU/ECU)

Cinemagraphic Properties - Framing Two-Shot

Cinemagraphic Properties - Framing Three-Shot

Cinemagraphic Properties - Framing Rule of Thirds – Compositional technique used to make photos and film shots visually impactful, interesting, and dynamic.

Cinemagraphic Properties - Framing When you film a scene using separate shots, it's important that people understand where everything in the scene is. The 180  Rule helps accomplish this.

Cinemagraphic Properties - Framing Camera Angle and Height Eye Level High-Angle shot (High shot/Down shot) Low-Angle shot (Low shot) Dutch-Angle shot (Dutch/Tilt/Oblique shot) Aerial-View shot (bird’s-eye-shot)

Cinemagraphic Properties - Framing Camera Movement Pan shot Tilt shot Dolly shot Crane shot Tracking shot Zoom “vertigo shot” Handheld camera Steadicam

Cinemagraphic Properties - Framing Point of View (POV): Style of shot that determines who the viewer identifies with in a scene. There are three different Point of View shots: 1.First Person 2.Third Person 3.Omniscient

Cinemagraphic Properties - Framing First Person POV

Cinemagraphic Properties - Framing Third Person POV

Cinemagraphic Properties - Framing Omniscient POV

Cinemagraphic Properties – Speed/Length The Director and Cinematographer will determine how fast/slow the action should appear on screen, if there should be a rhythm to the shots, and how this feeling can be achieved. The DP will then capture the shots in such a way that the Editor can cut them appropriately in Post. The same principle and process applies for the determined length of each shot. Longer shots typically require more planning as there are more moving parts (several actors, grips, boom operators, props, set pieces, et cetera).

Cinemagraphic Properties – Special Effects Special Effects can be divided into two categories: Mechanical and Optical Mechanical effects are usually accomplished during the live-action shooting. This includes the use of mechanized props, scenery, scale models, animatronics, pyrotechnics and atmospheric effects: creating physical wind, rain, fog, snow, clouds, et cetera. Optical effects are techniques in which film frames are created photographically, either "in- camera" using multiple exposure, mattes, or in post-production using an optical printer. An optical effect might be used to place actors or sets against a different background.

Cinemagraphic Properties – Visual Effects With the advancement of technology, the use of Visual Effects – creating or manipulating imagery in an image after the shot has been taken, has become exceedingly popular. The use of Visual Effects must be thoroughly planned and choreographed in Pre-production and production in order for the effect to be successful. The DP ensures that the camera movements are compatible for the intended Visual Effects.