Lecture Week 5 Cinematography

Cinematographer’s Role Director of Photography: is in charge of the visual aspects of a film (image quality, color, etc Camera Operator: Controls the camera while filming (often done by the DP) First Assistant Camera (First AC): Responsible for focusing using the follow focus. Must have good knowledge of Depth of Field Second Assistant Camera (2nd AC): Responsible for Maintenance of the camera (ex: checking the gate). Camera reports. Loader: Loads camera magazines with new film. Makes sure film is not flashed. Gaffer: The head of the electrical department. Responsible for the lighting plan of the production. Best Boy Electric: Assistant to the Gaffer Key Grip: Responsible for any rigging for the electrical or camera department Best Boy Grip: Assistant to the Key Grip Dolly Grip: Sets up and moves the dolly which the camera is placed upon

A Cinematographer’s question: Which format will you shoot in? Considerations: Budget (although this seems to becoming less of an issue) Look Method of Delivery How is your audience going to see it?

Shooting with Film Definition of Medium Light coming through camera lens interacts with chemicals on film stock to produce images recorded in quick succession Different formats in medium 35mm: most common for Hollywood movies 70mm or IMAX: Used for large scale or science documentary films 16mm: Used for television, lower budget student films Super 8mm: format of most old home movies Advantages to shooting with Medium Still the most common exhibition format (most theaters have 35mm projectors) – This is changing rapidly Near infinite resolution (is not a digital format) Has a filmic look; Most people find the format to be comforting and familiar Greater ability to use Depth of Field; latitude on Exposure Disadvantages Expensive format to shoot in (film stock is expensive, especially when you are burning through at lot of it) Required that you make prints for each theater that you are showing the film in Larger cameras; less portable Film is incredibly sensitive to light, requires more light than video to properly expose image Film Examples 35mm: Most Hollywood films 70mm 2001: A Space Odyssey Far and Away 16mm Primer (Winner of 2004 Sundance Grand Prize) Best in Show (has a documentary feel)

Shooting with Video Definition of Medium Light comes through camera and is processed on a chip. Information is then either recorded magnetically or digitally onto a tape or other storage medium Different formats in medium Digital Files (Red Camera, DSLR, Arri Alexa) MiniDV HDV Digital 8 Hard Disk Advantages to shooting with Medium Is a cheaper option that shooting on film (storage medium is typically cheaper) Fully digital workflow: Can go digital into edit and then output to digital for a digital exhibition Smaller digital formats are more portable and thus easier to shoot in a variety of locations Digital format is more readily able to shoot in low-light situations Great for direct to DVD releases Disadvantages Digital does not have as much latitude when it comes to light levels If you shoot digital, you may still have to make film prints Motion is off-putting for many audiences; has a different look than movies shot on film (this is getting better however) Motion Picture Examples Red One Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides The Hobbit Arri Alexa Hugo In Time Canon DSLR 127 Hours Like Crazy

Camera Consideration: Screen format Throughout film history, filmmakers have developed a variety of formats in which to view films. They developed these new formats in order to keep audiences interested in going to the movies, especially when television was introduced Academy Ratio (1.33:1): Closest to a square; Used in early films; Aspect ratio of SD television Widescreen (1.85:1 or 1.66:1): Used in most Hollywood films; Comedies; Widescreen television Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1): Filmed using a special lens which squishes the image down. When the film is projected a similar lens is used to stretch the image back. Used for action films / Epics

Camera Considerations: Lenses and Exposure Shorter lenses (typically those less than 35mm) are called wide angle lenses. These give depth to the images and are often referred to as wide angle lenses Longer Lenses (75mm to 250mm) are called telephoto lenses. These flatten the image and are use to photograph subjects from a great distance Zoom Lenses are lenses with the ability to switch between different focal lengths Exposure Exposure is determined by the f-stop of the lens. The f-stop is a measure of how much light is coming through the iris of the lens Like an eye, the iris of the lens opens and closes to allow or limit the amount of light that the recording medium is being expose to If the light source is bright (such as shooting outside), you will need to close the iris to restrict the amount of light coming in If the light source is dim (such as shooting inside), you will need to open the iris to allow light to come in Higher f-stops indicate a smaller iris. Each stop lets in half as much light as the previous stops Common f-stop values 1, 1.4, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22, 32 An f-stop of 1 would let in the most amount of light, while an f-stop of 32 would let in the least amount of light

Camera Considerations: Depth of Field Lenses, Film Stock, and Exposure all have an effect on depth of field Depth of filed is the range of distances before the lens within which object can be photographed in sharp focus Often times directors will want to see everything in the frame at focus at once, regardless of distance. This is referred to as deep focus If a shot has a narrow depth of field, the cameraman can move between what is in focus in the frame by performing a rack focus The following chart shows the factors that affect depth of field

Depth of Field examples Shallow Deep Focus

Lighting the Scene As film language developed, so did a system of lighting for film. The most common system is known as three point lighting, which consists of Key Light: The main light source, usually comes from one side Fill Light: a light used to reduce any harshness created by the key light, on the opposite side of the key. Less intensity than the key light Backlight: Used to differentiate the subject from their background By changing the variables on these three lights you can change the way that audiences perceive the tone of your film High Key Lighting: Bright lights and few shadows; typically used for comedies High Contrast: Big drops between the spots of light and darkness; makes the film dramatic; used in tragedies and melodramas Low Key: Lots of shadows and pools of light; used in mysteries and thrillers Some films prefer to use natural and available sources for their films with little added light We are also able to give quality to the light Hard lighting: clearly defined shadows, crisp textures, and sharp edges Soft Lighting: diffused illumination

Examples: Tree of Life (2010)

Examples: Fight Club (1999)

Examples: Amelie

How can we evaluate Cinematographers? The quality of the image: Does the quality of the image fit with the story and world of the film? What is the quality of the image telling us about how we should view this world Does the color appropriately depict the world of the story? The quality of the light: Does the lighting look natural? Are we able to tell that the scene has artificial lighting? The Lens What kind of depth of field is the camera giving us? Why is the cinematographer choosing to use a shallow focus as opposed to a deep focus?