Chapter 2: Cinematography Mise-en-Scene
Film Stock ä ä Selection enables cinematographer to control ä ä Color reproduction ä ä Light sensitivity ä ä Contrast levels ä ä Sharpness ä ä Grain and resolution ä ä Mixing and/or altering of film stocks can create striking effects
Aspect Ratio ä ä Classical Hollywood ratio (1.33:1) ä ä Widescreen ratios (1.85:1, 2.35:1) ä ä Anamorphic widescreen ä ä Video conversion ä ä Remove matte ä ä Pan-and-scan ä ä Letterbox (hard matte) ä ä Case Study: Chinatown
Lighting Design ä ä Realistic lighting ä ä Simulates a source visible on screen ä ä O Brother Where Art Thou (CP 5) and Fargo (p. 64) ä ä Pictorial lighting ä ä Emphasizes visual effects more than source simulation ä ä Traffic (CP 11-12) and Phantom of the Opera (CP 7) ä ä Usually has specific thematic significance ä ä Lord of the Rings (CP 2)
Hard and Soft Light ä ä Hard light ä ä Directional ä ä High contrast, fast falloff ä ä Soft light ä ä Diffuse, non-directional ä ä Slow falloff, lower contrast
Lighting set-ups: high and low key ä ä Classic 3-point lighting: ä ä Key, fill, back lights ä ä High key (soft light): ä ä Low ratio between key and fill ä ä Even illumination, few shadows ä ä Vertigo (CP 16) and American Gangster (CP 14) ä ä Low key (hard light): ä ä High ratio between key and fill ä ä Large areas of frame left underexposed ä ä Shadows ä ä Traffic (CP 11) and Shall We Dance (CP 9)
Functions of Color Cinematography ä ä Convey symbolic meaning ä ä Establish narrative organization ä ä Convey mood and tone ä ä Two examples for analysis: ä ä Dick Tracy ä ä Batman Returns
Cinematography and Digital Effects ä ä Compositing of live action and digital effects: ä ä Cinematography provides some or all of the live action components ä ä Motion control camerawork ä ä Greenscreening (aka bluescreening) ä ä Computer-generated images (CGI)