The document provides an overview of cinematography and film techniques. It discusses key concepts like shot composition using rules of thirds, depth of field, camera angles, movement, and lighting. The director of photography leads the camera, lighting, and electrical crews and works to implement the director's vision through cinematography. Understanding these techniques helps viewers analyze how meanings and ideas are conveyed visually through film.
2. Why Study Film?
In 1965, Marshal McLuhan pointed out that old mediums become the content of
the new medium. So, photography became the content of film, novels and
drama became the source of films, and films became the content of television.
Like traditional print texts, film and television have a grammar of their own,
produced through camera techniques and editing. It is crucial in the 21st
Century that children and teens are taught how to read, i.e. analyze and write,
i.e. produce non-print media like film and television. Noted media educator and
theorist Len Masterman (1982) argues that young people need to be made
aware that film and television are ‘constructions’ that convey meanings and
ideology.
It is the role of not only media educators but also English Language Arts
educators to help students understand who, why, how and for what purposes
media are created. Young people must also be conscious of how the values and
ideologies in media texts help to position them as readers.
3. Cinematography
Photography
– “writing in light”
Cinematography
– “writing in movement”
Cinematography includes:
– lighting
– shot composition
– selection of cameras, lenses, and filters
– special effects
4. The Director of Photography
Individual responsible for the cinematography
– uses camera and light to implement the director’s vision
The head of the camera, lighting, and electrical crews
– Camera Operators
– First Assistant Camera & Second Assistant Camera
– Steadicam operator
– Digital Imaging Technician (DIT)
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7. Director of Photography (DP)
The DP was usually also the director and the person
operating the camera
– when movies were a new art form
As the art form and technology evolved, a separation
between director and camera operator emerged.
8. Shot Composition
A shot is the continuous run of the camera.
– the moment between when the camera starts & stops recording
Shot composition refers to the framing of the image.
– as well as the arrangement of objects within the frame
– also referred to as framing
9. The Rule of Thirds
Compositional guideline
– used by artists to compose aesthetically pleasing images
Divides the frame into:
– three vertical sections
– three horizontal sections
10. The Rule of Thirds & Aesthetics
Helps artists produce aesthetically pleasing images
– a guide for the off-center placement of subjects
– rule comes from hundreds of years of artistic experimentation
Subjects should be placed along the lines.
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19. “Hotspots”
The intersection points are called hotspots
– objects of interest are placed at the intersection of these lines
Produces a more engaging composition
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26. The Rule of Thirds & Balance
The rule can be used to create symmetrical compositions
– shots with equal distribution of objects within the frame
– also referred to as a balanced composition
27. Symmetry
Objects on either side of the frame match each other
– size, shape, and relative position of objects matches
– a mirror-image arrangement of objects
37. Asymmetry
Objects on either side do not reflect each other.
– The sides of the frame are not identical.
– the absence of symmetry
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43. Plane of Depth
The film frame is composed of three planes of depth:
– foreground
– middle-ground
– background
44. Planes of Depth
The film frame is a two-dimensional image.
– placing objects or people in various planes gives the image the
perception of depth
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48. Depth of Field
Distance in front of the camera that will appear in focus
– a zone of sharp focus
49. Shallow Depth of Field
Only one plane is in focus.
– often used to direct the audience’s attention
– create a sense of claustrophobia
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51. Deep Depth of Field
Multiple planes of the film frame are in focus.
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53. Lenses
Depth of field varies by lens.
– Wide-angle lenses have a wider depth of field.
– Telephoto lenses have a shallower depth of field.
Types of lenses
– normal lens
– wide-angle lens
– telephoto lens
– zoom lens
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56. Wide-Angle Lens
Exaggerates the frame’s depth
– expands space between objects
– distorts straight lines, bulging them outward
– Wide-angle lenses have a deep depth of field.
57. Telephoto Lens
Reduces the frame’s depth
– compresses space between objects
– the background and foreground seem squashed together
– Telephoto lenses have a shallow depth of field.
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60. Zoom Lens
Alters the size of the subject without changing the
distance between the subject and camera.
– magnifies the subject
– minimizes the subject
The camera doesn’t necessary move.
Permits filmmaker to change from wide-angle and
telephoto lenses during shooting.
61. Rack Focus or Pull Focus
the practice of changing the focus of the lens during a
shot, this can refer to small or large changes of focus.
if the focus is shallow, then the technique becomes
more noticeable
62. Shot Composition
Shot composition is determined by:
– camera distance
– camera angle
– camera level
– camera movement
63. Camera Distance
The names of shots refer to camera distance
– the space between the camera and the subject
– the subject-to-camera distance
Extreme long shot (XLS)
– The subject is barely visible.
64. Long Shot (LS)
The subject is more prominent
– the background still dominates the frame
65. Medium Long Shot (MLS)
The subject is framed from the knees up.
70. Camera Angle
Low-angle shot
– camera is positioned below the subject
– aimed upward
– The subject appears powerful or important.
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73. Camera Angle
High-angle shot
– camera is positioned above the character
– aimed downward
– subject often appears vulnerable or powerless
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77. Overhead Shot
The camera is directly above the subject.
– also referred to as a bird’s eye view shot
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82. Dutch Angle
The camera is tilted
– the framing is not level
– often signifies a moment of imbalance, dynamism, or stress
– also referred to as canted framing
83. The Origin of the Term
The term is derived from Deutch
– which is the German word for “German”
Used extensively in German Expressionist films
– in the 1920s
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88. Point-of-View
Camera simulates a character’s field of vision
– depicts the action through a character’s eyes
– a subjective shot
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95. Camera Movement
Mobile camerawork changes the distance, angle, level,
during the shot.
Types of camera movement
– pan
– tilt
– dolly
– crane
– Steadicam
– handheld
96. Pan & Tilt
Pan
– Camera rotates left or right
– Camera body does not move
Tilt
– Camera rotates up or down
– Camera body does not move
97. Dolly Shot
A shot in which the entire camera moves on a wheeled
platform.
– enables the smooth movement of the camera
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101. The Dolly Zoom
Technique achieved when the camera:
– dollys out while zooming in
– dollys in while zooming out
Often used to produce an unsettling effect
– The camera moves but the framing stays consistent.
Invented by director Alfred Hitchcock and cameraman
Irmin Roberts in Vertigo (1953)
– also referred to as a “trombone shot”
102. Crane Shot
Shot made from a camera mounted on an elevating arm
– the crane can be raised or lowered
– the crane can also move through space
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104. The Steadicam
A stabilizing camera mount
– consisting of a shock-absorbing arm
– attached to the operator’s body
Enables a smooth shot
– even over uneven terrain
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106. Handheld
A shot accomplished without any sort of stabilizing tools
– such as a tripod, dolly, or Steadicam
Characterized by shakiness
– often represents a loss of control
– also used to represent realism (or documentary realism)
107. The Long Take
A shot that continues for an unusually long period of time
– before the next shot begins
A long take generally lasts a minute or longer.
– The average shot length is 4-6 seconds.
Should not be confused with the long shot
108. Lighting
DP is also the head of the lighting department.
– Lighting refers to more than illumination.
– painting with light
The active viewer is continually analyzing how light and
shadow work together.
109. “I am very, very concerned with the emotions of the story.
I am much less concerned with the reality of what the
lighting would be at that particular moment or in that
particular situation.”
~Michael Slovis, Director of Photography
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112. Lighting & Color
Different temperatures of light produce different colors
of light.
– Higher temperatures produce “cool” colors (blue)
– Lower temperatures produce “warm” colors (orange)
113. Lighting & Color
Filmmakers can also add colored gels to lighting
instruments to create different colors.
– a transparent, colored sheet of plastic used as a filter
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118. Three-point Lighting
Most common lighting technique is three-point lighting
– key light (the main source of light)
– fill light (fills in the shadows created by the key light)
– back light (separates the subject from the background)
119. High-key Lighting
The lighting design that creates little contrast
– the shot is uniformly illuminated
– reduces the presence and severity of shadows
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122. Low-key Lighting
Lighting style that creates strong contrasts
– extremely dark and light regions within the frame
– produces sharp, deep shadows
127. Diegetic Sound
noise which has a source on-screen
and has not been edited in
– dialogue
– footsteps
– radio playing in the background
“actual sound”
– source
128. Non-Diegetic Sound
noise whose source is neither visible on
the screen nor has been implied to be
present in the action
comes from a source outside the story
– narrator's commentary
– sound effects which are added for the
dramatic effect
– mood music
– commentary music
129. Anachronistic Sound
music in a film which does not match
the film’s setting
– music older than the setting
• creates nostalgia or out-of-touch characters
– music more modern than the setting
• time travel? artistic license?
– Source
Ex: The Great Gatsby (2013)
130. Continuity
the practice of ensuring that details in a
shot are consistent from shot to shot
within a film scene.
audiences have a greater suspension
of disbelief and will be more engaged