Cinematography, Editing, and Do the Right Thing

Introduction to Hollywood Cinema:Cinematography, Editing, and Do the Right Thing
Prof. Julia Leyda
September 10, 2010

quiz
What does the title of the movie mean? Do you think Mookie does the right thing? Explain.
(ten minutes)

I. black and white (b/w) and color
black and white
early film
today gives “old” or documentary look
vary contrast levels and lighting for softer or harder looks
color
early film tinting and toning, hand coloring
Technicolor, processing variations; also digital
color filters or gelatins over the lens

II. framing
framing as visual metaphor
inclusion and exclusion, separation
use of cinematic frame
use of other frames within mise-en-scene (windows, doorways, other lines and borders)

framing

III. camera distance and shot scale (38)
distance from the camera to the (human) subject
close, medium, long and variations on them
often helps to convey meaning:
extreme long shot is often first in new scene (called establishing shot)
long shot shows bigger movements and gestures
medium shots often show interaction or conversation
close-up shows more intimacy or emotion
extreme close-up shows significant detail

extreme long shot (ELS)

long shot (LS)

medium long shot (MLS) or plan americain

medium shot (MS)

medium close-up (MCU)

close-up (CU)

extreme close-up (ECU)

IV. lens and focal length
wide-angle or short lens
DTRT uses short lenses more than most films
middle or normal lens
telephoto or long lens
zoom lens
zooming in or out

V. focus and deep space
creating illusion of depth by showing objects in foreground, medium ground, and background at the same time
different uses of focus can show which elements are important
sometimes also achieved by using deep focus lenses
racking: changing focal point without cutting

deep space

VI. camera angles
point of view (POV) and eyeline shots
high angle
low angle
canted frame or Dutch angle

eyeline shot

high angle shot

low angle shot

canted frame or Dutch angle shot

VIII. camera movements
panning (from panorama): speed varies, including swish pan
tilting
handheld and Steadicam
dollying and tracking: DTRT’s handheld dolly
craning

swish pan

long take, zoom out, crane

VIII. other cinematographic tools
long take
mobile framing
special effects
aspect ratio
iris and masking

editing concepts (42-49)
5 types of edits
cross-cutting or parallel editing
editing and time
continuity editing

I. 5 types of edits
cut: 1st shot ends cleanly and 2nd shot begins (unless it’s a jump cut)
dissolve: end of 1st shot and beginning of 2nd shot overlap briefly
fade: -in or -out, often to black
wipe: boundary line replaces 1st shot with 2nd
iris: -in or -out, circle opens or closes frame

cut and jump cut

dissolve: implies brief passage of time, flashback, or flashforward

fade: implies longer passage of time, often at the end of a movie

wipe: vertical, horizontal, or diagonal; often implies change of place

II. cross-cutting or parallel editing
shows two or more actions happening at the same time in different locations

cutaway shot
a brief shot that interrupts a continuously-filmed action, by inserting another related action, object, or person, followed by a cutback to the original shot

III. continuity and time
making shots and scenes flow smoothly to establish a sense of story
to achieve logic, smoothness, sequential flow, and the temporal and spatial orientation of viewers
piecing together partial fragments of time into comprehensible temporal experience

shot / reverse shot
a common sequence of shots in which the camera switches between shots of different characters
usually in conversation or other interaction
usually shows the shoulder and back of the other’s head

180-degree rule
camera usually stays on one side of 180° axis to preserve viewer’s sense of space

match on action
two shots joined by following action from the first into the next

point of view editing
editing of subjective shots that show exactly what the character sees
different from eyeline match cut as it shows the character’s POV, whereas eyeline match cut shows what the character is seeing objectively (9)

eyeline match
joins shot A of a person looking off-screen in one direction, and shot B, an objective shot of whatever the person sees (again reverse order here)

eyeline match
joins shot A of a person looking off-screen in one direction, and shot B, an objective shot of whatever the person sees (or in this case, the object then the person looking)

montage
compresses time by showing a series of brief shots, sometimes accompanied by shots of maps, newspapers, or calendars

discussion questions
Classical Hollywood cinema doesn’t want you to notice most techniques. What elements of cinematography and editing did you notice in DTRT? Why do you think those were most noticeable?
How does the cinematography in DTRT support the meanings and themes of the movie?
Why do you think director Spike Lee and DP Ernest Dickerson used so many wide and high/low angles and canted frames? So many two-shots and so few shot / reverse shots?

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Cinematography, Editing, and Do the Right Thing

by Julia Leyda

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Cinematography, Editing, and Do the Right Thing Presentation Transcript