The document provides an overview of cinematography basics, emphasizing the importance of the shot as the fundamental element of film. It details various aspects of composition, including shot types and camera angles, as well as theories that guide visual storytelling. Key concepts include headroom, active space, the rule of thirds, and the use of leading lines, all contributing to effective filmmaking techniques.

1. Cinematography Basics

2. The Shot
The shot is the most basic building block of cinematography.
A shot is one continuous capture of a span of action by a motion picture
camera.
A finished film is made up of a series of these shots, of varying length, that
ultimately tell the story.

3. Composition
Film celluloid is composed of frames, still images that together make up
the entirety of a film.
Composition is the arrangement of people, objects and setting within the
frame of an image.
How those people, objects and setting are arranged with in the border of
the image can bring balance or imbalance, reveal or hide information,
indicate power or weakness, all without a word of dialog, an edit or even a
character on the screen.

4. Basic Camera Composition -
Shots and Angles in
Filmmaking

5. Shot
Composition
How the elements of the shot
are positioned in the frame.

6. Top of head to shoulders
Isolates the character in the frame
Close Up
(CU)

7. Anything closer than a Close Up
Extreme
Close Up
(ECU)

8. Top of head to waist
Medium
Shot (MS)

9. 3/4 Shot Top of head to just below knees.

10. Head to Feet
Long Shot
(LS)

11. Character becomes almost lost in the
scene.
Extreme Long
Shot (ELS)

12. Often used in conversations.
Two-Shot

13. Signifies a distinct group of people.
Three-Shot

14. Used in conversations, or to reveal
what the character is seeing.
Over the
Shoulder
(O.S.)

15. Shows the audience where the scene is
taking place.
Establishing
(Master) Shot

16. Camera Angle
Where the camera is
positioned vertically while
filming.

17. Camera is at the character’s eye level.
The character is the audience’s equal.
Eye Level

18. Camera is at the character’s eye level.
The character is the audience’s equal.
Point of
View (POV)

19. Camera is above character.
Implies superiority over the character.
High Angle

20. Camera is almost overhead of character.
Establishes the character’s smallness in
the world.
Bird’s Eye View

21. Camera is below character. Emphasizes
the power of the character.
Low Angle

22. Camera is placed near or on the
ground.
Worm’s Eye View

23. Camera is tilted. Can suggest character
is mentally unbalanced.
Dutch Angle/
Canted Angle

25. Moving Shot - place camera on a moving
object
Pan - horizontal camera movement
Tilt - vertical camera movement
Zoom - electronically moving the camera
closer or further to the subject
Dolly - physically moving the camera
forward or backward
Tracking - physically moving the camera
left or right
Crane/Boom - mounting the camera on a
weighted arm that moves it up and/or
down
Steadicam - special equipment that keeps
camera steady during handheld shots
Camera
Movement
Camera Movement is the real
or perceived movement of the
camera through space.

27. 15 Compositional Theories
of
Cinematography
“I can't think how anyone can become a director without
learning the craft of cinematography.” – Nicolas Roeg

28. Headroom
Too little or too much room between the top of the head and the edge of the
frame looks awkward.
The Darjeeling Unlimited

29. Active Space (aka Nose Room)
In a profile shot, leave space between the side of the frame and the subject.
2001: A Space Odyssey

30. Rule of Thirds
Imagine a grid that splits the frame into thirds vertically and horizontally.
Place the subject along those gridlines. The intersections of the lines are
especially compelling.
The Darjeeling Unlimited

31. The Golden Ratio / Divine Proportion
The ratio of a:b = a+b:a = φ (1.618033…)
First mentioned by the Greek Mathematician, Euclid (300 B.C.E).
The Golden Spiral

32. The Golden Ratio
Grand Budapest Hotel

34. The Rule of Odds
Having an odd number of things in a composition means your eye and
brain can't pair them up or group them easily. There's somehow always one
thing left over, which keeps your eyes moving across the composition.
The Darjeeling Unlimited

35. Leading Lines
Lines that guide a viewer’s eyes around, or through, the composition are
called leading lines.
Amelie

36. Strong Diagonal
A form of a leading line that can transform a boring composition into a
dynamic one.
Inception

37. Lines of Sight
Lines of sight are created when the subject is looking at something within
the frame. This causes the viewer to follow the line of sight to the object
being observed.
The Darjeeling Unlimited

38. Point of View
Moving the camera above, or below, the subject can create a more
interesting, dynamic composition.
Hugo

39. Framing
Use a natural frame within the composition to draw the viewer’s eye to the
main subject. Framing can also be used to create a sense of depth, or to
provide a context for the shot.
Life of Pi

40. Simplify
Eliminate unnecessary items from your composition – they will only distract
the viewer.
Lawrence of Arabia

41. Shallow Depth of Field
Leaves just a small portion of the shot in focus, while the rest remains
blurry. It can be used to draw the viewer’s eye to the main subject. It also
can compensate for a distracting background.
The Hunger Games

42. Strong Foreground
Can help bring the viewer into the composition, as well as provide a sense
of depth.
Life of Pi

43. Fill the Frame
It is not always necessary for the entire subject to be included in the
composition. Sometimes it is more effective, and interesting, to crop the
edges of your main subject.
The Darjeeling Unlimited

44. Hitchcock’s Rule
The size of an object in the frame should equal its importance in the story
at that moment.
The Darjeeling Unlimited https://vimeo.com/145332674

45. “I like movies where you can come back and re-
watch them and admire the cinematography 25
years later.”
– Rob Zombie

46. References & Resources
Moving Pictures by Russell Sharman is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Internation
al License
, except where otherwise noted.
FILM APPRECIATION by Dr. Yelizaveta Moss and Dr. Candice Wilson is
licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.