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Basics cinematography
This document provides a high-level overview of basic cinematography techniques in 3 sentences or less: Cinematography involves extensive techniques that can only be mastered through watching and making many films while focusing on incremental improvements, as great cinematography is a career-long endeavor requiring talent. Effective shots use specific camera placements, lighting set-ups, scales of framing, movements, and other elements to visually convey meaning and direct audience attention without distraction. Key principles include using the rule of thirds for composition, complementary colors, transitions that follow continuity rules, and mimicking techniques from well-shot films while keeping style inconspicuous when first learning.
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Basics cinematography
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- 2. CINEMATOGRAPHY IS EXTENSIVE •Imagine trying to teach “programming” or “solving differential equations” or “writing a great novel” in 20 minutes • This presentation only covers the most cursory aspects of cinematography • You need to watch a lot of films • You need to make a lot of films • Improve one element with revision • Greatness takes a career and talent • Strive for inconspicious and ordinary in your first year, so that the audience can focus on your film’s content and not be distracted by amateur style errors
- 3. CINEMATIC IS BETTERTHAN REAL TheBlack Swan,dir: Aronofsky, 2006Shapshot https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=8&v=SPVLKMTPzi4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwD4JZsAuew
- 4. CINEMATOGRAPHY HAS SPECIIIC TECHNIQUES TheBlackSwan,dir: Aronofsky, 2006 FillLight BackLight Pale; e Histogram Shapshot Chestheight camera Pitch =0 Roll =0 KeyLight Center vanishing point 2/3 Complementary 1/3 Student example: https://youtu.be/LF1lBMMUn-I?t=60
- 5. SHOT ELEMENTS • Scene –Camera – Lights – Subjects – Props – Set – ……………………………….. – Music – Dialog – Foley – VFX • Duration • Transition • (Context) Mise ‘en’ scene Everything with your frame
- 6. VIRTUAL CAMERACONTROLS • Position •Orientation – Usually only yaw • Motion – Usually • Sensitivity • Field of view = zoom • Motion blur extent • Distance from subject • Tone curve &tint • Bloom • Focus depth • Defocus radius • Aspect ratio • Frame rate Theseare also properties of real cameras, but they can’t becontrolledindependently
- 7. STANDARD CAMERALOCATIONS • Establishingshot • Close-‐up(“Insert shot”) • Over-‐the-‐shoulder • Tracking shot (followcam) • Crane shot (“3rd person”) • Point-‐of-‐view(“1st person”) – Extremely rare! – Usually preceeded by a reaction shot
- 8. CINEMATOGRAPHY SCALES Framing: Settingan approach or query within an appropriate context to achieve a desired result
- 9. ESTABLISHING SHOT Manhattan, dir:Allen,1979 Stand ByMe, dir: Reiner, 1986
- 10. CLOSE-UP Ali, dir: Mann,2001 Inthe Mood for Love, dir: Wai,2000
- 11. EXTREME CLOSE-‐UP Capricorn One,dir: Hyams,1977
- 12. CONVEYING INSTABILITY ANDDURESS ATouchofEvil, dir: Welles,1964 TRON,dir: Lisberger, 1982 “DutchAngle” “BavarianAngle”
- 13. East of Eden,dir:Kazan, 1955
- 14. CAMERA MOVEMENT • Childrenof Men • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBzWTIexszQ • House of Flying Daggers • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tk9tqFd5sGI • Fight Club • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8FRBYOFu2w • Motivated movement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfqD5WqChUY •
- 15. THREE POINTLIGHTING KeyLight Bright andsharp Defines highlights and shadows BackLight Dim (oSen not shadowcas3ng) Provides rim ligh3ng Makes metals and transparents lookgood FillLight Dim and diffuse (or non-‐shadowcas3ng) Fills in key shadows OSenjust indirectlight Sometimesadda fourth light shiningonlyonthe background
- 16. Taxi Driver, dir:Scorsese,1976
- 17. ThePrince and theShowgirl, dir: Olivier,1957
- 18. STRONG BACKLIGHTING FOREFFECT Portraitof Jennie,dir: Dietrle,1948 TheBigRedOne, dir: Fuller, 1980Houseof Games,dir: Mamet,1987
- 19. VERTICAL ELEMENTS CONTRAST CHARACTERS TenderMercies, dir: Beresford,1983
- 20. RULE OFTHIRDS • Putinteresting elements (faces, key props, bright spots) at 1/3 vertically or horizontally • Leave the 2/3 on the side a subject is “facing” (unless you want to simulate claustrophobia) Actof Violence, dir: Zinnemann,1948
- 21. Raiders of theLostArk, dir: Spielberg,1981 Blade Runner, dir: Sco;, 1982 Branded to Kill, dir: Suzuki,1967 Psycho,dir: Hitchcock,1960 https://youtu.be/iWQQgZh9EyE?t=49
- 22. COLOR COMPOSITION • Composeand light the image in grayscale • Choose a single dominant color – Desaturate and accent with the desaturated complementary color – Or, make theimage monochrome – Saturated colors are very rare – Prefer tinted direct or indirect light to material color • Vary colors for shots over time – Theme to characters, settings, tension, and mood Colour Explained https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXgFcNUWqX0&t=324s
- 23. COMPLEMENTARY COLORS AREOPPOSITE ONTHIS PERCEPTUAL COLOR WHEEL h;p://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complementary_colors#mediaviewer/File:Color_star-‐en.svg
- 24. Ver3go, dir: Hitchcock,1958Backto the Future, dir: Zemeckis,1985 Fear and Loathing in LasVegas, dir: Gilliam, 1998 Secretary, dir: Shainberg,2002 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmow0Oay-Tk
- 25. House of FlyingDaggers
- 26. wan kar wicolour
- 27. Color Script Colors ofeachframe of TheLion King, sorted byluminance h;p://blog.wolfram.com/2013/08/13/a-‐visit-‐to-‐disneys-‐magic-‐kingdom/ luminance frame
- 28. TRANSITIONS • Cut audio1/2s -‐2s before video • Prefer cuts to other transitions – Fading in &out major shots is acceptable – Use wipe, split-‐screen, and crossfade only for self-‐consciousedits • Usually cut between different views of the same content – Exception: reaction/cutaway
- 29. CUT ANGLERULES • 30degree rule – A-‐>Cisok – A-‐>Bis tooclose – Will appear as transportation • 180 degree rule – C-‐>Aisok – C-‐>Dis too far – Characters will switchsides A C D B LineofAc_on
- 30. CINEMATOGRAPHY CHEATSHEET 1. Directlymimic speciIic, typical shots from good films; don’t get fancy 2. Use a narrow field of view and a relatively distant camera 3. Prefer cuts between cameras to a moving camera – At least 30 degree change of orientation – Don’t cross the line of action between two actors 4. Put the camera at chest height 5. Place the subject 1/3 of the way across the frame 6. If you can use one bright light, one dim light, and an ambient. If you have no lights face subject towards light source/sun for evenly lit, sideways on for harsh moody shadows and in front of for silhouettes 7. Cut audio before video ALWAYS. 8. Show an establishing shot before cutting closer. 9. Prefer the lighting, camera, and action to dialog for narrative 10. Adjust lights or keep an eye on lighting and set between shots within the same “scene” This is for continuity.
- 31. REFERENCES • Haigh-‐Hutchinson,Real-‐Time Cameras,Morgan Kaufmann,2009 • Arijon, Grammar of theFilm Language, Silman-‐JamesPress, 1976 • Masson, CG101: A Computer Graphics Industry Reference, Digital Fauxtography Inc.,1999 • Malkiewicz, Cinematography, Simon &Schuster, 1992 • Frames captured by@OnePerfectShot