How Cinematography Works
Work in cinema is more than just filming things for the screen, it’s about creating experiences that people can connect to. It’s about showing off what you know and getting inspiration from others. It’s about being creative and experimenting with new techniques.
It’s also about having fun while you are doing it! Getting those beautiful camera angles sometimes requires crazy stunts or expensive equipment, but you need to enjoy exploring all of these concepts if you want to become successful.
And finally, it’s important to be able to describe your work clearly so that people can understand it. Technical terms may sound weird to non-filmmakers, and vice versa.
This article will go into more detail about each one of these topics, as well as some practical exercises.
History of cinematography
Before there was digital, there was what we now refer to as film photography or cinematic photoraphy. The term “cinema” actually comes from the Latin word for “window.” Therefore, before cinema existed, people captured images through windows, creating what we know today as still photo-based documentary style imagery.
This type of photograph is usually very close up and focused on one specific detail or person, making it more like a portrait than an expressionistic piece. Because these photos are limited in size by the roll of exposed film, only large groups can be well photographed using this method.
Feature length films were mostly shot using cinematic photographic techniques. Starting with larger windows or lenses, moving onto longer exposures, and then developing the image into something more artistic took a lot of time and effort. Only recently have photographers been able to capture raw, unfiltered glimpses of reality much like early artists could!
These days, most photographs that are not strictly journalistic are considered cinematic photographic styles.
Equipment of a cinematographer
As we can see, the equipment list is pretty long and varied. Beyond your basic camera body, lenses, gels, and battery packs, there are many other pieces that play an integral part in creating effective shots. These include light meters, softboxes or umbrella lights, boom stands, clamps, tripods, dollies, etc.
The term ‘light meter’ refers to a device used to measure and determine how much light is available for filming. There are several types of light meters, such as rear-facing sensor ones, front facing sensor ones, photometric (radiometer) ones, and transmissive one. A good general purpose light meter will have a grid mode which you can use to test any area of the frame for natural light.
A gelled light source is attached to the lens using specialised tools called gel mounts or backscatter shields. Gels are filters that modify the color temperature and intensity of the light being produced by the lens. They are very popular because they allow us to achieve beautifully moody lighting effects and creative ways to stylize the image.
There are two main types of batteries: disposable alkaline cells and rechargeable lithium ion cells. Disposables do not last too long so it is best to have enough backups ready! Rechargeable batteries usually cost more at first but save money in the long run due to lower replacement costs. Make sure to research the best brands before buying lots of them.
Angle of view
A key part of cinematographic style is having an appropriate angle of view (AOV). An AOV is how you perceive the movie or scene you are viewing. Some films have very narrow angles that only contain a small portion of the screen. This creates a claustrophobic feeling for the viewer, making them feel like they cannot escape what is happening in the film.
Other movies use wider angles to create a more expansive sense of space. The audience feels as if they are not confined to their seat and can move about freely. Both of these styles contribute to creating a powerful effect.
When editing your footage down later, make sure to keep the AOV fairly wide so that it does not look too compressed. When filming, try using at least two full length cameras or one long camera with a shorter focus to achieve this. Make sure to include enough coverage so that the entire event being filmed is seen clearly!
-Never shoot anything close to eye level- Doing so will result in a tunneled perspective where only part of the image is shown.
Use lower angled shots when possible. These give people a nice sized area to stand in, which helps emphasize that element over time. Also, higher angled shots may cause viewers to squint due to the shape of the face.
Another important factor of AOV is whether the subject is looking up, down, left, or right. If they do not match, then the audience will be uncomfortable.
Depth of field
A key part of cinematographic style is depth of field (DOF). DOF refers to the range in which objects are rendered in focus. With regard to still pictures, this would be the size of your canvas or frame. For films however, it extends one step further- the thickness of the camera lenses!
The thicker the lens, the larger the DOF. This allows for greater focusing ability, creating more interesting compositions. The opposite happens as you zoom out with thinner lenses where only very close things remain in focus.
This effect can be used negatively by having nothing in focus or everything in focus depending on the story being told. It also creates very dramatic shots since not much is in focus, making the audience feel something strong towards the subject.
Art direction
For some films, the art department does not play as big of a role in the movie’s aesthetic look. Since the story is sometimes focused more on action or dialogue, there are no settings or scenes that require elaborate camera angles and movement to feel natural. In these cases, the setting and style of the film are mostly left up to the director and/or producer so that they can be noticed if they exist at all.
For example, what makes the opening sequence of The Dark Knight interesting is how it uses empty space. There is very little character interaction, which leaves us with an open room to interpret. What kind of scene we want to see happens in front of our eyes, making us work just as hard to determine the outcome.
Another way artists contribute to the movie’s overall design is by choosing certain colors for the characters and sets. Certain shades of red, blue, and green run strong through most of the movie, creating an emotional tone. Artists use these color schemes to help convey emotions such as anger, love, fear, etc. An excellent example of this is when Batman punches the Joker during their first meeting.
Overall, filmmakers typically give special attention to the artistic side of filming because it takes longer than writing a script and shooting a movie. It is therefore considered a cost-effective investment since you do not have to pay extra money for production equipment while also getting good rewards.