How To Have Good Cinematography
As we already mentioned, cinematographers are very talented artists. They spend lots of time learning their craft and experimenting with different styles to achieve what they want for each project.
If you’re reading this article, then it means that you have an interest in filmmaking and want to pursue it as a career. The best way to do so is by educating yourself about the camera, how light works, and more importantly, how to use these fundamentals to create great shots.
Cinematography is not a simple art form, but rather one that requires you to be detail oriented and understand the basics before moving onto advanced techniques. This article will go into greater depth and give you all the tips you need to succeed as a beginner photographer or filmmaker!
Disclaimer
We will be going over some basic concepts here, but please remember that cinema is a medium that prizes artistic expression. If you want to make money as a cinematographer, then you will need to learn beyond this article!
There are many schools around the world that offer professional level courses, which can cost anywhere from $10,000 to well above $100,000.
Pay attention to composition
A good starting point for aspiring cinematographers is paying close attention to the way compositions work in nature. Plants, water, rocks, and other natural objects make great backgrounds because they always change.
These changes occur quickly so your audience has no chance to get bored or distracted by what goes into creating the new background.
Plants also usually grow towards light, making them interesting silhouettes. Technically speaking, a growing plant can be considered an object that is in-depth, which makes it more powerful as a shot element.
When you are trying to add depth to a scene, using a longer exposure can help convey this feeling. An example of this would be when a boat moves across the lake at sunset. The water becomes slightly deeper due to the length of time the sun takes to drop down below the horizon.
Keep in mind that things like windows and cars do not look good when framed completely with their own reflection.
Be familiar with all the important locations
As we mentioned before, cinematographers are paid very well because of their artistic vision and knowledge of how to use it. They are given large budgets to bring unique styles into the film; this is why they are so highly paid!
As such, professional cameramen usually have several assistants that work under them. These assistants can be filming coverage or staying behind the camera as an operator. Both positions require you to know your surroundings intimately - and beyond.
This includes knowing where there are good light sources, studying the natural landscape around you, and being able to identify key landmarks. Beyond just looking pretty, these things help tell the story by creating appropriate moods and environments.
These stories are not only told through lighting, color, and composition, but also through the way the person shooting the movie uses the equipment they have. For example, if someone does not have a tripod, then they will probably hold the camera still more often than not.
Make sure your camera is in good working order
As mentioned before, cinematographers have many tools at their disposal that help them create beautiful shots. However, unless they are using those tools, their work will not be considered professional!
One of the most important pieces of equipment for any amateur cinematographer is a quality light meter. A light meter can tell you what kind of lighting source is needed to achieve a certain look or tone.
Light meters cannot take pictures themselves so most ones these days have an app or feature that does. Some even go as far as having AI features that learn how to match the colors and tints of different lights!
AI has made light meters much more intelligent than just measuring white balance and brightness. Many models also have special modes such as action detection, sunrise/sunset detection, and color temperature adjustment.
Bring extra batteries
After setting up your camera, the next thing you will need to do is bring some more batteries to store all of the photos you take during filming. This can be difficult as most people have run out of battery power before they finished their film!
Fortunately, there are many different types of batteries that do not require chemical reactions to work. These special gel or liquid-less batteries make having enough battery life much easier.
You should always have at least one type of fast charge battery with you when taking pictures due to this. Many professional photographers use multiple types to ensure they are never short on energy!
Batteries such as lithium ion polymer (LiPo) cells and super capacitors are your best bet if you want to get the best quality photographs possible. LiPo batteries are great because they can be recharged very quickly which also helps in creating good photoshoots.
Make sure your memory card is properly formatted
When filming, every shot you create creates more data that needs to be saved or erased later. Your camera can easily save all of this information in its internal storage, but what happens when it runs out space?
That’s where your memory cards come into play! The best cameras have at least one built-in memory card, and most pro level ones have two or three extra slots for additional cards.
By using an SD card as your main working media, you eliminate the need to constantly add more internal flash storage. This helps keep your camera free from kinks since you don’t have to worry about running out of room like with previous models.
But just because card formats have become much better than they were years ago doesn’t mean inserting the wrong type will always work. In fact, some types are actually worse for your photos!
So how do you know if your current format is okay? There are several sites and apps that test different filetypes to see which seem the worst for quality. Try looking up your card here before investing in another one.
Try not to hold your camera too tightly
A good cinematographer will have lots of gear, but one piece that is essential you'll probably never see them without it is a tripod. You can pick up a very affordable tripod at any store or online source so don't worry about spending money on this!
A really great way to use a tripod is in low light situations where you cannot use natural light. Because most people do not own a tripod, they usually place the camera next to a bright object such as a lamp or the sun to help illuminate the scene.
By having a sturdy tripod, these things are able to hang onto for a while before someone takes away their leg. This gives you time to get some nice lighting! Also, because the camera does not move around much, there are no annoying vibrations which may cause bluriness in the image.
There are many tripods out there with feet that are adjustable and lockable into position. These are helpful in getting sharper images since you can control how close or far the camera is from the subject.
Check your settings
As we mentioned before, cinematography is an integral part of filming movies and TV shows. Therefore, it makes sense that having good lighting, solid camera angles, and interesting compositions are important parts of great shots.
But before you start trying to achieve those perfect shots, you first need to make sure your equipment is working properly.
Too often people will begin editing or shooting a project and then have to fix all sorts of problems because their gear isn’t functioning correctly.
That can get expensive very quickly!
There are many things that could cause poor quality footage beyond being inexperienced. It may be due to you as the filmmaker not knowing how to use certain tools effectively, or it could be something more serious like bad batteries or malfunctioning components.
Whatever the case may be, there are some easy ways to check if your settings aren’t working and fixing them if they are. This article will go into detail about some tips for both novice and advanced users.
Practice taking photos
A still photo is a kind of photography where you do not have an event or situation as a setting, nor do you have someone as the subject. All you need are natural surroundings and your camera to make a good still photograph!
Practice making any type of photo - candid, self-portrait, landscape, closeup, etc. Try experimenting with different settings, distances, and photoshopping to enhance the picture after you take it.
Reading about photographic technique will help you get familiar with the field and how professionals use their equipment and software. You can even pick up some tips from YouTube videos!
When capturing landscapes, try using neutral backgrounds instead of having solid colors. This way, the eye wanders more naturally around the image which creates better pictures.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with light! Lighting patterns, color temperatures, and intensity all play important roles in creating impactful photographs.