How To Review Cinematography
When it comes down to it, cinematography is about creating illusions. It’s an art form that relies heavily on creativity and perception.
A good amount of people who claim they want to be a filmmaker are not really looking into all of the aspects of the craft. They may have watched some videos here or there, but they haven’t done much beyond that.
By watching a few movies you could easily mistake someone who claims to know what they are talking about for being professional.
It’s hard to tell if this person knows anything at all without walking away with a degree from somewhere and actually studying filmmaking under somebody qualified.
Luckily for you, we have gathered some helpful tips and tricks on how to review cinematic photography so that you can begin developing your own style.
These will include things like finding the right camera settings, filming modes, and comprehension of photogrammetry. All of these play important roles in defining the look of a film.
Look for good and bad editing
Another way to evaluate the quality of your camera is by looking at how effectively they are edited. There are two main types of edits in cinematography: cut-ins and fades. A cut-in happens when something is shown in closeup for a short amount of time before being replaced with another scene or element. A classic example would be changing from a shot of someone eating their lunch to show them washing their hands.
A very common type of cut-in is using a wide angle lens to create a panning effect as the camera moves around the setting. This was done frequently during television season finales because it gives a sense of urgency, moving quickly between locations.
The other major category of edit is a fade out. When an element comes into view, it slowly gets further and farther away until nothing but white screen remains. These are typically used to transition between one scene to the next or to signify death. Because most films have several scenes per week, there is a lot of overlap where part of one scene segues directly into the next without any break.
By skipping over this transitional area, the viewer is left wondering what happened while also creating some suspense.
Check for distractions
As you watch films, there are several things that you can notice about the cinematography. Some of these qualities are positive, like how artistic the shots are, but some may be negative like when the camera is too close or the overall look is very flashy.
As you review films, try to focus more on whether or not the settings fit the story being told and if the overall style is consistent with the movie’s genre. This will help you determine whether or not the visuals influence your emotions and perception of the film.
If possible, compare one shot in depth with another similar shot so that you can see what differences there are. Use the same level tone when analyzing each piece!
General tips - white balance, exposure, color temperature
These three elements play an important role in the way colors appear in a scene as well as their intensity. Make sure to check out your options before editing this information into the final cut!
Color temperatures vary slightly depending on the light source in a room or outside, and different types of lighting typically use different levels of hue and intensity.
Are they using the right lens?
A good starting point for most people is looking at the camera used while filming your favorite movie or TV show. The way the cinematographer lenses-geeky term is, this is called the framing of the shot.
The wider the angle of view that the lens has, the more of the frame it covers. This gives the viewer a sense of space, as if you were there when the scene was filmed. Wide lenses are also referred to as “fisheye” or even “panoramic” because they give an illusion of depth by making the subject look like it goes on forever.
By having a wide lens, the director wanted to make the audience feel large and open. For example, in the opening scenes of Captain America: Civil War, there is a long pan across the beach with waves rolling onto shore.
Is the color correct?
When editing your film, one of the first things you should do is evaluate the colors used in the movie. What tone did they use for this scene or sequence? Was it appropriate for the setting and/or genre?
Many people start reviewing cinematographic styles when he or she sees another camera angle or someone else’s shooting style. But what most don’t realize is that there are some very specific rules about color theory that apply directly to filming!
Color theory teaches us how to identify which colors work together and why. By applying these theories to filmmaking, we can better understand why certain colors were used and whether they worked well with the story being told.
It’s also important to recognize poor color choices so that you won’t make the same ones during production.
Do they need a filter?
The first thing we should talk about is whether or not their camera needs a filter. Filters are usually plastic or glass pieces that you stick onto the lens to change the color, texture, or both. Some filters have metal flakes in them which can become visible when light hits the lens, this looks cool!
Filters come in many shapes and sizes. They are typically budget friendly as well, some people even use them to create custom looking lenses. However, expensive professional grade filters are what really matter most. These will give your film more depth and make certain colors look better.
For example, reds sometimes have a green tint to them due to the way light reflects off of blood. A pro-grade red filter would remove that green hue so it does not hurt the image.
Is there any noise?
The first thing that most people notice when they look at a movie’s cinematographer is whether or not their shots are busy.
A camera with lots of movement and activity will make your eyes feel tired, so it’s important for the director to find one that creates interesting compositions while also leaving enough time to compose the frame before moving in.
Also known as “empty space,” this way of shooting helps tell the story by creating silence where needed. There’s a reason we often hear music after action scenes - it leaves us breathless and hungry for more!
Another key element to note is if the photographer is using natural light. A lot of newer filmmakers use very expensive professional grade lighting, but this doesn’t always work well depending on the scene and what you want to achieve. Having good available light can help convey an emotion or tone to the piece.
Is there any blurring?
One of the first things to consider when reviewing cinematographic footage is whether or not everything in the frame is in focus. If something is out of focus, then it becomes blurry, this does not make the image look good.
By having some parts of the scene be in focus, the viewer can see more clearly what part of the setting or environment they are looking at. A great way to determine if anything is too focused or not is by studying still photography.
Photography has a famous rule that says ‘Rule #1 - Never use a flash’. This is because when light sources such as flashes are used, their intensity gets panned out over greater distances, which makes things become very bright and therefore, sometimes overly-bright.
With moving images, this effect happens even faster! Because nothing is staying steady for longer than a second, your viewers get to experience a slightly blurred vision of whatever you wanted them to see.
That being said, using a tripod and prepping properly will prevent most cameras from getting overexposed due to off-camera lighting.
Is there any stabilization?
Stabilization is an important part of cinematography. A lot of people think that having more camera movement means their movie has some degree of stability, but this isn’t always the case!
A small amount of moving around can make things look very unstable, like a house falling down or someone jumping off a roof. This looks really weird and uncomfortable to watch.
Stability adds to the flow of the film by making it feel normal. It also gives you room to create interesting shots as the camera doesn’t need to be tight on one thing for too long.