How To Win Best Cinematography
Great cinematographers not only use clever tricks to create beautiful images, but also know how to maximize the effectiveness of what they are given. They make the best out of what you give them to work with!
As we have seen so far, great cinematographers usually have a knack for storytelling. They understand narrative structure and how to add depth to characters through their portrayal and facial expressions.
But aside from these qualities, they will always look into every nook and cranny of the frame to find new ways to capture interesting visuals.
These additional touches often cost no more than a few minutes to plan and execute, making them worthy additions to your filming schedule.
Great light painting is a perfect example of this. Even if you don’t have much time to devote to lighting, or even if there isn’t enough natural sunlight to pull off some effects, you can still achieve something cool.
Luckily, there are many low-cost (and sometimes free) trick photography techniques that anyone can try.
Oscar-worthy shots
A great deal of credit for the incredible look and feel of many recent Hollywood blockbusters goes to their cinematographers, their artistic directors who are hired to work with specific filming styles and budgets that are given the freedom to express themselves.
Their job is to bring out the best in those restrictions by coming up with clever ways to use what they have been given.
By understanding how light interacts with different shapes and materials, your DP can create some spectacularly beautiful images. They also use lenses to add more dimension to a scene, creating an effect that has become popularized as “dreamy” or “floaty.”
Many filmmakers develop personal relationships with individual DPs so that they can collaborate and experiment together. This way, everyone benefits from each other’s skills and knowledge.
And since most big budget films have several cameras used during production, there are often large groups of people working together across departments and countries to ensure everything looks seamless and natural.
The art of editing
A good editor is very important to the success of any film. They are not only responsible for creating seamless stories, but also shaping the overall look and feel of your movie.
Most people associate editing with cutting together different scenes into a continuous story, but that’s just the first part. Beyond that, an editor must know how to use their tools effectively to achieve the best possible result.
They must be able to choose the right tool for every job and use those tools properly. For example, someone who is more experienced might cut a scene using close-up shots while people with less experience could use longer lenses or wider angles.
There are several other parts of cinematography that editors work with as well. These include lens types, shutter speeds, camera positions, and so forth. All these factors contribute to what we refer to as lense flares, vignetting, and depth of field.
All of these things can either help or hurt the effectiveness of a shot, so they must be used correctly. In fact, some professionals even have small groups of friends who do nothing but edit, so they get lots of practice in the craft.
Hopefully you will one day find yourself working as an editor, and if you already do then make sure to keep up on all the latest tricks.
Popular culture and the war
Westerns are some of the most popular films ever made, so it makes sense that they have become one of the main battlegrounds in defining what it means to be American today.
Many people identify as “Westerners” because of their love for this genre. The term “westerner” even has its own Wikipedia page!
But what is it really? Is being a westerner only about liking cowboys and horses or action scenes and gunfights? Or does it go beyond those things?
A westie isn’t necessarily limited to these traits but if you’re not then you might want to reconsider your affinity for the genre. Here we will talk about how cinematographic styles have influenced which parts of our society are seen as essential to who we are as Americans.
Introduction
In his book Why We Love Dogs And Cats So Much, psychologist Margo Wilson suggests that dogs and cats subconsciously mirror human emotions back to us.
The importance of propaganda
One of the most important parts of winning an empire is understanding how to use propaganda effectively. Propaganda can be defined as false information that is spread to promote or influence opinions, emotions, or behavior.
Since ancient times, powerful empires have relied heavily on propaganda to strengthen their control over their territories and people. This article will discuss some key aspects of documentary filmmaking, including still photography, video recording, and cine-style filming.
These three components together make up what we refer to as cinematographic filming. Documentary filmmakers use these techniques for different reasons depending on the story they are trying to tell.
But one thing they all share in common is that they are very aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Artistic expression is part of the propaganda toolbox, just like any other device.
The evolution of war
Over the past two centuries, there have been many different ways to capture the beauty of battle. While some may consider certain shots as iconic or classic, what really matters is how much they influenced other cinematographers.
In a time when technology allowed for very little coverage, it was extremely difficult to create an immersive battlefield setting. Only handheld cameras were capable of capturing fluidly moving scenes, so most combat films used either stills or limited cut-away views.
It took more than just having access to better gear to make effective use of that equipment, however. Cinematographer’s like Roger Deakins, Robert Richardson, and Conrad Lantgen made great use of their creativity to add atmospheric touches to settings and portray moods.
These three men understood the power of silence in storytelling, which makes sense given that wartime movies at this time mostly focused on action. They also knew how to emphasize plot points by keeping things understated. All of these qualities combine to tell your audience something about the characters and the situation beyond the obvious.
This article will talk more about each one of these cinematic styles and how important they are to telling a story.
The impact of technology
Technology has always played an important part in filmmaking, but over the past few decades it’s become even more crucial to success than ever before. Technology now shapes almost every aspect of the filmmaking process - from editing software, camera equipment, and filming styles, to how filmmakers compile footage into finished shots.
In this article we will talk about one such key piece of technology used for cinematographic photography - the digital stillcam!
A stillcamera is any device that can take pictures. Technically speaking, a stillcamera isn’t limited to taking only photographs either; some are able to capture short videos as well. However, because they are typically designed to be handheld or use natural light, most people associate them with photos mostly.
Stillcams have been around for quite some time. Some of our greatest artists had their own collection of stillphotography tools, like Ansel Adams or Alfred Stieglitz. But these days, there are plenty of high quality stillcameras you can pick up pretty much anywhere. Many smartphone manufacturers offer them as a standard feature.
Why is having a good stillcam so important to your career?
We could probably write a whole article just listing all of the things that stillcameras do, but the main reason why they are so essential is due to the way film works. When movies were first made, everything was done with real-life analog materials.
The Battle of Gettysburg
During the Civil War, there were only about 1,000 professional cameramen in America, and most of them worked for large studios or newspapers that could afford to pay their services.
There was very little space for photographers during wartime because military operations are always happening quickly and constantly changing.
The best cinematographers had to be trained beyond just filming stories, so they learned how to use light and shadows effectively, along with other camera skills like setting up a tripod and using different lenses.
Professional war photography is an expensive hobby, which is why it’s mostly rich people who can enjoy it. Some got paid more money as war correspondents, but most went into it hoping to make a few dollars before being picked off by enemy fire.
One famous example is Julius "Gus" Neuhausen, who died while taking his own life after he failed to take enough cover during a sniper battle at Belleau Wood in France. He left behind two young sons who would grow up without a father.
The Battle of Verdun
During World War I, there was one key area where both sides would go back and forth for an extended period of time to determine who would win or lose the war. This battleground was known as the “Forces Françaises de l’Ouest (French Western Forces)”or simply referred to as the "Vidéo" (the word is play on words meaning 'video').
The Vidéo was a long line of trenches that ran along the top of a gentle hill in northern France. On either side of this trench were two lines of very strong defensive fortifications called blockhouses. These blockhouse positions could be manned by infantry soldiers or even artillery pieces.
At the base of the hill lay large quantities of natural resources like gravel and coal which helped fuel the French military machine during the conflict. Due to its strategic location, the Vidéo became a place of constant heavy fighting. It was also hard to take due to its sturdy nature and excellent camouflage.
This article will discuss some interesting things about the battle at the Vidéo and how it influenced cinematographic styles.