What Is Cinematography Techniques

Cinema is a beautiful art form that has evolved over time. Technically, cinematography is filming with a camera while keeping in mind practicals and limitations of space, budget, and content. Beyond just taking still photos, advanced cinematographers use various shooting styles and tools to create stories through their own unique vision.

These artistic touches are what makes a film feel authentic and special. There are several different types of cinematography such as documentary style, narrative style, action/adventure style, etc. And while some people may consider certain shots overly-produced or flashy, every piece adds to the overall story being told.

The term “cinematographer” comes from the word cinema, which was originally coined by Eugène Lamiroy due to his love for this craft. He wanted to emphasize how much the medium influenced others and shaped storytelling. Since then, many great filmmakers have adopted the moniker “director of photography.”

This article will go into more detail about each type of cinematography and some of their defining characteristics.

Slow motion effects

A popular cinematography technique is to use slow moving or still scenes. This can be done in several ways, some more practical than others! For example, you could have the person being filmed take longer to get out of their seat, walk across the room, put something away, etc.

The most common way to do this is by using dolly equipment. A handheld camera with an adjustable handle is called a hand-held camera. An additional lens attached to the camera is called a boom. The operator moves the camera back and forth using the wheeled frame as a base.

By having someone stand very close to another object (like a wall) they can create the effect of the person is walking really slowly towards the wall. When filming fast paced action, we usually cut off any extended takes so that people don’t see how long it took for them to move. With these slower shots there are no cuts, only momentum!

Another way to achieve slow motion is through gyroscopic steadying. We use special lenses and motors to remain stable while recording so that your film doesn’t look shaky. Some genres like thrillers require lots of slow motion so professional filmmakers use many different types of stabilizers to make sure everything looks smooth.

Reverse slow motion

A very popular technique in cinematography is called reverse slow-motion. This can be done at any time, not just during filming! You will have to ask yourself how to do this first.

The way to create reverse slow-mo footage is by using two cameras. One camera that takes normal speed photos and another that has slower shutter speeds. The second camera must be able to capture enough light for your final product which usually means having a lot of lights or shooting late into the night.

By doing this, you get an effect where everything seems to move more slowly than it normally would. All of the objects seem to take longer to reach their destination while traveling at the same speed as before.

This looks really cool especially when used properly. Try experimenting with different types of reverse slow mo videos and see what effects they have.

Fast forward slow motion

A technique that has become very popular is using fast or slow motion in your videos. You can use this trick to emphasize something or add some flavor to your video. By adding quick, short exposures of the scene, it creates an effect like you were moving through the space slowly.

This is typically done at night when there are no bright lights around so everything looks dark. Using this method in low light conditions is one way to achieve truly dramatic shots.

Slow motion editing

A technique that has grown in popularity is creating your movie or video with slow-motion effects. These are typically done after filming, sometimes years later!

Using software such as Adobe Premiere Pro or similar programs, filmmakers edit down their videos to play them back at a slower speed. They then use special applications and plugins to add additional features like still frames, fast forward, reverse, and more.

These cinematic tools can be used for different purposes. Sometimes it’s just an overall effect, such as making everything look very dreamy or fluid. Other times, they're specific to give an action feel, such as showing off how well someone shoots a gun. Or maybe adding some suspense by showing only part of the setting before the character enters.

There are many ways to use this tool to create new styles and concepts.

Freeze frame

A freeze frame is one of the most recognizable cinematographic techniques in film making. It can be done virtually without any special equipment, but it does take some practice to get good at doing it well.

A freeze frame occurs when the filmmaker stops recording movie footage and instead takes still pictures. This is typically done for two reasons- dramatic effect or to emphasize an important moment in the story.

For example, after filming someone talking for a few minutes, the writer will sometimes cut to a close up shot of their face with no background noise. The audience gets the feel that there was more than just conversation happening before this break in coverage.

Another instance would be to show something very quickly so that viewers do not have time to react to it. For example, if a person trips and falls, we may see only a short burst of fireworks and sizzling effects as they hit the ground.

Lens flares

A lens flare is when light from the sun, lightning, or another source enters the lens of your camera directly, creating a bright spot in the image. When you have enough light entering the lens, it can create a beautiful effect to shape, burn, or even add some glitter to the photo.

A common way to get lens flares in nature photography is by shooting into the sun. The intensity of sunlight makes it seem like there’s more light coming from the area, so most cameras will overexpose the picture slightly to try to neutralize that exposure. This then leaves white space in the photograph, where there should be darkness.

By using long exposure times, these white spaces can become very heavy with glowing rays of light, which creates cool effects.

Another way to achieve lens flares in natural environments is through reflection! If you are photographing water, trees, or anything other than solid surfaces, there may be small amounts of moisture on the surface. Some lights are strong enough to bounce off those wet surfaces, and then re-enter the lens as a second light source.

This produces similar results to having direct light enter the lens, but in a less controlled situation. Because we cannot predict what types of reflections our settings might produce, many photographers use gels and spray liquids to help balance out the photos.

These days, almost every professional photographer has their own collection of sprays and gels they use for different looks and situations.