The Cinematographer’s
Raw Materials
• Critical flicker fusion (phi phenomenon, persistence of vision – 24 fps)
• Film stock, gauge, format – color vs. BW,
35mm, IMAX, etc.
• Frame – what’s viewable
• Shot – what’s captured by a run of the camera
• Exposure filters & gels to manipulate light & color

Film Stocks

Exposure, Filters

Areas of
Cinematographic Control
1. Photographic aspects of the shot
2. Framing of the shot
3. Duration of the shot

Photographic Aspects of the Shot
• Symmetry vs. asymmetry (rule of thirds)
• Glass shot – shooting through painted glass
• Superimposition – laying one shot over another
• Projection composite work (rear, front) – green-screen work
• Matte composite work – high-tech copy/paste
• Deep focus – several planes in sharp focus
• Racking focus – pull focus from background to foreground or vise versa

Symmetry, Asymmetry

Superimposition

Projection Composite Work

Matte Composite Work

Deep Focus, Racking Focus

Photographic Aspects of the Shot
Light and Color
• Color timer or grader – person who oversees color in development of film
• Contrast – relations between dark/light
• Tinting – dipping developed film into dye, colors light areas
• Toning – developing film in dye, colors dark areas
• Hand-coloring – painting individual elements within the frame

Tinting, Toning

Hand Coloring

Framing the Shot
A. Size/shape of frame
B. Onscreen/offscreen space
C. Vantage point
D. Movement (mobile framing)

Framing the Shot
A. Size/Shape of Frame
• Aspect ratio (Academy, widescreen, etc.)
• Depth of field (degree of focus available with the camera)
• Focal length
 Wide angle (captures great width, distorts edges)
 Normal (captures “normal” width, edges have straight lines)
 Telephoto (captures great distance, flattens planes)
 Zoom (focal length of lens varies)

Depth of Field/Degree of Focus

Wide Angle Shot

Telephoto Shot

Framing the Shot
B. Onscreen/Offscreen Space
• Onscreen space
• Six zones of offscreen space:
 Above
 Below
 Left
 Right
 In front
 Behind

Awareness of Offscreen Space

Framing the Shot
C. Vantage Point: Distance of the Shot
• Seven gradations of camera distance:
 Extreme long shot - landscape
 Long shot – full human figure, head to toe
 Full shot (medium-long or Plan Americain)
– human figure from the knees up
 Medium shot – human figure, waist up
 Medium close-up – shoulders up
 Close-up - face
 Extreme close-up – single feature (e.g. eye)

Extreme Long Shot

Long Shot

Full Shot (Medium-Long, P.A.)

Medium Shot

Medium Close-Up

Close-Up

Extreme Close-Up

Framing the Shot
C. Vantage Point: Angle of the Shot
• POV shot – camera “sees” exactly what the character sees
• Upward angle – camera is pivoted vertically on a horizontal axis to “look” up at its subject
• Head-on angle – camera “looks” neither up nor down at its subject
• Downward angle – camera is pivoted vertically on a horizontal axis to “look” down at its subject
• Canted angle – camera “leans” right or left to upset the horizon line

Upward Angle

Head-On Angle

Downward Angle

Canted Angle

Framing the Shot
D. Movement or Mobile Framing
• Pan shot – camera moves horizontally on a vertical axis
• Tilt shot – camera moves vertically on a horizontal axis
• Crane shot – camera is mounted on a crane to shoot from high above the subject
• Tracking shot – camera is mounted on a moving vehicle that follows the subject
• Hand-held/Steadicam – maximum flexibility in the shot

Pan Shot
(Hyperlink)

Tilt Shot
(Hyperlink)

Tracking Shot
(Hyperlink)

Crane Shot
(Hyperlink)

Handheld/Steadicam
(Hyperlink)

Duration of the Shot
The Properties of Time
A.The take
B.Speed of motion
C.Punctuation shots

Duration of the Shot
• Length of take – short, medium, long
• Sequence shot – a single, long take comprising multiple beats and camera movements

Sequence Shot
(Hyperlink)

Duration of the Shot
B. Speed of Motion
• Slow motion – shot at more fps than projected to slow down the movement
• High speed photography – shot at much more fps than projected to achieve an exaggerated slowdown
• Time lapse photography – shot at much fewer fps than projected to speed up the movement
• Ramping – alternating among slow, high and normal speeds

Slow Motion
(Hyperlink)

High-Speed
(Hyperlink)

Time Lapse
(Hyperlink)

Ramping
(Hyperlink)

Duration of the Shot
C. Punctuation Shots
• Fade out – from shot to black
• Fade in – from black to shot
• Dissolve – Shot A fades in as
Shot B fades out
• Freeze frame – film becomes still photo