The use of the camera to create a world that we
perceive on screen
“Writing in pictures”
Governed by certain conventions,
but not restricted by these conventions;
Reflecting and complementing the film’s other
formal elements
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Setup: the camera’s position for a shot
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Shot: one uninterrupted run of the camera
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Take: the number of times a shot must be
repeated (think “take two”)
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“There is no such thing as good photography
per se. It is either right for a certain kind of
film, and therefore good; or wrong- however
lush, well-composed, meticulous- and
therefore bad. “
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“The cinematographer stands at the natural
confluence of the main two streams of
activity in the production of a film- where the
imagination meets the reality of the film
process.”
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“You will accomplish much more by fitting
your cinematography to the story instead of
limiting the story to the narrow confines of
conventional photographic practice. And as
you do so you’ll learn that the movie camera
is a flexible instrument, with many of its
possibilities left unexplored.”
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The cinematographer (Director of
Photography) assisted by
Camera operator and assistant camera
operators (“ACs”)
Electricians: “gaffer,” “best boy,” “grips”
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Gauges of film (8 mm – 70mm/IMAX) – width
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IMAX is 10 times bigger than a 35mm frame, and
has been used recently for scenes in
The Dark Knight and MI:Ghost Protocol
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Speed of film (fast, slow) – “graininess”
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Color
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Black-and-white
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In 1936, 1% of Hollywood films were shot in
colour. By 1968 virtually all films were shot in
colour.
It is hard to imagine Sin City shot in full
colour, or Metropolis, or The Night of the
Hunter, or Persepolis.
This year’s Best Picture Award winner at the
Oscars was The Artist, shot in glorious Black
and White!
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1986, Film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert
did a special episode of Siskel & Ebert addressing
colorization as "Hollywood's New Vandalism." "It's
about money" Siskel explained how networks
were unable to show classic black-and-white
films in prime-time unless they offer it in color.
"They arrest people who spray subway cars, they
lock up people who attack paintings and
sculptures in museums, and adding color to
black and white films, even if its only to the tape
shown on TV or shown in stores, is vandalism
nonetheless."
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Roger Ebert added, "What was so wrong
about black and white movies in the first
place? By filming in black and white, movies
can sometimes be more dreamlike and
elegant and stylized and mysterious. They
can add a whole additional dimension to
reality, while color sometimes just supplies
additional unnecessary information."
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How shots are lit affects how we perceive
them
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Lighting ratios: hard/high key, soft/low key
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3-point system: keylight, fill light, backlight
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What’s NOT lit is an important aspect of
lighting (just as offscreen space is as
important as onscreen space)
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We will explore the 3 point system in a bit more
detail a little later. It is the best known lighting
convention in feature films. For now, consider
this:
The way a cinematographer lights and shoots an
actor invariably affects how we look upon that
character. The amount of light, the nature of the
light, and the angle of the light are significant.
This principle also works for settings and
locations.
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The overall style of a film is determined by its
production values, or the amount and quality of
human and physical resources devoted to the
image. A film’s lighting is an important element
of its production values.
Cinematographers work within the overall design
of the film. In earlier years, each studio would
cultivate its own distinct visual style as a form of
“branding.” Cinematographers were compelled to
work within those expectations.
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Additionally, cinematographers often work within
the confines of a specific genre.
Film Noir, for example, uses high contrast black
and white tones to symbolize forces of good and
evil.
Westerns often employ bright exterior lighting
and dim, underlit interiors, emphasizing the
limitations of the indoor world and the
expensiveness of the great outdoors.
Focal length: wide, narrow angle, zoom.
Different lenses are employed for different
focal lengths (prime lenses, zoom lenses)
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Depth of field: what planes are in focus
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Aperture: an iris that limits light
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While a painter may select any shape of
canvas he chooses, the cinematographer,
throughout history, has been confined to
variations on a rectangle, owing to the need
for standardization of equipment and
technology within the industry.
Consider the theatres that show the films we
watch. There are physical restraints on the
size and shape of the screen that can be
accommodated.
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In the 1930’s, as the industry boomed, a
standard aspect ratio of 1:33:1 was adopted.
Every theatre was equipped to this standard.
(We might call it a 4:3 ratio today. In other
words, the shape of the TV you owned before
you owned your new one!)
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Television had a significant effect upon the
film industry as it progressively drew viewers
away from the movies. Something had to be
done, so film companies turned to
widescreen presentation in order to provide
viewers an experience they could not have at
home.
(3D was an another early 50’s gimmick, as
was smell-o-vision!)
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The Tingler was a 1959 horror-thriller about a
scientist who discovers a parasite in humans
called a tingler. The film tells the story of a
scientist who discovers a parasite in human
beings, called a "Tingler", which feeds on fear.
The creature earned its name by making the
spine of its host "tingle" when the host is
frightened. The gimmick used for marketing The
Tingler was called "Percepto!", which featured
vibrating devices in some of the theater chairs
which activated in time with the onscreen action!
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Starting in 1952, companies experimented
with widescreen aspect ratios, some of the
most common include:
1:66:1 European Widescreen
1:85:1 American Widescreen
2:2:1 Super Panavision and Todd A-O
2:35:1 Panavision and Cinemascope
2:75:1 Ultra Panavision
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Consider the implications of what these
different ratios mean. Here is Picasso’s
Guernica: (You saw this painting in Children
of Men)
How would you show this painting in
Academy Standard? (Think of your old TV)
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You could crop it by cutting off the outside edges and always
focusing on the centre of the screen. Tis would be disastrous
when we consider The Rule of Threes
You could Pan and Scan, constantly shifting the area of focus
across the original “widescreen” painting
You could show it in letterbox, leaving black bars across the
top and bottom of your screen. You won’t lose any of the
painting, but the image will be smaller and lack clarity
You could squeeze the image, distorting it out of recognition
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Pan and Scan involved panning and scanning
back and forth across the widescreen image
so that the main action of the scene was
always the focal point of what you saw.
But what didn’t you see? You might see the
speaker, but not the person being spoken to.
You might see 2 of the 4 cowboys riding the
range. In short, what you might see is this:
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We will watch some widescreen examples
later this week. One of the best examples of
widescreen can be seen in Ben Hur, the 1959
classic that won 11 Academy Awards. The
highlight of that film is the famous chariot
race, which still amazes today!
It was filmed to be projected at a 2:75:1
aspect ratio! When we watch it, consider the
challenge of showing this film on TV.
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Imagine a lowly technician at the Louvre museum trying to
solve a problem.
He’s got a bunch of oversized paintings, a bunch of
undersized frames that the paintings don’t fit, and a
boxcutter.
By the time he’s done, the paintings now fit the frames.
Absurd? Of course, but the widescreen frame image is
beautifully composed and balanced, as we will see. It is
unthinkable that someone other than the director should
tamper with the image.
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Slow-motion emphasizes the action
Fast-motion is usually funny
Long take (film permits 10 minutes, but this
can be extended) creates feeling of real time
and space
Contrast a Michael Bay or a Bourne film or
Run Lola Run with Children of Men or
something more measured, like Road to
Perdition, or Citizen Kane, or Shawshank
Redemption.
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Closeup shot
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Medium shot (typical)
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Long shot
and gradations of these three
i.e., XCS, XLS, MCS
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Deep-space composition
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Deep-focus cinematography
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The rule of thirds
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Eye-level shot (from typical POV)
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High angle shot (from overhead)
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Low angle (from below)
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Dutch angle (tilted)
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Aerial view (from above – long shot)
Pan shot (“All the Things I Wasn’t”)
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Tilt shot
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Dolly or tracking shot (The Shining/The Godfather)
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Zoom shot (a camera effect) (See DVD Tutorial)
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Crane shot (Touch of Evil)
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Handheld or steadicam shot (Atonement/Goodfellas)
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Omniscient POV (most “usual”)
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Single-character POV (can also rotate)
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Group POV
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Slow Motion decelerates action
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to build suspense and prolong tension
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to convey subjectivity and memory
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to demonstrate heightened awareness
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Conveys an altered state of consciousness
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Often used for comedic effect
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To give a heightened sense of the passing of
time
Gives a sense of an unpredictable
landscape/location (“The time is out of joint”)
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Average length of a shot is 10 seconds
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Long take can run from 1 to 10 minutes
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Allows film-makers to preserve real space and real time
through an absence of cuts
The long take can eliminate the need for multiple set ups.
Consider the dolly shot in Shawshank Redemption when the
camera closes in on Red at his parole hearing.
permits the development of a story involving more than 2
lines of action without crosscutting
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allows cause and effect (the heart of
narrative) to be recorded in one shot
Steadicam allows for scenes to unfold in
multiple locations with a fluid progression
within the scene.
Used to great effectiveness in Children of
Men