Cinematic Techniques
Cinematic techniques are methods
employed by film makers to communicate
meaning, entertain, and to produce a
particular emotional or psychological
response in an audience
Lighting technique and aesthetics
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In film making, the use of light can influence the meaning of a
shot. For example, film makers often portray villains that are
heavily shadowed or veiled, using silhouette.
The background light is used to illuminate the background
area of a set. The background light will also provide separation
between the subject and the background. In the standard 4point lighting setup, the background light is placed last and is
usually placed directly behind the subject and pointed at the
background.
In film, the background light is usually of lower intensity. More
than one light could be used to light uniformly a background or
alternatively to highlight points of interest.
In video and television, the background light is usually of similar
intensity to the key light because video cameras are less
capable of handling high-contrast ratios. In order to provide
much needed separation between subject and background, the
background light will have a color filter, blue for example, which
will make the foreground pop up.
Cameo lighting in film is a spotlight that accentuates a single
person in a scene. It creates an 'angelic' shot, such as one
where God is shining down and a light shines down onto this
person.
A lens flare is often deliberately used to invoke a sense of
drama. A lens flare is also useful when added to an artificial or
modified image composition because it adds a sense of realism,
implying that the image is an un-edited original photograph of a
"real life" scene.
Mood Lighting : Light is necessary to create an image
exposure on a frame of film or on a digital target (CCD, etc). The
art of lighting for cinematography goes far beyond basic
exposure, however, into the essence of visual storytelling.
Lighting contributes considerably to the emotional response an
audience has watching a motion picture. The control of light
quality, color, direction and intensity is a major factor in the art
and science of cinematography.
Colours & Filters
 Filters, such as diffusion filters or coloreffect filters, are also widely used to
enhance mood or dramatic effects. Most
photographic filters are made up of two
pieces of optical glass glued together with
some form of image or light manipulation
material between the glass.
 In the case of color filters, there is often a
translucent color medium pressed
between two planes of optical glass. Color
filters work by blocking out certain color
wavelengths of light from reaching the film.
 With color film, this works very intuitively
wherein a blue filter will cut down on the
passage of red, orange and yellow light
and create a blue tint on the film.
 Certain cinematographers, such as
Christopher Doyle, are well known for their
innovative use of filters. Filters can be
used in front of the lens or, in some cases,
behind the lens for different effects.
Mise en Scene : Props & Set
 Stemming from the theater, the
French term mise en scène
literally means "putting on
stage." When applied to the
cinema, mise en scène refers
to everything that appears
before the camera and its
arrangement – sets, props,
actors, costumes, and lighting.
 Mise en scène also includes
the positioning and movement
of actors on the set, which is
called blocking.
Cinematography & Camera Angles
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Cinematographic techniques such as the choice of shot, and camera
movement, can greatly influence the structure and meaning of a film.
The use of different shot sizes can influence the meaning which an audience
will interpret.
The size of the subject in frame depends on two things: the distance the
camera is away from the subject and the focal length of the camera lens.
Extreme close-up: Focuses on a single facial feature, such as lips and eyes.
Close-up: May be used to show tension.
Medium shot: Often used, but considered bad practice by many directors, as
it often denies setting establishment and is generally less effective than the
Close-up.
Long shot: typically shows the entire object or human figure and is usually
intended to place it in some relation to its surroundings; however, it is not as
far away as an would be.
Establishing shot: Mainly used at a new location to give the audience a sense
of locality.
Choice of shot size is also directly related to the size of the final display
screen the audience will see. A Long shot has much more dramatic power on
a large theater screen, whereas the same shot would be powerless on a
small TV or computer screen.
Camera angles
These are used extensively to communicate meaning and emotion about
characters:
Low angle shot: Looking up at a character or object, often to instill fear or
awe in the audience;
Straight angle shot: Looking at an eye-level angle to a character or object,
giving a sense of equality between subject and audience;
High angle shot: Looking down on a character, often to show vulnerability or
weakness;
Canted or Oblique: The camera is tilted to show the scene at an angle. This
is used extensively in the horror and science fiction genre. The audience will
often not consciously realize the change. This is most often referred to as a
'dutch' angle, or 'going dutch'. The most obvious and frequently referenced
use of this technique is found in the 'Batman' TV show and original movie
(when the villains were on screen, the camera would show them at a canted
angle).
Sound
 Sound is used extensively in filmmaking to enhance presentation, and is distinguished into
diegetic ("actual sound"), and non-diegetic sound:
 Diegetic sound: It is any sound where the source is visible on the screen, or is implied to be
present by the action of the film:
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Voices of characters;
Sounds made by objects in the story; and
Music, represented as coming from instruments in the story space.
Music coming from reproduction devices such as record players, radios, tape players etc.
 Non-diegetic sound: Also called "commentary sound," it is sound which is represented as
coming from a source outside the story space, ie. its source is neither visible on the screen,
nor has been implied to be present in the action:
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Narrator's commentary;
Voice of God;
Sound effect which is added for dramatic effect;
Basic sound effects, e.g. dog barking, car passing;
Mood music; and
Film Score
Non-diegetic sound plays a big role in creating atmosphere and mood within a film.
 Sound effects
 In motion picture and television production, a sound effect is a sound recorded and
presented to make a specific storytelling or creative point, without the use of dialogue or
music. The term often refers to a process, applied to a recording, without necessarily
referring to the recording itself. In professional motion picture and television production, the
segregations between recordings of dialogue, music, and sound effects can be quite distinct,
and it is important to understand that in such contexts, dialogue and music recordings are
never referred to as sound effects, though the processes applied to them, such as
reverberation or flanging, often are.
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Special FX
The illusions used in the film, television, and entertainment
industries to simulate the imagined events in a story are
traditionally called special effects (a.k.a. SFX or SPFX). In
modern films, special effects are usually used to alter
previously-filmed elements by adding, removing or enhancing
objects within the scene. The use of special effects is more
common in big-budget films, but affordable animation and
compositing software enables even amateur filmmakers to
create professional-looking effects.
Special effects are traditionally divided into the categories of
scenery effects and mechanical effects. In recent years, a
greater distinction between special effects and visual effects
has been recognized, with "visual effects" referring to postproduction and optical effects, and "special effects" referring to
on-set mechanical effects.
Optical effects (also called visual or photographic effects), are
techniques in which images or film frames are created and
manipulated for film and video. Optical effects are produced
photographically, either "in-camera" using multiple exposure,
mattes, or the Schüfftan process, or in post-production
processes using an optical printer or video editing software. An
optical effect might be used to place actors or sets against a
different background, or make an animal appear to talk.
Mechanical effects (also called practical or physical effects),
are usually accomplished during the live-action shooting. This
includes the use of mechanized props, scenery and scale
models, and pyrotechnics. Making a car appear to drive by
itself, or blowing up a building are examples of mechanical
effects. Mechanical effects are often incorporated into set
design and makeup. For example, a set may be built with
break-away doors or walls, or prosthetic makeup can be used
to make an actor look like a monster.
Since the 1990s, computer generated imagery (CGI) has
come to the forefront of special effects technologies. CGI gives
film-makers greater control, and allows many effects to be
accomplished more safely and convincingly -- and even, as
technology marches on, at lower cost. As a result, many
optical and mechanical effects techniques have been
superseded by CGI.
Editing
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Film editing is an art of storytelling practiced by
connecting two or more shots together to form a
sequence, and the subsequent connecting of
sequences to form an entire movie. Film editing is
the only art that is unique to cinema and which
separates filmmaking from all other art forms that
preceded it (such as photography, theater, dance,
writing, and directing). However there are close
parallels to the editing process in other art forms
such as poetry or novel writing. It is often referred to
as the "invisible art," since when it is well-practiced,
the viewer becomes so engaged that he or she is
not even aware of the work of the editor.
Because almost every motion picture, television
show, and TV commercial is shot with one camera,
every single shot is separated from every other
single shot by time and space. On its most
fundamental level, film editing is the art, technique,
and practice of assembling these shots into a
coherent whole. However, the job of an editor isn’t
merely to mechanically put pieces of a film together,
nor is it to just cut off the film slates, nor is it merely
to edit dialogue scenes. A film editor works with the
layers of images, the story, the music, the rhythm,
the pace, shapes the actors' performances, "redirecting" and often re-writing the film during the
editing process, honing the infinite possibilities of
the juxtaposition of small snippets of film into a
creative, coherent, cohesive whole.
Film editing is an art that can be used in diverse
ways. It can create sensually provocative
montages. It can be a laboratory for experimental
cinema. It can bring out the emotional truth in an
actor's performance. It can create a point of view on
otherwise obtuse events. It can guide the telling and
pace of a story. It can create the illusion of danger
where there is none, surprise when we least expect
it, and a vital subconscious emotional connection to
viewer.