cinematography pt 1 9/1/19
Cinematography is the art or technique of motion-picture photography. It is a micro element in the film industry. The use of camera positions and movements in order for the director to establish changes of situation and mood.
Director of photography (DoP)
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Heads of department on film productions, providing unique visual identities / looks of a film
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They discover the photographic heart of the screenplay
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Creating the desired look of the film using ; lighting, framing, camera movement
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They work with the director to help create the director's vision (visual style of film) ; research and prepare for shooting, prepare list for equipments
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DoPs attend the digital grading of the film during post-production
director of photography
camera team
1st assistant camera
video operator
focus puller
camera operator
clapper/loader
grip
electric
key grip
best boy grip
key rigging grip
gaffer
electricians/sparks
best boy electric
rigging gaffer
dolly grip
stills
photographer
camera work 10/1/19
These are examples of different shot sizes and movements
We were asked to produce a 30 second film based on one of these images, we were only allowed to use shots including extreme long shot, big close up, low angle, high angle, zoom in and crab left. (insert screenshot of image from exorcist)
Tim Peter Sea - Banana the Sequel
www
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hooks audience
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emotionally manipulated audience ; use of sound effects/background music
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creates tension/mystery ; enigmatic
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good performance
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creative shots
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clear narrative
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use of crediting ; title, cast and crew
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continue/smooth editing
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use of lighting to create contrast & silhouettes ; creates dramatic tension
ebi
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noise
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too much light in some shots
May Ploy Lingling Sweety - Road to Mrs P Office
www
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good performances
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creates tension
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used every shots ; fulfilled the brief
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intertextuality of the soundtrack
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continuous editing
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hooks audience with the first 2 shots
ebi
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no typography ; crediting/cast and crew
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unstable quality of footages ; phone camera
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does not fit the original image
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sound effects could be added to enhance emotion
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unclear narrative
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shaky camera shots ; zooming/crabbing
evaluate how the meaning is communicated through the cinematography 11/1/19
In this extract from the film Jaws, the meaning is communicated through the use of lighting, framing and camera movement. the examples of shots used are medium shot, long shot, eye level shot, over the shoulder shot, dollly shot, zoom in shot and tracking shot. medium shots are used to focus on maybe only a person or two, normally used to show a conversation, such as when Captain Brodie was talking to his wife. over the shoulder shot portrays what a person looking over the shoulder of the character would see, without necessarily using POV shots, for example when Captain Brodie was talking to a man, and seeing what was happening in the water behind the person he is talking to. tracking shot was used to follow the situation that was happening when he was chasing along the shore, telling everyone to "get out of the water". the scene where the camera focuses in what happens in the water creates tension, as it is not easy to see everything in the water, creating suspense and curiosity of the audience of what was going to happen. The use of camera shot in the last scene, showing an article of clothing, covered in blood, being washed into the shore, shows that the kid who was shown bitten by the shark has been killed, without showing it explicitly.
cinematography pt 2 ; lighting
Lighting is "the use of various light sources, both artificial and natural, to achieve some aesthetic or practical effect while illuminating a scene."
eicar-international.com
Lighting in film is a micro element that helps convey the narrative, theme, mood, characters and genre.
Lighting
Brightness
brightness
Photographic images can vary in overall brightness, which is used to support underlying emotion of the scene. High, low and mid key
Contrast
Depth of field
Look
Quality of light
Grain
Focus
Depth of field
This is the amount of acceptable focus behind and in front of the subject. Short focal lenses tend to produce a wide depth of field, where everything appears in “deep focus”. Long focal lenses produce a shallow depth of field, where only the subject area is in focus.
Contrast
This is the range of tones between pure white and pure black. Low contrast have a wide range and appear soft to the eye. High contrast have a small range and appear stark
Focus
Focus is the overall sharpness of the image. It can range from very soft to very sharp.
Colour
Also known as Hue, is manipulated through lighting, art direction and grading. ‘Overall Hue’ – a scene can be tinted a certain colour to convey scene variables like emotion, location and, time. ‘Saturation’ – is how rich colours appear on screen.
Grain
This is the tiny particles of dye crystals that make up a photographic image. Usually invisible, however under certain circumstances these can be noticeable. Resulting in a gritty look often used for aesthetic purposes.
Perspective
This is the breadth and depth of the image, which can be manipulated with the choice of lens. The foreground and background can appear closer together (compressed) or further apart (decompressed).
Quality of light
This refers to its perceived hardness or softness. A hard quality has dark shadows with sharp edges. Soft quality has diffused shadows.
Perspective
Colour
Look
This is the visual feel of the movie. It is often equated with its surface texture (i.e. grain, focus, but the meaning is much broader). Different looks are achieved by systematically manipulating any photographical element (all noted in this spider diagram). For example, The French connections makes use of grain and stark lighting to give the film a sense of gritty realism, almost like a newsreel. Rear Window uses high contrast and saturated colours to convey a sense of romance and intrigue. The look can be constant or changed in relation to the what is required.
3 point lighting
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Standard method used in visual media
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key light, fill light and back light
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Key Light ; main, strongest, most influencial on the look
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Fill Light ; secondary light, opposite to key light, fill shadows created by key light, softer and less brighter than the key
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Back Light ; behind the subject, lighting it from the back, provide subtle highlights around the outline, provides 3-dimentional look
high key lighting
COMMON CHARACTERISTICS
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LACK OF CONTRAST
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LACK OF SHADOWS
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BRIGHT
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BALANCED LIGHTING
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SIMILAR TO DAYLIGHT
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USED TO PORTRAY HAPPINESS
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MOSTLY CONVEY POSITIVE EMOTIONS
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low key lighting
COMMON CHARACTERISTICS
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high contrast, some desaturated
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represent mystery, danger, eeriness ; enigmatic
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binary opposites ; create conflicts/tension
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contour lines
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emphasising with highlight
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controlling colour ; usually black/dark tones
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more dramatic
silhouette
mid key lighting
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In the middle between high and low key
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Not too bright and not too dark
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Focuses on the middle tone whilst keeping the subject brighter than the background ​
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shots are taken against the source of light
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captures the outline of subjects
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no inner details ; facial expressions/clothing
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silhouette is always black/dark coloured
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high exposure around the subject, low on the subject
golden hour
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sunrise or sunset period
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lasts very shortly
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orange, golden sky
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often used to create aesthetic effects to photographs / footages
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works well with portraits
media text analysis
In this extract of the film Sicario, the meaning is communicated through the use of cinematography, specifically, lighting. different lighting techniques were used, such as low key, silhouette, golden hour, dusk, brightness, focus, contrast, colour and perspective, in order to portray meanings of war and suspense to the audience.
the scenes started with low key lighting, showing the faces of the main protagonists, the scenes were shot in the times of dusk, after the golden hour has passed. the low key light was used as a starting point to tension that were later created. showing the protagonists' faces and their facial expressions express slight conflicts between the characters, and creating a feeling of curiosity to the audience. the shot where one protagonist put his night vision on fulfils the audience's gratification through the technique of vicarious shot, making the audience experience the story through one of the protagonist's eyes. the way characters were putting on gears that look like military gears, camouflage outfits, weapons and night vision foreshadows an important event coming up later in the film.
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after a couple scenes, the sky has turned darker, leaving only the silhouettes of the characters to be seen. the silhouette technique was used several times to represent tension and suspense, like they were walking to fight, or even kill something creates expectations in the audience. the silhouette effect creates a great deal of contrast, both in brightness and in colours, bringing the audience's attention into the characters. different perspectives were used, from eye level, POV, high angle, low angle shots were used together with different aspects and techniques of lighting to create the meaning of an upcoming fight/action scene, with new characters, likely to be antagonists and the sense of tension, suspense, anxiousness and uneasiness in the audience.
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