Cinematography in Major Detail

7/24/2019 Cinematography in Major Detail

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Cinematography

Versus Mise-en-scene



Cinematography

• Cinematography: "writing

in movement”• Digital Cinematography and

Computer-Generated Imageryhave brought changes inCinematography, which was

traditionally based onchemical/photographicimages and efects

• Cinematography !verything that has to do with

cameras and lenses, with#lm/#lm stoc$ %and its digitale&uivalents', e(posure andprocessing o) #lm/digitalimages

Citizen Kane (Welles)



Cinematography vs. Mise-en-Scene

• Cinematography can be

contrasted to *mise-en-scene”%staging', which re)ers to *whatis #lmed”+ whilecinematography re)ers to *howit is #lmed”

• his diference raises

&uestions – .isual pecial fects01)ten done in post-production %esp digitalefects' o, is thatCinematography0

– 2ighting0 fects e(posure,lens setting, )ocus, etc,3sually under control o)Cinematographer %Directoro) 4hotography' 5ut2ighting, since it is part o)*what is #lmed,” could also

be seen as part o) a #lm6s*mise-en-scene” 7hat is

Is this cinematography or mise-en-scene?



Main Elements ofCinematography• (1) Composition of the frame and

moile framing.

!rame shape (aspect ratios)"camera distance (types of

shots: e.g." C#" Medium Shot)"angle" level" height" $ moileframing (cameramovements and %ooms)" perspective"

pov.• (&) Camera" 'ens" $ Eposure

Choices $ echni*ues (+hat used toe called ,photographic elements)

Camera Choices (speed of motion"



C/M0/S/2 /! 3E !45ME

Camera 5ngles

3igh angle4sycho %8itchcoc$'



C/M0/S/2 /! 3E !45ME

Camera 5ngles

traight angle+ traight on9ebecca %:l)red 8itchcoc$, ;<=>'



C/M0/S/2 /! 3E !45ME

Camera 5ngles

'o+ angle



C/M0/S/2 /! 3E !45MECanted framing (a.6.a. 7utch

angle) ?an with a ?ovie Camera %.ertov' @

one o) the #rst #lms to use Canted angles• Canted

)raming – Camera

not level /not

horiAontal – 1)tensuggeststension,trouble,distress,



Did you $now0

• he term *Dutch angle” originates)rom the term *Deutsch” whichmeans German German

e(pressionism used canted angled inmany #lms to denote madness anduneasiness

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919)Dir. Robert Wiene



Braming can become adirector6s signature

• here are other e(amples o) )raming,which include using the natural)raming occurring in obects

Tarantino’s

low angle

trun shot.



C5ME45 7S52CE

Camera8Shot 7istance or,ype of Shot1. etreme long (E'S)&. long ('S)

9. medium long shot (M'S)

. medium (MS);. medium close-up (MC#)

<. close-up (C#)

=. etreme close-up (EC#)



Etreme long shot (E'S)



'ong shot ('S)



Medium long shot(6nees or shins to head> a.6.a. 5mericanshot or 6nee shot)



Medium shot (MS)

!osferatu (".W. #urnau)

#o$ern Ti%es (Cha&lin)



Medium close-up (MC#)



Close-up (C#)



Etreme close-up (EC#)



/ther "shots" that aren?tnamed for their shot

distance:• Estalishing shot

• Master shot

• +o and three shot• 4everse shot or reverse-angle shot

• 0oint-of-vie+ (0/V) shot (a.6.a.

su@ective shot)



C1?41II1 1B 8 B9:? :spect9atios%ratio o) width to height'

Rules of the Game' ean Renoir' 199

1.*1 (+ to ) a,tuall- 1.*1

Aliens' a%es Ca%eron' 19/0

1./*1

Rebel Without A Cause' !i,holas Ra-' 19

2.*1 (Cine%as,o&e)



!raming: aspect ratios

• 5cademy ratio A 1.9=:1" ut often saidto e 1.99:1

• 2ote ho+ framing aBects alance"visual information" $ relationship of

on- $ oB-screen space

EE to ; 4an F can+ ;to ;



5spect 4atios (+hen shooting digital)

– : = - composition wellsuited )or a close-up

– 5 ;H< - loss o) )ocus -

ie, )rame includes*e(traneous”in)ormation

– C ;H< - letter bo(ed -)ace is smaller

– D ;H< - to commandattention - ie, #ll-up the)rame - )ace is cropped



Mobile Framing

1. 5ctual Movements of Camera

&. ooms" +here Camera doesn?t

move" ut the frame changes as thelens focal length is changed: oomn or oom /ut. (Magnies)

9. Computer-generated shots: for e:

,Dy-ys" ,rotations. Computers"li6e traditional animation" canpotentially generate anymovement.



Mobile Framing:

Camera Movements• 0ans A rotates hori%ontally" side to

side (,camera rotates on verticalais)

• ilts A vertical pivot8rotation" upand do+n

• n pans $ tilts" camera does not

change position" it pivots orrotates. #sually tripod mounted.

• 7olly8trac6ing8traveling shots

• Crane (and ,oom or @i) shots

• 3and-held and steadycam shots



Mobile Framing:Camera Movements

• 7olly" rac6ing" raveling shots: allasically the same.

• Sometimes people use ,trac6ing shot

to mean a ,follo+ing shot• ut name ,trac6ing shot came from

the ,trac6s that dollies moved on.

• So" dolly and trac6ing interchangealeterms.

• raveling shot is generally reserved formore epansive movements" ta6en from

a vehicle.



Dolly Shot, on Tracks



Dolly hotSpi6e 'ee - he 7olly Shot

: montage o) uni&ue dolly shots )rom the#lms o) pi$e 2ee

htt&s*33www.-outube.,o%3wat,h456Cu978-%:&#

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu9-UymSApM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu9-UymSApM




• Crane and 5oom/ib shots• 5oom/ib shots Camera mounted on

counterweighted boom %similar to booms)or microphones'+ some booms can alsotelescope in or out Can use )orcombinations o) pans F tilts, horiAontal%trac$ing', vertical or diagonal moves

• Crane shots hots loo$ the same as boom

shot, but o)ten motoriAed or with hydraulics)or movement 3sually cranes have seat)or operator, wheels ome can be driven

• ?otion-control techni&ues computerprograms to direct elaborate cameramovements



1pening 7ellesJ Touch of Evil;<KL

htt&s*33www.-outube.,o%3wat,h456;g/#<=o"5-+

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yg8MqjoFvy4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yg8MqjoFvy4



1pening 9obert :ltman6s he4layer %;<<E'

htt&s*33www.-outube.,o%3wat,h456>:$h?D<CT@o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAdhODqCTVo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAdhODqCTVo




• 3and-held and Steadicam Shots:

• 3and-held $ Steadicam shots can panor tilt or trac6.

• 3and-held movement is oviously,unsteady--+hich is ho+ +e 6no+it?s a hand-held shot.

• Steadicam: a patented device +h8dampens unsteadiness" producing a

relatively smooth movement" even+hen +al6ing or running. /peratorsmust e trained to use.

• Steadicam rst used in Rocky (1H=<).

Early prominent use in Guric6?s The

$i h t



rac$ing hot @Goofellas !"##$%

htt&s*33www.-outube.,o%3wat,h456&5!=bt"9Ag

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpvNjbtF9Hg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpvNjbtF9Hg



Mobile Framing

• Khen vie+ing a lm" moile framingcan e hard to spot" ecause +e oftenfollo+ +hat is eing photographed"rather than ho+.

• 5nd often" multiple cominations ofcamera movements:

• E: rac6ing shots often include

some panning.• 5nd cominations of cameramovements can ecome *uitecomplicated" as in some Crane Shots.

• 5lso" can comine camera movements



Mobile Framing

Vertigo' :lfre$ Ait,h,o,' 19/

Doll- Boo%



Mobile Framing

• Bamous shot )rom &aws %;<MK', which uses both )orwardtrac$ing and a Aoom out

•9everse o) 8itchcoc$6s 'ertigo shot, which Aoomed in while

trac$ing out 5oth )orms are o)ten called *dolly Aoom” shots



– 2e)t• move the camera %trac$ in'

• short )ocal length lens

• ote 9elation o)bac$/)oreground, changed

angles• distortion at edges

– 9ight

• Camera stationary

• Change o) )ocal length %ie,

Aoom in'

• 9elation o) bac$/)oregroundcloser %telephoto efect o)Nattening'

• o distortion at edges

• Oooming is unnatural to the

Tracking 's( )ooming



• 2i$e the Dutch angle, using mobile)raming can denote a particularpsychological efect

• In .ertigo, the motion represents asudden rush o) adrenalin much li$ewhat you )eel when you6re bungee

umping• hese types o) )raming are cinematic

depictions o) a highly psychological

)eelings

Emotional Framing



Who is the au$ien,e looing at' an$ fro% who’s &ers&e,ti5e4

What &ers&e,ti5e $oes the ,a%era &ut the au$ien,e in4

M (191 "ritz ang)

Cinematogra*hy an

+ers*ective

Black !an (2E1E D. :ronofs-)



Su@ective shot(or point-of-vie+ shot)

• ubective hot/Camera )rom theposition/point o) view o) a character--as i)seeing through character eyes :lso called

41. shot Cinema e&uivalent o) *Birst4erson” in writing

• ome people ma$e distinction betweensubective shots F 41. shots use *41.

shots” to include *over-the-shoulder” shots--which give a sense o) 41. without actuallybeing )rom the position o) the character

• 5ut easier F better treat 41. and

ubective as the same+ over-the-shoulder as



Su@ective shot(or point-of-vie+ shot)

• ubectivity/41. is crucial to Classical8ollywood style shot/reverse shots F

eyeline matching are based on theidea o) seeing )rom character6s 41.

• 5ut, shot/reverse shot shows both"subective" and "obective" views8ollywood %most cinema' mi(es bothtogether

• 7hat happens i) subectivity is ta$en toe(treme0 I) we see onl sub ective

ohn Car&enter’s "allo!een trailer (19/)



8ow many camera techni&ues can you #nd0

ohn Car&enter s "allo!een trailer (19/)

htt&s*33www.-outube.,o%3wat,h456Te9FGTF>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5ke9IPTIJQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5ke9IPTIJQ

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Cinematography in Major Detail