Introduction to cinematography

Cinematography

the art of crafting visuals for motion pictures. Greek for “writing with movement”

Cinematographer

is the crew chief that presides over the camera and light crews on a film or video production

Camera placement

where the cinematographer places the camera greatly affects how the audience reacts to the shot, and therefore the the rest of the scene

Camera movement

Can heighten the emotion and suspense in a scene

Shot composition

Refers to the way elements of a scene are arranged in a camera frame

Shot size

Refers to how much of the subject is visible within the frame, relative to the surrounding environment

Focus

Part of cinematographer’s job is to play with focus to emphasize different aspects of the story.

Lighting

There is a separate lighting person, cinematographer demands a certain level of knowledge

Camera gear

You need a camera but what other camera gear should have you considered?