CINE 100- Cinematography

Cinematography

'writing in movment', art and technique of capturing images on film or digitally to tell a story visually.

Tonality

considering how light registers on film

Contrast

refers to the difference between the darkest and lightest areas of the frame

Exposure

regulates how much light passes through the camera lens

Tinting

accomplished by dipping the already developed film into a bath of dye. The dark areas remain black and gray, while the lighter areas pick up the color

Toning

Colors the darker areas of the film, leaving highlights mostly unchanged

Speed of Motion

how fast or slow movement appears on screen, which depends on the frame rate at which the film is shot and projected.

Normal motion

filmed and projected at the tandard frame rate (24 frames per second) → looks natural

Slow motion

filmed at a higher frame rate and projected at normal speed → movement appears slower and more dramatic

Fast motion

filmed at a lower frame rate and projected at normal speed → movement appears faster and sometimes comedic or frantic

Ramping

technique where the speed of motion changes within a single shot.

Time-lapse cinematography

permits us to see the sun set in seconds or a flower sprout bloom in a minute. For this, a very low shooting speed is required, perhaps one frame per minute, hour, or even day

High-speed cinematography

such as recording a bullet shattering glass, the camera may expose hundreds or thousands of frames per second

Wide-angle (short focal length)

captures a wide field of view, objects appear smaller and farther apart (less than 35mm)

Standard (middle focal length)

view similar to human vision, objects appear natural and proportionate

Telephoto (long focal length)

captures a narrow field of view, objects appear closer together and larger (around 100mm)

Zoom

adjusting the lens to magnify or shrink the subject in the frame without moving the camera

Depth of field

refers to the range of distance in a shot that appears acceptably sharp and in focus

Selective focus

Only one part of the shot is in sharp focus; the rest is blurred

Deep focus

Everything in the frame, from foreground to background, is in sharp focus

Racking/pulling focus

used to switch our attention between foreground and background making one plane blurred and another sharp

Superimposition

technique where two or more images are layered on top of each other in the same frame

Composite

combining multiple images into one seamless shot for visual storytelling or effects

Rear projection

pre-filmed footage is projected onto a screen behind the actors, creating the illusion that they are in a different location

Matte work

the art of blending filmed footage with painted or digital images to create scenes that don't exist in real life

Framing

how filmmakers choose to arrange people, objects, and space inside the camera's view to create meaning, mood, and focus for the audience

On-screen space

everything the audience can see inside the frame, includes characters, objects, settings, and actions that are visible (ex: a character walking across a room that the camera shows)

Off-screen space

everything that exists outside the frame, but the audience knows (or senses) it's there. Filmmakers suggest off-screen space through sound, character reactions, or camera movement. (ex: A character looks to the side and reacts to someone we don't see but know is there)

Angle

The direction from which the camera views the subject

Level

Refers to the horizontal alignment of the camera relative to the subject.

Canted (dutch) angle

Camera is tilted sideways so the horizon isn't level creating disorientation/uneasy effects

Height

refers to how high or low the camera is placed. Even with the same angle, changing height alters composition

Camera Distance

How close or far the subject appears in the frame

Extreme long shot (ELS)

subject tiny, background dominates

Long shot (LS)

full-body view of the subject plus surrounding space

Medium long shot (MLS)

knees up; balances figure + surroundings

Medium shot (MS)

waist up; shows gestures & expressions

Medium close up (MCU)

chest up

Close up (CU)

face, hands, objects, emphasizes detail & emotion

Extreme close up (ECU)

magnifies a small part (eye, object)

Mobile framing

changing the composition of the shot by moving the camera during filming

Pan

Rotating the camera horizontally from a fixed position → scans the scene left or right

Tilt

Rotating the camera vertically from a fixed position → looks up or down.

Track

Moving the camera alongside or following a subject, usually on tracks → follows action smoothly

Dolly

Camera mounted on a wheeled platform that moves toward or away from the subject → creates push-in or pull-back effect

Crane

Camera mounted on a crane or jib → moves up, down, or across large spaces → gives sweeping, dramatic shots

Aspect ratio

the ratio of the frame widthto the frame height

shot scale

refers to how much of a subject or scene is visible in the frame

Long take

a single shot thatruns for a long period of time